Uncontrolled Fish Catch Caused Reduction of Salmon Population in the Mezen

Participants of the “round table” meeting held by the Silver Taiga Foundation in Mezen, Arkhangelsk region, the middle of March, supported the ichthyologists’ opinion.

Every year, the Foundation’s staff visits Arkhangelsk region to meet residents of near-Mezen districts to plan and fulfil joint activities aimed at preservation of the aquatic bio resources of the Mezen river and their sustainable management. Such meetings are held as part of the Foundation’s project Sustainable Management of Fishery resources in Cooperation with the Local Population: Model River Mezen. The Silver Taiga’s professionals also appreciate the feedback they get during such visits, in particular, obtaining the data on the condition of fishery resources in Mezen districts of Arkhangelsk region for them to be compared with the results of the monitoring conducted at spawning tributaries of the Mezen in Komi.

The most recent accounting of redds performed by the Foundation show disappointing statistics – the population of salmon in the Mezen remains critically low. Last year, in total 200 km of the Mezen and its spawning tributaries were inspected; the expedition revealed just 160 redds (nests with eggs). For reference: in some Karelia’s rivers, as similar studies show, up to 200 redds account for each 120 meters.

“At the meetings with the residents in previous years, they mentioned all causes possible for such a dramatic fall of the salmon population, except for exploitation. They said fish was disappearing as a result of space junk falling from the sky, increased population of seals that eat salmon, river bed pollution, clear cutting, or other reasons. None of them were mentioned at the last meeting. The round table participants underlined, in particular, that amateur fishing of salmon at fishery plots was actually “a legal form of poaching”, says Nikolay Shilov, the Model River Mezen coordinator.

It is well known that in contrast to the Komi republic, where Mezen salmon catch is forbidden, Mezen and Leshukonye districts of Arkhangelsk region allow salmon fishing at fishery plots for recreation and sport. However, due to insufficient control, catching at fishery plots is exceeded many-fold.

One of the objectives of the Model River Mezen project is to change the near-Mezen residents’ focus to alternative activities, for instance, tourism. By the way, Mezen district can already boast of some successful stories of this business development.

The round table meeting was attended by representatives of the Public Fishery Council of Mezen district, local branch of the Russian Geographical Society, municipal and local authorities, SevRybVod, deputies of the district council and local fishers.

“The purpose of field trips to Arkhangelsk region is that residents of settlements in all the three adjacent districts in the Mezen basin – Udora in the Komi Republic, Mezen and Leshukonye districts in Arkhangelsk region – will unite in an effort to act jointly taking appropriate measures to protect the aquatic bio resources. The findings after the last trip to Mezen district show that the locals gradually start understanding the negative impact of amateur fishing and overexploitation exercised in the second half of the last century causing reduction of fish stock”, Nikolay Shilov sums up.