Azerbaijan's fish plant to cut down salmon breeding in reservoirs
By Kamila Aliyeva
Azerbaijan, which seeks to improve ecological situation of the Caspian sea and protect marine species on the brink of extinction, including the salmon, established fish-breeding farms that annually release certain amount of fish into the waterbodies of the country.
The Gabala Salmon Plant operating under the Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry plans to release into reservoirs about 57,000 fish in 2018, Plant's leading pisciculturist Safayat Gachayeva told Trend on March 28.
Gachayeva said that last year this figure was about 60,000, which allowed to overfulfil the state plan by 5 percent.
In 2014, 48,300 fish were released into reservoirs, in 2015 - 57,500 fish and in 2016 - 63,840 fish. Over the past 18 years, the plant released about 900,000 fish into the reservoirs.
The plant, which has been operating since 1956, is presently producing salmon and spotty trout, which are then released into the Caspian Sea, the Kura River and shallow waters.
Azerbaijan, washed by the Caspian Sea, the largest closed lake on the planet, has about 101 species of fish including sturgeon, thorn, white salmon, salmon, five species of the Caspian herring, omul, and carp.
The Sea has a total surface area of 371,000 square kilometers, holding about 78,200 cubic kilometers of water.
Contamination of the sea water and related deterioration of environmental condition alongside the sea level oscillations may be considered as the main problems of the Caspian Sea.
The basic pollution sources of the Caspian Sea are the slops of the cities and industrial objects situated in its basin, coasts, and water areas, as well as various contaminants discharging from maritime transportation and oilfields. Currently 15 million people live in Caspian coastal zones, whose life activity is directly connected with the sea (mostly fishery).
Therefore, environmental issues are constantly discussed at general meetings of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran – Caspian Littoral States. The joint efforts of the Caspian countries are seriously combating poaching. And the newest methods of fish breeding allow preserving life for future generations.
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