WWF-Russia Seek Salmon Preservation by Russia’s Prosecutor-General's Office

VLADIVOSTOK. March 3. VOSTOK-MEDIA - World Wildlife Fund has transmitted to Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yury Chaika and to Chief Prosecutor of Kamchatka Krai Anatoly Knyazev letters stating that the state environmental expert review of the survey data required for justification of the volume of total allowable catches of Pacific salmon in Russian exclusive economic zone was carried out with violations of the Federal law “Concerning Ecological Examinations”, the Provision on environmental impact evaluation, and the Administrative Regulations of Federal Service of Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rosthekhnadzor).

 “In preparation of the survey data to be submitted to the state environmental expert review <…> the client failed to comply with obligations to make the survey data public by publication thereof in federal, regional and local news media, and also failed to incorporate public into decision-making process regarding the project in all constituent territories and municipalities within Russia which may be affected by this project,” the letter read. Under these circumstances, Rosthekhnadzor has erroneously recognized the survey data submitted for the state environmental expert review as complete.
On that ground, WWF has requested to suspend the implementation of the resolution of Rosthekhnadzor.

WWF and Kamchatka fishermen community, engaged in in-shore fishing of salmon by pound nets, have been campaigning against the development of high-sea catching of salmon for several years now. This is due to a number of reasons: floating or drift nets are the reason behind the mass mortality of marine mammals and birds. In addition, there are data indicating that less valuable species such as humpback salmon and Siberian salmon are simply dumped at sea. The coastal fishermen express concern that miles-long nets in the ocean impede access to rivers for salmon. This year, an auction for Russian commercial drift-net fishery was announced.

 “Such move may open Pandora’s Box,” said Konstantin Zgurovsky, Head of WWF Russia Marine Program. “Along with the intergovernmental agreement on Japanese fisheries, the resolution provides new opportunities for large-scale harvesting with the use of fishing gears, which the UN recognized to be one of the most devastating.”

 “We don’t really mind the use of drift-nets at coastal zone, provided that the length of such nets is limited to 1.5-2 meters, as it is in Alaska. However, a Russian-made net is a more effective and eco-friendly fishing gear. As to the environmental expert review, we believe that it’s wrong to evaluate only the volume of the total allowable catches, without giving due regard to the impact on the environment, when there is no extensive public discussion of the issue in question, as is provided for by the Russian Federation legislation.”

Earlier, Save Salmon coalition had requested Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to suspend the auction for quotas of catch of Pacific salmon in exclusive economic zone for implementation of large-scale drift-net fishing.