Kazakhstani Government announced temporary moratorium on sturgeon fishing

The Government of Kazakhstan announced temporary moratorium on fishing sturgeon in the Ural-Caspian basin. This news reached Kz-Today from the Ministry of

Natural Resources and Environment of the RK.

Prohibition on sturgeon fishing will last till January 1, 2002 except for using sturgeons for scientific purposes. The said Ministry is authorised to control the execution of the Government's Resolution.

The decision was taken in accordance to the Resolution of 45th Meeting of the Standing Committee of Convention on international trade by disappearing species of fauna and flora. In November 2001, tentatively in Azerbaijan, there will be held the meeting of the International Committee on utilization of the resources of the Caspian Sea. The meeting will take a final decion on the use of sturgeon in 2002. As the Kazakhstani Ministry informed, in 2001 the limit of fishing sturgeon was over 275 tonnes of which 33 tonnes were the limits for the Fall of 2001. Also, Kazakhstan has fished 30.8 tonnes of which 3.8 tonnes are the limit for Turkmenistan purchased by Kazakhstan. 4.2 tonnes out of 30.8 are still to be sold.