TCA - English Language Newspaper in Central Asia

More nets than fish
      Date:26-08-2005 10:53
      Country:  Kyrgyzstan
      Source:TCA<>
      Author:





BISHKEK, August 26 (TCA). In Kyrgyz lakes,

Their moaning sadness is so deep blue,

As if they are guilty of how humans misdo, said once poet Robert 
Rozhdestvensky as if he in his time could foresee this sensitive issue of today. 
After numerous talks on the radio, on television, and in mass media, the workers 
of the State Resources Inspection together with the head of the State Forestry 
Service (SFS) T. Musuraliyev and Academician A.O. Konurbayev, have initiated the 
prohibition of commercial fishing at Lakes Son-Kul and Issyk-Kul, in order to 
preserve the bio-variety of the animal and plant kingdom and the ichthyological 
fauna there.



The earths pain has neither beginning nor end. Similarly, continuous 
commercial fishing on Lake Son-Kul has become a matter of concern for 
ornithologists as well. Last year they saw only one couple of Indian geese, as 
compared to 200 in recent times: birds dont find quiet secluded corners there 
any more. The fish stock is so exhausted that this has become an object of the 
Kyrgyz Public Prosecutor General Offices investigation. Then the rhetorical 
questions arise: Who is to be answerable? Maybe the head of the Fishery 
Inspection under the Ministry of Agriculture will make the matter clear?



More than 40 years ago this unique water reservoir was fishless, tells 
ichthyologist Mukhtar Alpiyev. But the researches of the workers of the 
Issyk-Kul Biological Station and the Department of Hydrobiology of the Tashkent 
State University conducted since 1960 showed rich forage reserves at Lake 
Son-Kul, both in qualitative and quantitative respect. In 1968, 40 two-years-old 
pelyads were let into the lake, and in early 1970s numerous mass stocking with 
pelyad and chir larvae was made several times. After that, since 1977 Lake 
Son-Kul began to rank as the second-largest fishing grounds following Issyk-Kul. 
But biotoxicosis in 1979 that caused mass deaths of the fish and then irrational 
fish industrial management by the Fishery Inspection under the Ministry of 
Agriculture and Water Resources have led to a noticeable reduction of the fish 
stock. Such a posture of affairs has induced Academician A.O. Konurbayev to 
appeal to Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Processing Industry 
(MAWR & PI) A.V. Kostyuk with the recommendation to urgently prohibit commercial 
fishing there till 2006. A.O. Konurbayev submitted an expert judgement based on 
data about commercial fishing during many years, which says, In recent time 
approximately 600 tons of pelyad were caught annually, instead of planned 140 
tons. The catches of whitefish were not registered, as quotas were issued on 
pelyad only. Unfortunately, in some places young whitefish was over-caught by 
40-50%.



We say that these or those bird or animal species become extinct, but its not 
so evident with fish, says Asylbek Tologonov, head of the Fishing Inspectors 
under the Bio-Resources State Control Service attached to SFS. Fish was caught 
by nets with small meshes 35 x 35 mm, which is smaller than allowable, and the 
number of nets 100 meters long in the lake reached 3.5 thousands! It is a 
legalized poaching, nothing else!



At present this is the State Forestry Service (headed by T. Musuraliyev) that 
exercises supervision over the protection and reproduction of the fish stock, in 
compliance with the laws on the animal kingdom and fish industry. But formerly, 
in 1980s all the functions were in the hands of the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Water Resources, and Processing Industry. In 2003 the ministry made a tender for 
the distribution of fishing grounds on Lake Son-Kul. For reasons unknown, there 
was not a single representative of the state control organ in the selection 
committee. As a result, 17 subjects were given the right to work on the lake, 
instead of 4  8 that had artificial reproduction bases. Specialists of the 
industry had many questions about the criteria of the selection of the bidders. 
For example, the application of Karakol-Balagy firm that had a good base was 
waived, while other firms without necessary equipment or specialists won the 
tender! Factually, the Ministry of AWR & PI combined industrial fishing and 
supervision, which led to profoundly negative changes. Fish reproduction in 
natural and artificial water reservoirs having the status of fish industrial 
economies began to drop. For instance, Lake Issyk-Kul used to give 12 thousand 
centners of fish, now less than 2,000 centners. Figures cited by M. Alpiyev are 
more expressive than words: in 2003, on Son-Kul a catch of pelyad per a net 
dropped from 35 kg to 2-3 kg.



One more statistical evidence. According to Eresheyev, the dynamics of 
commercial catches at many water reservoirs decreased 15-20 times. Earlier 1200 
tons of fish were caught from all water reservoirs; now only 50-70!



Worried and full of pain is the look of ichthyologists and hydrobiologists who 
dedicated many years to studying water ecosystems  endemics are becoming 
extinct!!! The scaleless asman, the marinka, and others found only in Lake 
Issyk-Kul have already been registered in the Spices Endangered Book.



By Decree #749 dated November 11, 2002, Kyrgyz government prohibited giving 
commercial fishing permits to business subjects.



The State Committee established by N.Tanayev studied the situation during a year 
and a half. As a result, on February 25, 2004 the government issued Decree #103 
with the list of permissive documents to be issued by executive power bodies and 
their structural divisions. The State Forestry Service was empowered to issue 
licenses for utilizing animal and plant kingdom objects, including fish.



According to Clause 4 of the Law on fish industry, and in compliance with its 
status, the Ministry of AWR & PI has been appointed to be a specially authorized 
governmental organ for managing fish industry. It is to shape and carry out a 
single policy in favor of the improvement of the fish industry. The ministry is 
also in charge of the arrangement of industrial fish-breeding and its 
protection.



This was about natural water reserves. Now about ponds. Formerly there were 
about 1,000 hectares of the pond reserve, and the output of pond-based fish 
industrial economies amounted to 40% of all the catches, says Eresheyev. Even 
Toktogul and Orto-Tokoi water reservoirs achieved the status of fish industrial 
economies after adjusting and acclimatization work. Tyup Bay of Issyk-Kul was 
used for breeding the carp. It had hatcheries. But instead of restoring the 
ponds and organizing pond-based fish industry, the ministry of AWR & PI switched 
over to the exploitation of natural water reservoirs where control over the 
amount of caught fish was not so easy. Poachers have piled with fish all 
roadside cafes from Bishkek to Karakol, Naryn, and Tash-Kumyr. All the cafes 
have picturesque announcements saying Fried and fresh fish. Inspectors from 
numerous controlling offices also ask for fish as a tribute. But all the 
countries that really take care of their bio-resources are trying to exercise 
commercial fishing namely in ponds. Our neighbor, China, has been involved in 
commercial fishing for more than 5,000 years, and catches more fish from one 
pond-based fish economy than we from the entire Lake Issyk-Kul! 



Knowing that the bio-resources of natural water reservoirs are restricted, the 
leadership of the fish industry has decided to focus upon developing pond-based 
economies, continues Eresheyev. But this promising system has almost fully 
fallen into decay. In particular, Frunze fish economy has passed into private 
ownership and is staying in a sad state; its ponds are rushy, and its dams are a 
sorry sight. Talas forestry has been privatized and is already declared 
bankrupt. Fishing and breeding work is minimal there. In Uzgen forestry most of 
the ponds are used as check basins for growing rice. 



The 15th session of Issyk-Kul Provinces Kenesh has decided to introduce a 
5-year moratorium on commercial fishing at Lake Issyk-Kul. Unfortunately, now 
we witness fishery during a spawning period that is usually prohibited. It has 
become legalized, however, under the pretence of catching fishes for artificial 
conception. But the latter is of no practical utility for increasing precious 
fish stock, says Nurbek Biybosunov, chief specialist of the service for state 
control over bio-resources. The leading specialists of the industry have worked 
out measures for saving the situation. They have also initiated a 2-year 
moratorium on fishery at Lake Son-Kul. Now, when the Kyrgyz government by means 
of recent decrees is meeting the demands of the scientists and the peoples 
needs, they have a tiny ray of hope.



Written by Irina Bairamukova, TCA contributor

Photo by Irina Bairamukova




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