Silence surrounding the death of 36 thousand sturgeon

A video showing piles of dead sturgeon on the site of the Atyrau branch of the Lugovsky Stud Farm in the suburban village of Kok-Arna, has been widely distributed on social networks. ‘AZh’ talked about this to the branch director, Amanzhan Shaudanov.

- You sent specimens of dead fish to the laboratories of the National Centre of Expertise and the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition. Was anything revealed?

-There was no evidence of foreign substances, everyone is silent. We are waiting for the perpetrators to be determined by the investigating authorities.  Аll cages have been pulled from the water and all 36 thousand sturgeon had died. This is contrary to earlier information stating 92 sturgeon survived.

Mr. Shaudanov was unsure of the financial effect of the damage saying the farm owners will decide what to do once the results of the investigation is known.Asked if the farm was Russian owned, he stated it was a branch of the Lugovsky Stud Farm in the Zhambyl region in the south of Kazakhstan. He expects the management to visit Atyrau soon.

- What are the future prospects?

- I do not know. The project was financed through credit funding. If the damage is not repaired, the prospects are not good.

- Who will compensate for this damage?

- I do not know. My job is to pull the dead sturgeon out of the river, so that the Ural is not destroyed.

- What do the owners of the Lugovsky Stud Farm say?

- They intend to meet with the experts investigating the death of the fish.

By Murat Sultangaliyev