Fish protection action ”Bekire-2013” (Sturgeon-2013) starts in Atyrau on April 1

Large-scale fish protection action “Bekire-2013” starts on April 1, 2013 in Atyrau aimed at preservation of fish stock, reads the press service report of the Ministry of environmental protection.

This annual event is conducted in the Ural-Caspian water basin and is aimed at fighting against poaching, illegal trading of fish and other water animals during their spawning.

Territorial divisions of the ministries of environmental protection, internal affairs, finance, transport and communications of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the RoK Border service of KNB (National Security), the RoK Prosecutor General's Office and Agency for fighting against economic and corruption crime (Financial police),  and “Nur Otan” party will be participating in this action.

The Ural-Caspian interregional basin inspection of fishery has developed a plan of joint actions of nature protection and law enforcement agencies for protection of fish resources in the region.

Within the framework of “Bekire-2013” there will be involved 86 inspectors, 10 units of patrol river boats, 21 units of small size vessels, 18 units of cars deployed from Atyrau, Damba, Zhyloi, Issatai, Makhambet, Inder and Kurmangazy fish inspections, reads the report. 20 fish protection posts, including 13 stationary and 7 mobile ones will be established:  12 posts will be established down the river Ural and its estuary, 5 posts - down the river Kigash and its estuary, and also 3 mobile posts in the sea. Helicopters and military vessels will be utilized for fighting poachers.  

Besides, for the purpose of identification, suppression and prevention of facts of transportation of illegally caught fish and other fish products, at the main highways of republican and international importance, joint stationary posts of Atyrau, Mangistau and West Kazakhstan Oblasts’ traffic police administrations will be established. Air transport will be used for protection of remote coastal marshy and reedy banks of the river.

To ensure free swimming of fish to spawning grounds, and also with the purpose of seizure of illegal fishing tools (nets, seines), the inspectors will perform daily trawling of water basins and river beds of Ural and Kigash.

During last year operation “Bekire-2012” in the Ural-Caspian water basin, the fish inspectors revealed 2336 violations of the nature protection legislation. The investigating authorities received 106 materials for 53 persons, and 75 violations were revealed in the course of joint operations with law enforcement agencies. 160 units of floating and transportation devices were confiscated from poachers, as well as 26.3 tons of fish, out of which - 232 kg were sturgeon.

WKT