Interview with Konstantin Zgurovsky
Published 31 August, 2007, 17:15
Lack of regulations in fishing industry is seen as the most serious problem in the fight to conserve stocks of sturgeon. Konstantin Zgurovsky, a marine programme co-ordinator with the WWF in Russia, joined RT to share his view of the problem.
Russia Today: The problems of Russia's fishing industry are being addressed by President Putin. Is the crisis so bad that it should be addressed at presidential level?
Konstantin Zgurovsky: Yes, I guess so, because these problems did not appear yesterday. They have been accumulating for a long time now and they cannot be solved only by the powers of the Agency for Fisheries or the Ministry of Agriculture, so now they require the President’s attention.
RT: As a conservationist you must be delighted the President is involved in this, but is it too late?
K.Z.: No, I don’t think so. Several stocks are in pretty good condition. I guess there's time.
RT: Illegal fishing and lack of regulations seem to be the main problems. Do you agree with that? Are there other problems, too?
K.Z.: Yes, I agree with that. This is true, but these are only some of the problems and actually they are more like the consequences of several other problems. One of them is the outdated fleet, which produces low-level processed fish and this pushes the fishermen to fish more to make more money in order to cover the expenses.
RT: And as for the sturgeon, how endangered is it?
K.Z.: It is under a serious threat because sturgeon caviar is a high-level product and poachers make very good money from it. They have already gathered in some kind of gangs, and they are a big threat.
RT: Will banning the sale of caviar be the answer?
K.Z.: We have always told the government that all the fish-trading operations should be transparent and, of course, this is one of the measures that could have an effect.
RT.: Would farming sturgeon be the answer? In many ways salmon farming in Europe is very controversial.
K.Z.: I think there should be some special programme to protect natural stocks, to fight poaching, to organise some kind of reproduction because it already cannot propagate itself. They need help.
RT: How big a change is needed in the attitude towards conservation in Russia in order to fight this sort of problems?
K.Z.: We propose different measures. First of all, we believe that there should be a system, some kind of network, on the protected marine areas, some kind of conservation of essential habitats. There should be, of course, stronger monitoring and control, like VMS satellite monitoring system, an observer system. Also, fishermen should be involved in the process through some kind of council.
RT: As an organisation are you getting any success?
K.Z.: Yes, for example, now we are working closely and negotiating with oil companies, which are expanding to our shelf. And recently we won a battle regarding a pipeline along Lake Baikal, and the oil terminal in Primorye in the Far East.
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