Baikal seal and common cormorant reduce the population of omul

Baikal seal and common cormorant, the population of which on Lake Baikal has been growing in recent years, reduce the population of omul. Petr Brykov, First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Provisions of Buryatia, announced this at a meeting dedicated to the problem of the preservation of aquatic biological resources.

The population of common cormorants on Lake Baikal has increased dramatically, in the Chivyrkuisky Bay alone, the colony of these birds in nesting sites can reach 10 thousand individuals, they eat five tons of fish a day. According to scientists from the Baikal branch of the Federal Fishery Center, the population of seals is also rapidly increasing: now it’s estimated at 130 thousand, while long-term studies show that the norm is 90-100 thousand.

"The seal eats the adult omul, the common cormorant, which has already reached the southern coast, eats young omul and another commercial fish; the population of fish is decreasing. People also suffer from this. The population of seals and common cormorants must be regulated. We ask the Ministry of Natural Resources to conduct a study or research, whether such a step is justified or not," — said Brykov.

Industrial hunting of the Baikal seal is prohibited. In the Ministry of Agriculture of Buryatia there is a confidence that cancellation of this ban will be able to provide employment for fishermen who have lost earnings due to ban on the catch of omul, as well as for representatives of small indigenous peoples of the North.

Source: TASS

Опубликовано: 18 February 2019