Nornickel’s energy subsidiary releases swarms of sturgeon fingerlings into Yenisei
The Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company, a Nornickel subsidiary, released another batch of young fish of particularly valuable species into the Yenisei River.
Under the 2022 settlement agreement, NTEC, the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), and the Yenisei Territorial Administration of the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency agreed on full compensation for the damage to aquatic biological resources in the wake of the fuel spill accident in 2020.
From 2033 to 2050, the energy subsidiary plans to release 510 million young fish of valuable species, such as sturgeon, muksun, chir, whitefish, and nelma, into the Norilo-Pyasinskaya lake-river system.
The program is intended to restore the state of aquatic biological resources fully and maintain them at a level that ensures maximum sustainable harvest and preservation of biological diversity.
Vladimir Voronkov, project manager at NTEC, commented: “NTEC continues an extensive stocking program in cooperation with the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency. All plans for last year’s releases have been implemented. This year, a significant effort has already begun. According to studies, sturgeon populations recover very slowly in practice. I am confident that our systematic work in the Yenisei basin and the Norilo-Pyasinskaya water system will lead to the growth and development of the population.”
Nornickel supports biodiversity and enhances rare and valuable species in the regions where we operate to reduce environmental impacts. The company implements a large-scale stocking program, allocating tens of millions of roubles annually.
Olga Larionova, Deputy Head of the Yenisei Territorial Administration of the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency, commented: “The Russian Federal Fisheries Agency continuously monitors the stocks of aquatic biological resources and the ecological situation of their habitats. The systematic release of sturgeon fingerlings under the agreement with NTEC is a positive sign that the agreement is being implemented, and fish stocks and the aquatic ecosystem will be restored.”
In the summer of 2024, the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences will study the state of aquatic biological resources and their habitats, determining scientifically justified and effective directions for restoring the disturbed state of aquatic organisms and population dynamics. The main fisheries research in Taimyr will run until September of this year. VNIRO will conduct regular research until 2051.