Final events of Preserve Nature in Your Native Region, a CPC environmental & education project to protect and increase the population of sturgeons, took place in the Astrakhan Region on 18-19 May 2019. The program was administered by the Caspian Fishery Science & Research Institute.
Some sturgeon baby fishes were released into the natural habitat by children winning a creativity competition and guests of honor at the BIOS research & experimental facility run by the Caspian Fisher Institute in Ikryanoye Village. A final concert followed where the competition winners were awarded prizes in various nominations.
The majority of young sturgeons were released later near the delta of the Volga River by CPC staff and the Volgo-Caspian branch of the Russian Fishery Agency the next day. A total of 2,250 Russian sturgeons, belugas and sterlets were released to swim free.
For information: CPC’s environmental project “Save nature in your native region” has been implemented in the Astrakhan Region since March till May 2016. The main idea is to draw the public’ attention to the environmental problem of preserving rare species of the flora and fauna listed in the Red Book. The program included open lessons and a creativity competition held in educational establishments in the Astrakhan Region to see who would create the best propaganda item on the topic of the project. The project was first implemented in Kalmykia in 2014, dedicated to the problem of restoring the local saiga antelope population.