OREANDA-NEWS. Today the ecologists of Uralkali, together with representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Perm Territory, the Middle Volga Territorial Administration of the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency and the State Research Institute of the Lake and River Fisheries named after Berg released over 112,000 juvenile sterlet into the Kama River basin.

There are more than 40 fish species in the Kama River. The Red Data Book of the Russian Federation includes five fish species with prohibited fishing. The sterlet belonging to the sturgeon family is among them.

Stanislav Seleznev, Uralkali’s HR and HSE Director, commented:

Uralkali pays paramount attention to projects aimed at minimising the negative impact on the environment. The financing of environmental activities in 2016 increased by 53% y-o-y and amounted to RUB 2.2 billion. Our key priorities are rational water use, reduction of discharges into water bodies, work on artificial reproduction of aquatic biological resources, as well as reducing the mass of waste disposed.

In 2015, Uralkali released about 76,000 juvenile sterlet into the Kama River. In 2016, about 13,000 juvenile pike and 96,000 juvenile sterlet were released into their natural habitat.