This large-scale environmental initiative aims to restore the population of this rare and endangered species. The juvenile Siberian sturgeon were raised at a specialised hatchery until they reached the appropriate age, weight and size. After careful selection, they were transported by plane from Chita to Charu in special containers and then promptly taken to the riverbank for release into their natural habitat.
“We are proud to take part in such an important project to restore the Siberian sturgeon population. Our role was to oversee the release of the fish – everything went smoothly. We hope that, through our joint efforts, this species will be as abundant as it once was and still be around for future generations,” said Maxim Simonov, State Inspector of the Zabaikalsky Territorial Department for Monitoring, Oversight and Fisheries Protection under the Angara-Baikal Territorial Administration of the Federal Agency for Fisheries.
By 2028, in collaboration with the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, the company plans to release no fewer than 300,000 juvenile Siberian sturgeon into bodies of water in northern Zabaikalsky Krai. Monitoring of the released fish will begin in 2026 to assess the success of the repopulation process and the fish’s adaptation to their new environment.
“Sturgeon are highly adaptable to their environmental conditions – 200 million years of evolution is the best proof of that. The only serious threat to sturgeon remains the poaching of immature fish. Male sturgeon reach maturity at 12–15 years of age; females later, at 18–20 years. In the Kalarsky District, there are no other factors affecting the survival of the population. That’s why we very much hope that these juveniles will have every chance to grow and restock local bodies of water,” said Natalya Uyman, Head of Environmental Safety at Udokan Copper.
By the early 1990s, the Siberian sturgeon was recognised as a rare species and included in the Red Data Book of Zabaikalsky Krai due to unregulated fishing and weakened protections for aquatic biological resources. Today, Udokan Copper is implementing a programme to restore the Siberian sturgeon population in its historical habitats in an effort to revive the former natural wealth of the region’s northern rivers.
