The Russian government helped whales and dolphins
The Russian government has considered a bill banning industrial and coastal fishing for whales and dolphins and intends to send it to the State Duma.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced this on the Russian government's official YouTube channel, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Another bill will not leave indifferent any of those who two years ago followed the events in the “whale prison” in Primorskaya Srednyaya Bay, where about a hundred belugas and killer whales were kept in captivity. Then, after the intervention of the president and his instructions, work began to adjust the legislation on the extraction and use of marine mammals.
Today we propose to introduce additional regulation – this time for industrial and coastal fishing. It applies primarily to whales and dolphins. The new bill bans their extraction. We hope that this will save animals from predatory extermination,” Mishustin said.
Now it is possible to obtain a fishing quota only after consideration of the application at a meeting of the government commission.
“No such permits were issued this year,” the prime minister recalled.
“Whale Prison” is the former adaptation center for marine mammals “TINRO-Center” in Srednyaya Bay, Primorsky Territory. There were 11 killer whales and 90 beluga whales, which were captured from summer to autumn 2018 by several private companies (Afalina LLC, Oceanarium DV, White Whale and Sochi Dolphinarium) allegedly for cultural and educational purposes.
The story of the “whale prison” caused a great stir in Russia. On February 22, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, together with scientists, to decide the fate of the animals kept in Srednyaya Bay in Primorye. They were released in 2019.
Until recently, Russia was the largest supplier of cetaceans to oceanariums, dolphinariums and zoos in the world.
The Russian government has helped whales and dolphins.