PROBLEMS OF THE CASPIAN FISHERIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00039R000100020062-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 6, 2012
• Sequence Number: 62
• Publication Date: May 17, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/06 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100020062-1
SECRET
i M't'1 ,
eaeen in the t&sptan Se tens of atUtons of pals of fish al's
xach e
orra$ht. Jo other sea oan core to tt in vartetp of fish. Mang the
species eacplatted are three ktacts of sturgeon tosetr, beings and serraga~,
whitefish, herrt , oasptaf roach, pike perch carp and bream. The
Caspian sea is tiaportant for its seal take, the oil of Wtclh is high'
valued for medtotnal and industrial uses.
this wealth the Oseptan Sea is tndebted to the rivers which
bor all
flow into its aspeatalll the Vobs River, 1irery rear the Tolga carriee
tom of tons of organic substances, hndreds of tone of
into the sea
nitrogen. thongs sf tons of phoephorcaUs and other elements.
These serne as prte fads for the fish tnbabtttng the Caspian.
8ovtet ftshSr7 set eatiets are coDfroflted with an i portalt prcblea.
~ ~ her increase the oon eroial taportanae of the Oaspi* n Sea and
,~ t ~,~o _nrt ,.
to .gent its reserY$/
eu in the rellf sa"
Soviet scientiata have alread7 made rrkable pror
tiQn, of these at*. 'fhi.e is attrtbatable to the fact that 11~ Soviet
fi1hin8 sci+ee has abided eteadfd$tlY by 1.1. gtchurtias great slogan,
"pot wait fvr the b1~s1f ~ s of nature but to seise them fray her is onr sob.
').tring 1936..1937, to the high salt content of the water1936..1937, owing ,
North Caspian, owed by icy spring influx of fresh water, the food base
for fish was considerable retied. It became necessary to aunre a
p a. L ~h ~ .e. 1.. r
er;ent f?c~d base in the Barth Caspian meters 17 aOciisat1ng the ~
-,
regton flow t es aarine life sutt~a-le, ?foz fish food.
entists have for seas time now given attenttof to the
Asian sei
islp+srtatit stmtlt between the speetes p*iittO of fish and the mode
~'
other a,me life in the Caspian and Alva seas. It was there-
f4r.e &+bcid~d to seek a type of wora- co on to the Sea of Asov for use es
a food aonn ill the Caspian. The choice fall ott the pO Chaeto*S wore
of it, high food veins and because tt eerres as the food
ncexe3t~ ~!,~e
f4 the east -ortant commercial fish.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/06 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100020062-1
50X1 -HUM
 Release 20 1 2/04/06 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000 100020062-1
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The transplanti.s? of these worms toolk plaov froa 1939..19. In all,
83,000 specimens of nereis were traanaplaotea, into four d#ereri points
of the sea. The scientific workers obeened very closely the fate of
the food norm. The efforts of the scientists were rewarded with whining
success. Ae early as 1944 these worms were found in the $toaahe of
stux'geona In 1948 a specially organised expedition reported that the
propagation area of nereis covered my thouaande of square kilometers.
The nereis xs now the food source for the basic benthia fish of the
Oaepian.
It boa also become the favorite food of the osetr and aev!~uga sturgeons.
The scientific fishery oritations were confronted with still another
probleas to discover a means of maintaining the sturgeon echools by
scientific breedi . ?he artiftcjel tmpregnatian of the roe and obtoin..
izg larvae eeeaed a relatively simple aetter, but, `oxtunatejy, it was
of little effect. prae ee ;sae ehovn that the larvae of osetr eturgaai
prrilsh in tremendous nuubers and that only a negligible proportion reach
maturity. .
In order to pievent this it vas deemed necessary to ziurture tram in
artificial ponds until two or three months of ages i.e., until that stage
of development at vhieh they gem self-srsi'f icient. .brother problem arose-_
to provtde the young with life food. Soviet scientists mated to develop
inieji worms (fig v haeta) and cravri sh (+laphnfa) sn wh ah the on,
nIg of
the asetr stnrgeon cauld feed.
3ut the searching ninde of the Soviet ectentiete are not eatieted
with these suecessss. A central problem ie to cote m eanof hybrtdt.
sat{ on, of nev forms of stuargec adaptable to eealttpling in the oetuarie
of controlled (" egnurovnn) rivers.
Wither problem confroniting Soviet science to building a large
reserve of the eo called. set,-.aiw lrowoue ftshs the Caspian roach br
carp and pike per. A generation of the yog of thea+s fish wise obtained
by creating, on the basin of natural ponds, deltas for
specific typed oi`
pisatcultnre. eats and siuices proteoted then from
predatoxy or
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/06: IA-RDP82-00039R000100020062-1
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/06 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100020062-1
infected fish. This experiment in pieciouiture, never before atteapte4~
proved to be extreasay suaoesstul. Under these condtttcns the productivity
5one ttne ago it becauie necessary to exploit certain spawning grounds
ie very inttoh to their interest. They have not, however ye .
be brought into the Job, einco increasi the reserves of co merciai fieh
of i tsciculture' are working on this matter. oollecttve fisheries shwa
ini dequata. Meanwhile only the agencies of, Giavrgbvod (tin tdministration
the area of the potertiai epawr~ing grounds of the delta. This ie entirely
At preaent)scientif is pisciculturs occupies only about one percent of
biological productivity of a pond.
fish and the sowin,~ of gram erops and grasses greatly increases the
the consistent rotation in using underwater lead for the breeding of yow
the interests of the fishiig and agriculture. Practice has re4ea1ed that
The great value of this systes is that it permits a sound union of
of dry is 6 or 6 tines greater than by natural spawning.
of the Toles delta which 'ere located in areas under the jurisdtction of
the Minietery of ricultvare and defined by the organs of that 24tntstr
as hay ni-d pasturage land. These lands were hence designated as belongs
to? the etate fish eoonony. Considerable maltorattve work mast be done
and a hydro-geographtcl working plan drawn up for the whole delta if
? fbor epawnt or sowing. Tbis is a b territory, eettmtted to in
ly a comparatively all portion of the delta ie now being need for
wide development of fish b~edtng is to be obtained.
,,.se s~f reed aM rtu'hee vhi*h are very pictureeque but which at he
the hundreds of :hour,. ode of- heetarsi . It is covered by an impenetrable
The spy?ing flood waters inute a "large portion of the lower delta
same tiio sake fisheries develcent very diffieult.
The reeds have grown tether eo thtakly that they form a natural
and thus retard the cux r t.
filter for millions of tons of mineral materials. Improving the delta
will: permtt such important food tter to reach the fish in the Casptan
a1& 4U be of greet help to transport in tie delta area. hundreds of
thou ands of hhctaree of extremely fart tl a land Wii "! l be freed for agricu1
?
tural purposes as v~ll.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/06 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100020062-1
 (signed) Ta hurin, Director, Caspian Affiliate,
tit-union Sotenyific Rei~earob inetiin`e
of Marine pieh cono ' and Oceanography
SECRET
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/06 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100020062-1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/06 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100020062-1