RUSSIA: Rotting fish waste and rubbish threaten Kamchatka's environment and its residents

Record ID: 216829

  • Title: RUSSIA: Rotting fish waste and rubbish threaten Kamchatka's environment and its residents
  • Date: 4th August 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) ALEXANDER KLOPOV, HEAD OF THE REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL WATCHDOG, SAYING: "There are several dumps like this in Yelizovo district around Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. They are polluting the environment, first of all. But also they pose a threat for landing planes. Fish waste attract crowns and seagulls and this area is on the planes' landing route. So, it ca
  • Embargoed: 19th August 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVA54L35ITHHIMEZ1D3JO7H8FFXV
  • Story Text: Rotting fish waste dumped by poachers is threatening Kamchatka's natural beauty and putting the safety of its residents at risk, environmental watchdog says.
    The remote 750-mile Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East is one of the world's last truly great wildernesses. It is home to the rare Steller's sea eagle, puffins and brown bears, who roam around its geysers and snow-covered volcanos.
    But tourists travelling to Kamchatka to enjoy its natural beauty face a different reality upon arrival. Mountains of rotting fish and rubbish surrounds the peninsula's main airport and the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
    Observers believe more than 100,000 tonnes of salmon a year are illegally fished in Kamchatka. They are mostly taken for their caviar, which sells for 1,000 roubles (approx 30 euros) a kilo. The fish are then thrown away, and rotting fish waste is dumped by poachers, poisoning streams and rivers.
    The stench wafts through local settlements.
    According to local officials, the fish waste not only damages the environment, but also puts people's lives at risk.
    "There are several dumps like this in Yelizovo district around Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky," said Alexander Klopov, head of the regional environmental watchdog.
    "They are polluting the environment, first of all. But also they pose a threat for landing planes. Fish waste attract crowns and seagulls and this area is on the planes' landing route. So, it can lead to a plane crash," he said.
    Complaints from local aviation officials have so far had no effect and clouds of birds still fly around numerous illegal fish waste dumps.
    But it is not just seagulls and crowns which are attracted to the smell of fish. Hungry wild bears are starting to encroach on towns, rummaging in bins and scoffing the remains discarded by poachers and fish factories.
    Kamchatka has about 12,000 salmon-eating bears - the largest population in Eurasia.
    "Lately this has become a big problem. Only this year we have registered several illegal fish waste dumps and of course, they attract bears," said Andrei Lebedko, a member of the local food and agriculture safety watchdog.
    Local residents say that bears also come to rubbish dumps which lie around motorways and villages. And although there are few cases of bears attacking people, locals are wary.
    "We walk through the village and sing songs because it is important not to scare the bear. Imagine - it is quiet and all of a sudden we appear - of course, he will attack us. It's better if he hears us from far away, then he won't be scared, we won't be scared and he will not attack us," said Zoya Levko, a saleswoman at a village shop.
    Environmentalists warn that if the uncontrolled poaching and massive pollution is not stopped, Kamchatka's only famous feature may become its volcanic remoteness.
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