Afgan Aliyev, chairman of the Azerbaijan Fishermen’s Union: “Ecological Police and a separate state agency related to fishing should be created under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, this is very important, because there is no agency in Azerbaijan that is solely engaged in fishing and is responsible for this work.”
Clean maintenance and protection of water bodies in Azerbaijan, prevention of depletion of biodiversity in waters is one of the constitutional duties of every member of society. Recently, this issue has become more relevant. The Globalized World Integration Public Union with the support of the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan implements the project “Monitoring of a number of water basins of the country and their biodiversity”. The purpose of the project is to help maintain and protect water basins in Azerbaijan, protect biodiversity in waters, restore control over water resources in Karabakh, maintain the beauty of nature and the cleanliness of the environment, and increase the attractiveness of the country in terms of tourism, especially ecotourism. Within the framework of the project, the opinions and proposals related to the topic are learned from experts in the field, public associations and social activists. Our interviewer on the topic is Afgan Aliyev, chairman of the Azerbaijan Fishermen’s Union.
– Mr. Afgan, would you first inform about the activities of the institution you represent.
– Azerbaijan Fishermen’s Union (ABI) was established on December 18, 2014. Our goal in establishing ABI was to develop the fishing sport in the country, to protect the water bodies and its bioresources as they are in the whole world, to approach this work with love, to encourage and promote participation in the increase of fish resources.
– How do you assess the current state of water basins and surrounding areas in Azerbaijan?
– Taking into account the recent times, as a result of the work done by ABI in the water basins of the country for years, the fishing tournaments held, the propaganda of concern for nature, the participation of the local population in the protection of water basins and the protection and development of its bioresources is gratifying. In order to contribute in this field, as ABI, we have released a lot of baby fish into the country’s internal water bodies, which has caused the local people to care for nature even more.
What suggestions do you have for preventing pollution and poaching related to the Caspian Sea?
The main problem in the Caspian Sea was synthetic nets and illegal fishing when it was banned. I would like to share with you a happy news that the fight against these conditions has hardly been seen as much as this year. As the head of ABI, I would also like to bring to your attention that in April of this year, on the initiative of General Rovshan Eyyubov of the Water Transport Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we had a meeting with the head of the Water Police Department’s anti-poaching and protection of fish resources department, Lieutenant Colonel Aydin Shekaraliyev, and started close cooperation in the fight against poaching. given. I would also like to say that the fight against spawning ban in the Caspian Sea from May 1st to September 1st has been very serious this year compared to recent years, so on my own behalf and on behalf of the 47,000 ABI members, the head of the Water Transport Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Special thanks to General Rovshan Eyyubov. I think that this struggle and the measures implemented in this direction will have a great role in the increase of fish resources in the Caspian Sea and in the country’s internal water basins.
So far, what initiatives and results have you had in the field of eliminating the pollution of water bodies and protecting the biodiversity there? What results have you had with these?
As ABI, we regularly release weanlings into many inland water bodies of the country, organize measures for cleaning work in water bodies, participate in the protection of biodiversity and the removal of artificial barriers built by poachers in the rivers and collectors connecting to the Caspian for the fish population.
What effective methods should be applied to eliminate poaching cases related to water bodies?
In order to prevent poaching and illegal fishing, first of all, the use of synthetic nets that are still in use should be eliminated, the fight against electric nets should be strengthened in the regions, high fines should be imposed, and punishments up to the imprisonment of poachers as criminals should be applied, as is the case in all countries.
Which institutions have you cooperated with in this field?
ABİ bu sahədə Ekologiya və Təbii Sərvətlər Nazirliyi, DİN Su Nəqliyyatında Polis İdarəsi, Dövlət Sərhəd Xidməti və yerli polis idarələri ilə əməkdaşlıq edir. Mənim şəxsi təklifim budur ki, gələcəkdə Azərbaycanda DİN-in Ekologiya Polisi yaransın. Bir də balıqçılığa aid bir dövlət qurumu yaradılsın ki, bu sahə inkişaf etsin, bioresurslar daha yaxşı qorunsun, bu çox vacibdir, çünki Azərbaycanda sırf balıqçılıqla məşqul olan və bu işə məsul qurum yoxdur.