Expert Afgan Aliyev: “Ecological Police should be created in Azerbaijan as well, or there should be a state institution related to fisheries to protect this area”
In Azerbaijan, a number of measures are implemented in the direction of increasing and restoring bioresources, and they have positive results. The same can be said about initiatives to increase bioresources in water basins. For example, today there are fish hatcheries operating in the country, and they artificially breed baby fish and release them into water bodies in order to prevent the depletion of industrially caught fish species. However, prevention of depletion of biodiversity in the country is very urgent. This is clearly shown by the significant reduction of bioresources in the country, especially in water bodies, due to various reasons. Our interviewer on the topic is expert Afgan Aliyev, chairman of the Azerbaijan Fishermen’s Union, who implements various actions and initiatives in this field.
-Mr. Afgan, a number of initiatives are being implemented in the direction of increasing and restoring bioresources in our country. In particular, a number of actions related to this were held under the organization of the Azerbaijan Fishermen’s Union (ABI), of which you are the head. We would like to know more about this.
-Azerbaijan Fishermen’s Union, since its establishment in 2014, has been monitoring all processes related to fishing in the country’s water bodies, drawing up a program of measures for the protection and development of bioresources in order to give recommendations on a number of necessary measures and rules, to raise awareness. We have held several fishing and sports tournaments in this area, participated in the organization of the release of baby fish species into water bodies, contributed to the fishing sport in the society, keeping the water bodies and their surroundings clean, and greatly increasing the care and attention to its creatures. ABI plans to release 250,000-300,000 fish into the inland water basins by the end of this year, currently the fish have been brought to the place reserved for adaptation under special control.
– In which areas of our country, there is a need for actions in this regard in water bodies?
– As the head of ABI, I regularly participate in the monitoring of the country’s water bodies, so I can say that currently all water bodies of the country need to be fished, mainly large and drinking water reservoirs and rivers and collectors connected to the Caspian Sea. I think it is important to explain this from a number of points. For example, mainly insects lay their eggs in water bodies, one of them is mosquitoes, which cause the spread of many diseases, which lay their table (eggs) in the root part of the reeds in the water bodies, feeding the fish in those water bodies with these tables, preventing the increase of insects and preventing the spread of a number of diseases buys.
-Should some education and information work be carried out among the population regarding the fish released into the water?
– In order to implement these measures in Azerbaijan, meetings, briefings and conferences should be held with non-governmental organizations in the field of fish breeding, nature care, flora and fauna support. In these events, it is absolutely necessary to instill love for nature and its creatures in secondary schools and even in kindergartens. For example, it is necessary to organize aquariums in kindergartens and instill in children love and affection for water bioresources.
-What rules and norms should be followed for the successful implementation of such actions and initiatives in Azerbaijan?
– First of all, in Azerbaijan, to expand the area of fish breeding, the time of the population period is prohibited, the designation of those places must be revised, the importance of changing the place and date of the prohibition dates, and the quotas given to the rivers and collectors connecting to the Caspian Sea for industrial fishing must be stopped. , the use of any fishing method should not be allowed in the area of collectors and reserves that are effective for the population. As in many countries, the Ecological Police should be created in Azerbaijan or there should be a state agency related to fisheries for the protection of this area. Otherwise, water bioresources of Azerbaijan are doomed.