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Large-scale research of Norilsk-Pyasino water system commences

Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company (NTEC, a subsidiary of Nornickel) and the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) have started a programme of fishery research in the Norilsk-Pyasino water system.
The 2022 amicable agreement between NTEC, VNIRO and the Yenisei Territorial Department of the Federal Fishery Agency (“Rosrybolovstvo”) provides for a full compensation of the damage caused to aquatic bioresources as a result of the HPP-3 accident in Norilsk in 2020. In line with the agreement, NTEC began releasing red-listed fish — Siberian sturgeon fingerlings — into the Yenisei in June.

VNIRO will be studying Lake Pyasino, the Pyasina River and smaller water bodies such as the Ambarnaya, Norilskaya, Daldykan, Agapa, Dudypta, and other rivers in 2023. The studies will be focused on monitoring the state of aquatic bioresources and their habitat, as well as developing evidence-based recommendations for the replenishment of bioresources. VNIRO’s research will also deliver recommendations on the locations and maximum possible release of fingerlings of valuable species in the Norilsk District.

Nornickel consistently invests in the study of water bodies across its footprint, with the most extensive research over the last three years conducted in Taimyr. Jointly with the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS), the Company accomplished three seasons of the Great Norilsk Expedition, which explored most of the Norilsk-Pyasino water system.
Evgeny Fyodorov,
Vice President for Energy at Nornickel, commented:

“The VNIRO and SB RAS expeditions are only a part of our efforts to support biodiversity in the regions where we operate. For many years now, Nornickel has been providing funding to major research organisations focused on biodiversity, and has been breeding and releasing fry of whitefish, sturgeon, nelma and other fish into water bodies across Russia. Together with government agencies and the academic community, the Company supports the research and protection of red-listed animals such as polar bear, gyrfalcon, bighorn, and many others.”
Field studies will last until late September 2023, when the researchers start reviewing the data collected.
Kirill Kolonchin,
Director of VNIRO, said:

“VNIRO’s Taimyr expedition marks a completely new stage of fishery research in the Russian Arctic. In terms of scale and importance for the development of the Russian Arctic fishery, it matches fishery expeditions conducted a century ago, when VNIRO’s institutes explored the resource base of the North and the Far East to support the rapid growth of industrial fishing in the USSR.”
This year will see the first stage of large-scale research to span years, including study of the state of aquatic bioresources and their habitat, identification of a scientifically sound and effective direction for restoring the disturbed state of hydrobiont, and description of trends in populations’ development. VNIRO will be conducting regular studies until 2051.
Ilya Shestakov,
Head of the Federal Agency for Fishery, commented:

“The scientific component is paramount to fishing, protection of ecosystems, and preserving biodiversity. The research will lay the basis for further many years of efforts to restore the aquatic ecosystem and the population of valuable whitefish in this region.”
July, 2023
2023-07-11 12:28 Announcement Environment Taimyr