The first quarter of the year was very productive for WWF in Kamchatka. One piece of news that just broke recently is that the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study will take place in Kamchatka. This is great news and a success for WWF. This presents a great responsibility for WWF as Kamchatka will become the first region in Russia, where TEEB study principles will be implemented. Kamchatka’s experience should become a pattern Sergey Rafanov, for other territories of the country. the head of the Kamchatka Bering Sea In order to sustain environmentally sound production, healthy, functioning ecosystems are Ecoregional Office of utmost importance. Think about fisheries, for example. If people value having fish and seafood from Kamchatka, they are also valuing the healthy ecosystems and ecologically pristine environments that sustain those fish. The economic valuation of ecosystem services can help to prepare various regions of Russia to be compensated for their ecological value. Another piece of breaking news is that a draft law, which would ban driftnet fishing in Russia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), has passed the first reading in the State Duma (the Lower Chamber of the Russian Parliament) and received strong approval by the Government. However, the proposed change hasn’t become a law yet, as it remains in the Duma for further discussion. We wait with our fingers crossed for the next two readings of the draft law. At the same time, public hearings in Kamchatka regarding the total allowable catch (TAC) of salmon for the next year WWF-Russia Kamchatka Office Quarterly Review page 2 turned out to be a confrontation between those who support driftnet fishing and those who demand its complete ban. The public attitude towards driftnet fishing isn’t any less important than the official position on the matter. WWF-Russia works to inform the public’s understanding and opinion of this dangerous and unsustainable fishing method, and we welcome your support to encourage an informed attitude worldwide. WWF-Russia Kamchatka Office Quarterly Review page 3 CONTENTS: Kamchatka fishermen are against driftnet fishing 5 A long way to sustainability 6 Field guide for fishermen and observers 7 TEEB study 7 Russian Federal Fishery Agency welcomes public inspectors 8 The joint project is going on 9 The USA scientists at Kamchatka university 10 Memorandum of Understanding 10 Looking forward 11 Public hearings related to Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of salmon in 2016 took place in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in April. The most controversial issue, as expected, was driftnet fishing. WWF-Russia presented its opinion at the hearings too. For the last five years, TAC for the driftnet fishing fleet has remained unchanged – 9,800 metric tons of sockeye. Driftnet fishing vessels work at full throttle regardless of what happens at salmon spawning grounds, and at that point their Russia - fishing cannot be stopped by any legislative / WWF / means. And there is no environmental impact assessment (EIA) on driftnet Sergey Vakhrin Sergey fishing. The scientists who generate © forecasts on salmon runs from the All- Russia Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) don’t take into account the problem of sea birds and marine mammals, thousands of which are killed annually by drifting nets. Estimated value of environmental damage is 300 million rubles. At the same time, the specialists from VNIRO made an attempt to ease pressures on the East Kamchatka sockeye salmon population by setting the opening date of the driftnet fishing season to June 10. Also, they also suggested that the TAC for driftnet fishing vessels in the next year will be divided equally between Eastern and Western Kamchatka. All the material from the public hearings will be sent to the State Environmental Expert Panel, which will make the final decision on the TAC for the next year. More info: http://wwf.ru/resources/news/article/eng/13350 WWF-Russia Kamchatka Office Quarterly Review page 5 Two Kamchatka salmon fisheries have begun the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) full assessment process. The pink, chum, and coho salmon fishing operations of ‘Vityaz- Avto’ and ‘Delta’ fishing companies will be assessed by the independent certifier MRAG Americas. The assessment for MSC certification will take one year. WWF- Russia participates as a stakeholder in the process. In 2012 Vityaz-Avto and Delta were the first companies in Kamchatka to receive MSC certification for sockeye salmon fishing operations on the Ozernaya River. Avto, Ltd.’ Avto, - WWF-Russia also plans to engage salmon ‘Vityaz scientists in work on the Bolshaya, © Vorovskaya, Opala and Kikhchik Rivers and its salmon stocks assessment. The research will be publically available and will aid MSC certification of additional salmon harvesting companies. WWF-Russia encourages regional salmon management scientists and authorities to develop Integrated Management Plans for the key Kamchatka salmon watersheds. The plans should be focused on target and limit reference points and optimum escapement goals that are consistent with maintaining the inherent diversity and reproductive capacity of salmon stocks as well as contribute to a program on conserving king salmon. WWF-Russia Kamchatka Office Quarterly Review page 6 A new field guide is currently being prepared for publication. The handbook by Yury Artyukhin is called “Sea birds of the Russian Far East in the longline fishery: field guide and methods of by-catch reduction”. While it’s aimed primarily at fishermen and observers on board of fishing vessels, as the main topic of the book is how to identify sea birds that are becoming victims of the longline fishery, it can also be useful to a wide circle of readers: ecologists, nature and fishery conservationists, biology Russia - teachers, students and schoolchildren, / WWF / naturalists. The author gives a thorough analysis of ways to reduce occasional by- Yury Artyukhin Yury catch, describes means of by-catch © reduction, gives recommendations and technical data on making and using streamers as one method to reduce by-catch. The book includes a number of short passages on each bird species, which are often seen in the North-Pacific during trawls and longline fishing. Every written description is followed by illustrations and a map of each species’ range. Once the book has been published, WWF-Russia and Pacific Institute of Geography plan to conduct several workshops for vessel captains regarding the problems of sea birds by-catch and the use of streamers. Kamchatka will become the first region in Russia where a TEEB study is implemented. Russia’s minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Sergey Donskoy officially supported the evaluation of ecosystem services on the peninsula during his meeting with the executive director of UNEP Achim Steiner. The minister highlights that the proposal to work on a TEEB study in Kamchatka is one of the priorities in the historic document to be signed between the Government of the Russian Federation and UNEP. According Minister Donskoy, the complex economic valuation of ecosystem services and biodiversity of Kamchatka region, based on TEEB principles, will help to make the most successful scenarios of regional economic, ecological and social development. WWF-Russia Kamchatka Office Quarterly Review page 7 Prior years’ experiences have shown poor cooperation between the public and official inspectors of the Russian Federal Fishery Agency. During the fishing season this year all public inspectors will sign a contract with the Norh- East Territorial Directorate of the Russian Federal Fishery Agency (RFFA) and receive official inspector identification cards. Raid and compliance measures will also be officially scheduled. In 2014, there were 21 public inspectors working on the rivers of Kamchatka. In cooperation with officials, they took part in 173 anti-poaching operations and detected Russia - 191 law violations. But the number of / WWF / public inspectors remains too low for the rate of poaching on Kamchatka rivers. Yury Kislyak Yury © The RFFA plans to increase the number of volunteers by getting students of the Kamchatka State Technical University involved as part of their training. Public inspectors will have a chance to learn to drive a quad-bike and a snowmobile, as well as to operate a motor boat. The increasing number of public inspector works to achieve two goals. First of all, public inspectors are a permanent disturbance for poacher on the rivers, thereby acting as a direct obstacle to the act of poaching. And, at the same time, public inspectors can help reduce the corruption level of officials. For three years now, WWF-Russia together with other NGOs has been supporting public inspectors on the Bolshaya River and plans to continue cooperation during the fishing season of this year as well. WWF-Russia Kamchatka Office Quarterly Review page 8 The joint project of WWF-Russia and Citi Foundation has been prolonged for another year. The project is aimed at improving the socio- economic environment and living conditions in remote villages by creating new legal jobs as an alternative to grey- and black-market jobs, like poaching. It intends to create economic instruments to involve local residents and decision-makers into biodiversity conservation and sustainable nature resource consumption. Russia - The total program budget of $250,000 will / WWF / be split between the Altai and Kamchatka regions, of which $110,000 will be spent to Kislyak Yury Yury support entrepreneurs from the Kamchatka © peninsula. One result of the project will be for about 40 residents to receive training on different entrepreneurship topics, Some of the currently planned topics are: • legal issues of business management • taxation • environmental components of entrepreneurship • technical regulations and certifications; and others. Also, a Kamchatka Association of Non-timber Forest Products (NTFP) producers will be created. The Association will support the development of non-timber forest products on the Kamchatka peninsula by marketing, conducting business-plan competitions, providing financial support of winners, and encouraging the development of production facilities, etc.