The 9th meeting of the Commission for the conservation, rational use of aquatic biological resources of the Caspian sea, and management of their shared stocks was recently held in Ashgabat at the Caspian sea institute. On the sidelines of the five-party forum, Ayan Bahiyanov, head of the Kazakh delegation and deputy chairman of the fisheries committee of the Ministry of agriculture of the Republic, shared plans and prospects for cooperation with Turkmenistan with a «GA» correspondent.
«Kazakhstan, like all Caspian countries, closely cooperates with Turkmenistan on determining quotas and volumes for each party to harvest species. I would like to point out that one of these valuable species is sturgeon, which is harvested only for scientific and reproductive purposes. We have long-standing good-neighbourly relations with Turkmenistan in all areas, and we are ready for active cooperation in this area», - said A. Bahiyanov.
Speaking about ichthyofauna as a highly valuable area of interaction, our interlocutor noted the aspirations of the countries to carefully treat species within their shared field of interest.
«The list of shared biological resources includes three species: sprat, sturgeon, and seal. Seals are listed in the Red Book of all five Caspian states, and their harvesting is prohibited. Kazakhstan has established a state nature reserve to preserve the Caspian seal population, and we are also cooperating with our Turkmen colleagues in this area», - the head of the Kazakh delegation shared.
In conclusion, A. Bahiyanov expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side for the high organisational level of the meeting and the conditions created for work.
During the Ashgabat meeting, the status of joint stocks was analysed, scientific research findings were shared, and issues related to bioresource reproduction were discussed. Following the meeting, the Commission decided not to engage in commercial sturgeon fishing in 2026.
Turkmenistan will chair the Commission for the period 2025–2026.
