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While visiting the world’s biggest freshwater reservoir, Lake Baikal, to discuss its environmental issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin released 50,000 fry of the omul, a unique native species.
Omul is a trademark local delicacy, and the whitefish species has been intermittently endangered since the 1950s.
Putin was visiting Rybozavod Baikal, the local fishery that was once responsible for depleting the population, but now farms omul and promotes sustainable farming with help from private and state funding. |
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Ignoring warnings from local officials about getting his shoes wet, the Russian president first took a small scoop net and let several juveniles out into the stream, and then pulled a lever, freeing the water from a tank containing a colony of thousands of omul fry.
Once the photo op finished, Putin took on a somber tone.
“We need to ensure a system of tight control over the lake, and I have demanded that the state prosecutor takes an in-depth look into illegal and ecologically-harmful activities in Baikal,” he said during a media briefing. |
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