August 19, 2019

While another group of animals is awaiting release from “whale jail” to set free, a risk of new captures of belugas, as well as walruses and seals, in 2020 is becoming more real.

On 24 July Federal Agency for Fishery forwarded materials of the total allowable catch (TAC) of marine mammals in 2020 for to government ecological expertise (GEE) procedure to be held at RosPrirod Nadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage). If GEE gets positive conclusion, then it will become possible to capture 282 belugas, 20 pacific white-sided dolphins, 8 bottle-nosed dolphins, 1496 walruses and 1905 seals in Far-Eastern Seas. Most of animals are proposed for the catch of indigenous people of the Northern territories but AT LEAST 82 belugas and all dolphins are proposed for capture for the needs of entertainment industry.

If GEE conclusion is negative then TAC will not be approved and so capture quotas will not be given. In November 2018 negative GEE conclusion allowed to stop capture of whales in 2019. Experts took into consideration arguments of public organizations, experts community, international scientists and also listened to multiple public requests to stop violent captures of animals for entertainment industry.

Dear friends, until capture of marine mammals if not prohibited by Law in Russia, we have only one opportunity to not allow it – sending emails to experts commission for GEE and RosPrirodNadzor to ask them to issue negative conclusion on TAC materials for 2020.

Please write them that you are strongly against captures of marine mammals for entertainment industry. Tell them about your negative attitude towards captures and ask to stop them.

Emails can be sent to following addresses:

rpn77@rpn.gov.ru
to Expert commission of GEE regarding TAC materials of marine mammals for 2020, to Alekseev D.A. head of Central Department.
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Also the Head of RosPrirodNadzor Radionova S.G. can be emailed via link http://rpn.gov.ru/appeal-to-rpn