Kazakhstan highly values its cooperation with Turkmenistan within the framework of the Commission for the Conservation of Aquatic Bioresources of the Caspian Sea, Ayan Bakhiyanov, Deputy Chairman of the Fisheries Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, told reporters on the sidelines of the Commission meeting.
"Overall, we have good-neighborly relations with Turkmenistan, and we are ready to cooperate in all areas. Specifically, regarding our commission, we are cooperating on the rational use of the biological resources of the Caspian Sea," Bakhiyanov said.
He emphasized that all Caspian countries cooperate within the Commission, which determines quotas and catch volumes for each party.
According to Bakhiyanov, the list of shared biological resources of the Caspian countries includes three species: sprat, sturgeon, and the Caspian seal. The seal is listed in the Red Data Book of all five Caspian states, and its harvesting is prohibited.
All Caspian countries have declared a moratorium on commercial sturgeon fishing. "Currently, harvesting is only for scientific or reproduction purposes," he clarified.
From November 24 to 26, the 9th meeting of the Commission on the Conservation and Rational Use of Aquatic Biological Resources of the Caspian Sea was held in Ashgabat at the Institute of the Caspian Sea of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan chairs the Commission in 2025–2026. The parties decided to abolish commercial sturgeon fishing in 2026.
