Lands almost without salmon and pearls found in the river Varzuga Murmansk region

In the Varzuga River and its tributaries, areas were found where there were almost no juveniles of wild salmon and freshwater pearls. Such results were obtained by scientists during the study of the river in the Murmansk region. This was reported in the administration of specially protected natural territories of regional importance of the Murmansk region.

Researchers from the Institute of Biology of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences examined Varzuga and several of its tributaries. They studied the habitats of animals, conducted underwater observations and estimated the number of pearls.

In some areas, experts did not find juvenile salmon at all, and in others counted only three or four fry per 10 square meters. With pearls, the situation is also heterogeneous: in the most favorable areas, 55-60 mollusks were found in four square meters, but in some places they were almost absent.

The preservation of these two species is closely related: the larvae of the European pearl develop on the gills of the juvenile salmon. Therefore, the decline in the number of fish threatens the population of the rare mollusk.

In addition to scientific research, the project participants, together with volunteers, cleaned the shores of garbage and held conversations with tourists about the rules for visiting the Varzugsky Reserve. An information stand was installed at one of the parking lots.

In 2027, scientists plan to complete the processing of the collected data and prepare measures to restore salmon numbers. Environmental raids will also continue, new information stands will appear and the construction of one of the popular tourist sites will begin.

Earlier, “MK in Murmansk” reported that for 4 months, 8 million salmon were imported to the farms of the Murmansk region – 25% less.