In Kamchatka, in the Yelizovsky district, the Ketkino fish hatchery held large-scale graduation ceremonies for young salmon. On the final day alone, almost 700,000 chum salmon set off for the waters of the Avacha River, beginning their long and dangerous journey to maturity. This journey from an egg to an adult capable of producing new offspring takes about five years.
Andrey Gorban, Deputy head of the Department of Fisheries at Glavrybvod, described this complex process in detail: “The laying of eggs takes place in July-August, and then the eggs are incubated in the factory, then the young are grown. Feeding of juveniles takes place from February to May, and release takes place in May. The fish is released into a natural reservoir, rolls down the river into the sea, and for 3-4 years it feeds and lives in the wild. And after 3-4 years he returns back to the river to the places of his spawning, his beginning of the life path.”
The mass release of fry became part of a significant environmental campaign “Life for Kamchatka salmon!” aimed at restoring the population of valuable red fish in the region. The initiative was voluntarily supported by SiGMA employees, who not only provided financial assistance, but also personally released about 20 thousand chum salmon fry. Of these, almost 6.5 thousand were issued as part of a special charity event.
Ivan Drozdov, Director of SiGMA JSC, commented on the company’s participation: “We are proud to participate in such projects. Kamchatka is a unique natural region, and the restoration of salmon is a matter of high social and environmental importance. SiGMA’s team understands the importance of caring for the environment and strives to make a real contribution to its preservation.”
For SiGMA, environmental responsibility is not just words, but an important area of activity. The release of juvenile chum salmon has become another consistent step in the systematic work to protect Kamchatka’s unique biodiversity. “Such events are not just a formal fulfillment of obligations. This is a contribution to the future: to the health of aquatic ecosystems, to the preservation of a unique natural balance and to the formation of an ecological culture,” said Olga Koltsova, Head of the Environmental Protection Department at SiGMA JSC.
In total, on the final day of the “graduation” at the Ketkino plant, more than 680,000 fry were sent to the Avacha River. It is noteworthy that 50 thousand of them were grown specifically for the project “Life for Kamchatka salmon!”. The organizers of the action are determined and plan to make it an annual event, attracting not only business representatives, but also all interested residents and guests of the peninsula who care about the fate of the Kamchatka nature.