Sakhalin Taimen Nearing Extinction - World's Largest Salmon, Can Reach 200 Lbs. - Japan Times

[hatrack]

The Sakhalin taimen, a salmonid fish inhabiting Hokkaido and the Russian Far East and known as Ito in Japan, is facing extinction, a group of U.S. and Russian experts said Saturday.

The group estimates the population of the fish in major habitats in Russia has decreased by 98 percent to 99 percent in the last three or four decades.

It warned the situation will deteriorate further due to the Sakhalin-2 oil and natural gas development project in Russia and dam construction projects as well as water contamination in Hokkaido.

The Sakhalin taimen is on the endangered species lists of the Environment Ministry and the Hokkaido government. Authorities have taken no significant measures to protect the fish and have not imposed effective restrictions on catch levels, prompting the experts to advocate protective measures.

EDIT

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070107a6.html

PORTLAND, Oregon – One of the world’s largest and most ancient salmon, the Sakhalin taimen, is
edging towards extinction, according to an international panel of salmon scientists. The species faces an
uncertain future in its native habitat on the Japanese Island of Hokkaido, Russia’s Sakhalin Island and
far eastern mainland Russia. The IUCN World Conservation Union just listed Sakhalin taimen as
critically endangered on its 2006 Red List of Threatened Species based on an audit of the taimen’s status
conducted by the IUCN’s Salmonid Specialist Group (SSG). This designation represents the highest risk
of global extinction for a species.

“The future of Sakhalin taimen, an extraordinary species that lives over 40 years and can grow to 200
lbs, has never been more in doubt,” states Dr. Peter Rand, a scientist for the State of the Salmon
Program and the lead on the taimen assessment. “When you consider all the threats the species is
facing, including legal and illegal harvest and habitat loss, the species is currently in a very vulnerable
situation.” The assessment found that the range-wide population has plummeted to less than 5% of
historic levels.

Threats to the species come in many forms. Taimen are bycatch in the commercial salmon fisheries of
Russia and Japan. The fish are also prized as trophies by Japanese anglers—a trend that troubles local
citizens and conservationists. “We've heard that a mounted, male taimen in spawning colors can fetch as
much as US$9,000 in Japan,” says Dave Martin of the Wild Salmon Center. “The domestic market for
taimen trophies could drive the species perilously close to the point of no return in Japan.” In Russia,
illegal fishing practices are prevalent, and enforcement of existing regulations is weak. The SSG urges
stricter regulations for recreational fishing in Japan, and stronger enforcement of Russia’s regulations.

The loss of more than 50% of its original habitat in Japan can be traced to intensive agriculture, resource
extraction, and urbanization. More recently, oil and gas development, especially in Russia, threaten
critical taimen habitat. “The construction of the pipeline on Sakhalin will degrade taimen habitat, and
the road construction will make the fish more vulnerable to poachers. It would be wise for us to focus
on conservation,” states Dr. Sergey Safronov, a professor with Sakhalin State University who has been
studying the species for decades.

EDIT

http://www.wildsalmoncenter.org/press/pr/threatened_taimen_pr0506.pdf

[Double T]

1. The extinction of species will continue with man's irrespondsible.......

attitudes toward the habitats of other living creatures. The worldwide disgrace continues.

[pnorman]

2. Here's what they look like:

http://www.kushiro.com/tv/e/itou.html

pnorman

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Still being advertised for sportfishing ...

http://www.russianhunting.com/fishing-for-taimen-trout-in-russia/



The Taimen, the true legend in the world of fresh water fishing, frequently called the river wolf by local inhabitants. Taimen is the largest trout and can frequently reach 20 to 30 kilograms (45 to 65 lbs.). The record size taimen can reach 200 cm (78″) in lenghth and 100 kg (220 lb) in weight. This is a very elusive fish, populating many rivers in the Eastern Siberia and the Far East. Taimen is an audacious, swift, strong and adroit predator, who attacks not only fish, but also many other animals - waterfowl birds, mice, squirrels and muskrats. Possessing excellent sight, it is capable of seeing not only in the water, but also distinguishing the objects on the shore. Taimen can even snatch small animals on dry land when they are in close proximity to the shoreline. Taimen are inhabitants of Eurasia. Of the four species of Taimen, only two can be found in the wild in high enough numbers to allow sport fishing.

Sakhalin taimen is permitted for fishing only in Russia’s Sakhalin island and Primorsky Krai.

Siberian taimen can be fished in Mongolia and most of Siberia. Whereas Mongolia has become a popular destination for taimen fishing, most of the sportsmen don’t realize, that the best taimen fishing and the largest trophies are found in Russia. There are few reasons for this.
First, taimen prefers rivers with variable depths, which allow it to seek deeper, cooler waters during hot summer months. It also likes rivers with a relatively fast current. Mongolia is a dry country with few such rivers.
Second, taimen is a very territorial fish. Once it finds it’s own pool, it tends to stay there or close to it for the entire season. It quickly learns tricks employed by fishermen and once it gets caught and released it tends to avoid being caught again. Because all of the fishing camps in Mongolia are stationary camps it means that sportsmen have a limited number of pools to fish within a reasonable distance from the camp. Taimen fishing in Russia on the other hand is usually organized as rafting trips with helicopter drop-offs. This not only allows fishermen to fish from different pools during the trip, but also allows outfitters to choose different segments of taimen rivers, or different rivers, which exist in the hundreds.
And most important: the IGFA record belongs to Russia.