The environmental campaign "Drilling holes – saving fish!" was held on Verkhny Kaban Lake
To prevent starvation of fish and saturate the reservoir with oxygen – today inspectors of the Ministry of Ecology together with laboratory specialists, employees of the State Budgetary Institution "NPO Geocenter RT", representatives of the Middle Volga Federal Agency for Fisheries, the Committee on Bioresources and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Tatarstan went on ice with such a mission. The environmental campaign "Drilling holes – saving fish" is a traditional event. Every year environmentalists together with other environmental agencies carry out aeration of reservoirs of the Republic. In winter, when the oxygen level in the water drops due to the ice cover, fish need the help of people. "It is necessary to cut holes for fish and make holes to give them the opportunity to breathe. Works on aeration of reservoirs, especially where there is no running water, begin when the ice thickness is more than 10 centimeters," says the inspector of the Ministry of Ecology Eliza Kashapova.
According to the employees of the Srednevolzhsky TA Rosrybolovstvo, the thickness of the ice on the lake is about 70 cm and the less dissolved oxygen in the water, the worse all the inhabitants of the underwater world feel, that's why such environmental campaigns are so necessary. According to measurements made on the spot by laboratory specialists, the level of dissolved oxygen in the water is now low - 1.95 - 2.3 mg/dm at a rate of 4-6 mg/dm.
Environmental specialists drilled about 50 holes and laid each hole with dry reeds, branches and grass. This is necessary to saturate the reservoir with oxygen, the stems of reeds prevent freezing of water and serve as a kind of gas exchangers. The oxygen regime during such events improves in the reservoir by an average of 10-15%, and most importantly, methane and hydrogen sulfide gases are removed from the reservoir through the wells, which are formed as a result of decomposition at the bottom of organic matter.
Let us recall that according to Rosrybolovstvo experts, roach, perch, bream, crucian carp and other lake fish typical of our area are now found in the lake. Kaban Lake was not chosen by chance, a fish pest was recorded here a few years ago. Such campaigns are planned on other reservoirs as well. We invite all Tatarstan citizens to take part in them!