MURMANSK, June 14. /TASS/. Nornickel’s Murmansk Transport Branch bought and released into the Umba River 60,000 fish fries. On Thursday, press service of the Kola MMC (mining and metallurgical company, a part of Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) in the Murmansk Region) said the project continues for the second year.
"Over only two years, the company has released into the Kola Peninsula’s rivers about 300,000 fries," the press service said. "Investments in the project are more than 50 million rubles ($806,000)."
Rivers on the Kola Peninsula are among a few in the world, where wild population of Atlantic salmon still remains. The Umba is a river, where salmon’s big population grows and spawns.
The Murmansk Transport Branch has been working on reproduction of the water biology resources jointly with experts of Russia’s fishery authority (Rosrybolovstvo), the Polar Institute of Sea Fishery and Ocean Studies, the Murmansk Veterinary Station. The salmon fries, which grew at a local fish plant, were delivered to the river by a special vehicle with oxygen-supplying equipment
Specialists say, the small fish will remain in the river for two-three years to go to the sea afterwards, and from the sea the grown-up salmon will return to the river to spawn there.