MURMANSK, June 23. /TASS/. The Norilsk Nickel Company's Murmansk Transportation Branch (MTB) bought and released into waters of the Umba River in the Murmansk region 47,000 salmon fry. The company's press service said by restoring the Atlantic Salmon's population the company compensates for the impact on the environment.

"This is the first experience of the kind for the Murmansk Transportation Branch," the press service said. "In 2017 and 2018, it will continue the initiative: it will buy and release respectively another 187 and 60,000 fingerlings; the investments will make about 50 million rubles ($835 thousand)."

From plant - into the river

The fry grew at the Umba fish plant. Within one year, each one grew to an average weight of three kilograms. They were transported inside special bags, filled with oxygen, and before the transportation they all passed the veterinary control.

The place where the fry was to be released, was suggested by the Polar Research Institute. At that passage of the Umba River with strong current, predators are few and food is sufficient for fish. Thus, the fry would get adapted quickly. The area is also far from traditional fishing areas.

This work is very important for the Arctic, as the wild salmon herds here are biggest in the world.

The environment 

Norilsk Nickel's environmental projects are parts of the company's ecology program. In late March, the Murmansk region signed an agreement with the company on implementation of ecology projects.

Among the biggest projects in the Murmansk region is the salt effluent recycling for nickel refining. The project is worth 1.6 billion rubles ($27 million).

The company also has a few joint projects with the Arctic nature parks. Investments in ecology projects to 2023 will make up to 250 billion rubles ($4.1 billion), the press service said.

Transportation branch

The major part of Norilsk Nickel's Murmansk Transportation Branch is the company's in-house cargos. MTB develops actively. In 2016, the company's dry-cargo fleet transported 1.262 million tonnes (in 2015 - 1.174 million tonnes). The Branch's berth in Murmansk had been modernized.

Norilsk Nickel has five modern container vessels of the Arctic class, a tanker and a port icebreaker. With its own fleet, the company is fully transport-independent at the Arctic shipping distance.