Seal meat is good for food, but it is not profitable to trade in it - the scientists of the Primorye. A meat delicacy of the north, which tourists should not try. Do they eat seals?

The food ration of the coastal and reindeer Chukchi was different. Its basis for the nomadic population was reindeer meat, for the sedentary - the products of the marine hunting industry. True, as V.G. Bogoraz, “reindeer Chukchi have a great inclination to sea food. ... On the other hand, the coastal Chukchi and Eskimos also highly value reindeer meat and call it“ the sweet food of reindeer herders ”(Bogoraz, 1991, p. 126). the groups constantly exchanged the products of their trades.

The peculiarity of the diet of the coastal Chukchi was its diversity, which is typical for all Arctic peoples engaged in hunting: "In the societies of sea hunters in the Arctic, a traditional diet has developed, characterized by the highest variety of foods and dishes in comparison with the diet of other Arctic peoples" (Bogoslovskaya et al., 2007.S. 372). It is characteristic that the food of the sedentary Chukchi of the northern and Bering Sea coasts was somewhat different, which is explained by the peculiarities of the climate and natural conditions, the specifics of the fishing routine of both.

Among the food products of the coastal Chukchi, one of the main places was occupied by meat, fat and walrus entrails. The meat of walruses caught in the summer was cleaned of fat and put into a special pit, where water was poured. In such a pit, meat could be stored until the onset of cold weather. A significant part of the summer walrus meat was dried and stored for future use. Dried meat was eaten in winter, usually pounded and mixed with fat. The insides of walruses were also harvested for the winter. At the same time, the lungs and heart of the walrus were cut and dried on hangers, the kidneys were dried for the winter. The insides of the walrus were often eaten raw. Especially appreciated raw liver... She was considered a good remedy for recuperating after a large blood loss, she was treated for stomach, intestinal and pulmonary diseases.

Most often, walrus meat was eaten in a fermented form: " Kopalchen- pickled walrus meat - for the coastal Chukchi was an indispensable dish for at least six to seven months a year ... Kopalhen is eaten "like bread". It is eaten by itself, as well as with fish and herbs. ... Copalchen is extremely easy to digest. It is not chewed, but simply swallowed "(Afanasyeva, Simchenko, 1993. pp. 65-66). To prepare copalhen, pieces of fresh walrus meat, together with lard and skin, were placed in special earthen pits, which were covered with sod on top. fermented. The most valuable food product walrus fat, both subcutaneous and internal, was considered. Fresh and fermented, it was used as a universal food additive... Walrus oil was also used for the conservation of wild plants. It was kept in sacks of seal skins.

The meat and fat of the seal were of no less importance for the nutrition of the Chukchi. "The seal was mined all year round and the most different ways... Seal meat ... was a constant ingredient in the menu of coastal hunters "(Ibid. P. 73). For many centuries, the population of coastal Chukotka used whale products for food." Traditional cuisine Chukotka's marine hunters include more than 20 different dishes made from meat, fat, skin, fins, tongue and innards of bowhead and gray whales and beluga whales "(Bogoslovskaya et al., 2007, p. 375).

In the collection " On the path of Bogoraz"some recipes for dishes prepared by the Naukan Eskimos and Chukchi Uelen from whaling products are given:" Whale skin with lard (man "so") is traditionally eaten raw and boiled. For the future, it is harvested by tightly shifting the leaves of Ivan-tea (vevegtyt) in a barrel and flooding with water, then it has a pleasant smell of Ivan-tea and retains its freshness for a long time. This skin is eaten only in winter. In the fall, with the onset of hard frosts, bowhead whale manna is placed in large plates in a meat pit, where it is stored until spring. it good gift when visiting reindeer herders in neighboring villages. In winter, raw mann "so" is eaten before going to bed, and boiled mann is often consumed with a mushy mass of leaves of the three-winged mountaineer (kyugak). Hunters, going out to sea, take with them manna "tak" as a stock of food. ...

In summer, fresh gray whale fat is eaten with the grated leaves of the Knotweed. Sour whale liver is eaten with fresh boiled skin and walrus lard (kahu). Sour liver juice is drunk together with broth (k "ayuk) from seal fat.

Fresh buds (takhtuk) are boiled before meals, and the buds are eaten raw, dipped in melted seal fat (toe) (Tein et al., 2008, p. 177).

Among the nomadic Chukchi, the traditional food ration necessarily involved the regular consumption of venison. The insides of the deer (liver, kidneys, heart), as well as the eyes, bone marrow, tendons, and cartilage of the nose were eaten raw immediately after the slaughter of the animal. The meat was eaten mainly boiled and dried. About the process of drying meat by Chukchi V.G. Bogoraz wrote the following: " In the spring, around mid-April, the Chukchi reindeer dry meat in the open air; under the combined action of the daytime heat and nighttime cold, even large pieces of meat completely come out, preserving their taste and tenderness. Dried meat is slightly smoked over the hearth in the tent"(Bogoraz, 1991, p. 129).

Meat broth was drunk and used to prepare various dishes: “In the past, young and middle-aged reindeer herders significantly limited themselves in water consumption. children and older children. Meat broth was used in the preparation of vegetable food "(Afanasyeva, Simchenko, 1993. pp. 88-89).

Blood stew was an everyday dish. It was cooked with wild garlic - wild onion and sarana - kimchak. "Blood stew was an indispensable element in all rituals of asking for well-being. It was splashed in all directions of the world, starting from the east, when such rituals were performed" (Ibid. P. 89).

Reindeer blood was also prepared popular dish For this, finely dissected cartilage, veins, films, as well as gastric juice, which was obtained by squeezing out the green mass contained in the stomach of a slaughtered deer, were added to the blood. All this blood mixture was fermented in the deer's stomach.

Among the ritual meat dishes a special place was occupied by sausage from the caecum - rorat. This sausage "was an obligatory ingredient in all rituals, without exception. Fire was fed to it, sacrificial parts were cut off from it to supernatural forces of nature. It played the role of a kind of sacrament in all sacred acts" (Ibid. P. 92). One of the popular festive dishes from venison - tychgitagav. To prepare it, bone fat was added to the crushed, grated reindeer meat. The resulting mass was made into koloboks and frozen.

In addition to the meat of domesticated deer, the Chukchi also ate the meat of wild deer, bighorn sheep, hares, partridges, and waterfowl. The Chukchi have some prohibitions and restrictions related to animal food. So, according to V. G. Bogoraz, "Chukchi reindeer abstain from wolverine and black bear meat, all kinds of wolves and most of the birds of prey" (Bogoraz, 1991, p. 130).

Both nomadic and sedentary Chukchi were widespread various fish dishes... We caught mainly salmon. The coastal Chukchi "put summer fish in ground pits, laid out along the bottom and sides with alder branches. The fish were laid in several layers and also covered with a decking of alder branches and laid with sod or covered with earth. After a while, the fish fermented and froze with the onset of cold weather" ( Afanasyeva, Simchenko, 1993.S. 74). Frozen fish was eaten with copalchen and sauerkraut.

The reindeer Chukchi “the main way of preserving fish was making yukola, yukola was made from any salmon. When cutting, they first cut the belly from the anus to the head and took out the entrails with caviar and milk. The caviar was immediately hung to dry ...

Then the abdomen was cut off - the knife was led from the abdominal gills to the tail, separating both sides at once. The abdomen was the most tasty part. Fish bellies were collected and hung up for smoking in a yaranga. Further processing consisted in dismembering the fish carcass into the actual jukola part and the spine with the head. ... Yukola consisted of two plates of meat, joined at the tail. The yukola was hung up with its tail up to dry ... Yukola was an indispensable ingredient in the food of reindeer breeders. She was not served with a rare meal. As a rule, they drank tea with yukola ... (Ibid. P. 96).

A special dish was prepared from fish heads. To do this, "caviar, washed and pounded between the palms, was put into a bag of sealskin, and fish heads were put in it. This mass was allowed to sour for three to four days, after which the heads were eaten" (Ibid. P. 97)

Fish dishes were a must at many reindeer herding festivals, such as the autumn herd meeting. Different groups of Chukchi had their own traditions of using for food and harvesting edible plants. Some groups prepared herbal mixtures based on the "golden root" - arctic radiols in others - the basis of plant preparations was made up of polar alder (willow) leaves. Plant food supplies were constantly exchanged.

According to the observations of G.M. Afanasyeva and Yu.B. Simchenko, among the Bering Sea Chukchi, “the most common root is bite, which is identified by modern Chukchi with potatoes ... fresh meat"(Ibid.).

The Bering Sea Chukchi also used the roots of marsh grass for food, which were taken from mice minks: “The procedure for collecting plants stored for the winter by mice was strictly regulated. every autumn they take their sons' young wives and their own female descendants, who are not married, and take them to the tundra to traditional lands, where they are shown mouse holes, which do not look anew every time, and they open up well-known holes. that there is continuity between specific Chukchi families and mouse families ... There are several immutable rules for the exploitation of mouse stocks, violation of which automatically entails severe punishment.

This includes the prohibition to touch "alien" mouse holes. It is believed that if a woman disturbs the mice not on her site, then her "own" mice will leave the traditional grounds out of solidarity with their congeners. Another mandatory rule is to leave mice for the winter with yukola or dried meat in an appropriate amount for the stocks taken.

Every woman carries a bundle with her dried fish, which he distributes among the mouse pantries. The third statement - it is categorically impossible to take the amount of stocks of mice equal to half, or even more than half. For violation of this rule, not only the offender herself, but also her family had to pay with various misfortunes. The fourth rule is to carefully cut and turn away the sod layer above the burrow. Having taken away the stored plants, you need to put the layer on top as carefully as it was lying. We had to see holes that were repeatedly visited by people, and the mice did not leave them.

Last thing important rule: the time of collecting plants from mouse holes should be strictly observed - a fairly long time before snow falls. According to the Chukchi regulations, this was required to be done by aphids so that the mice had time to replenish the stocks of the plants they needed ... (Afanasyeva, Simchenko, 1993, pp. 69-70).

Shiksha, cloudberries, lingonberries, blueberries, currants, honeysuckle were collected from the berries. The berries were eaten raw, as a delicacy, or they were an integral component of various fish and meat dishes: they were mixed with fish caviar, crushed raw deer liver, and boiled fish liver. Mushrooms (except for fly agaric) were eaten extremely rarely. They were considered deer food. Amanita was a ritual food... It was used to make a "trip" to other worlds, for fortune-telling, to maintain tone during heavy physical exertion.

The diet of the coastal Chukchi invariably included various products that were "supplied" by the sea. Seaweed they ate raw and boiled. It was eaten with walrus meat and walrus blood.

From the beginning of contacts between the Chukchi and Europeans, flour products, sugar, bread, and spices began to occupy a significant place in their diet. V.G. Bogoraz wrote: “The Chukchi love to try“ foreign food ”and even get used to such cultural spices as mustard and pepper. They willingly sacrifice sugar, bread, etc., believing that spirits also love new types of food ”(Bogoraz, 1991, p. 134). It is characteristic that "by introducing flour products into their diet, the indigenous people of the North significantly changed the way they culinary processing adapting to the requirements of the arctic environment. The traditional addition of blood or fish roe to baked goods, frying the cakes in the fat of sea animals allowed maintaining the vitamin and microelement balance "(Bogoslovskaya et al., 1997, p. 383).

The meat of the Far Eastern seal is good for food, but it is not profitable to trade it. Some private companies want to revive the pinniped industry, but this is expensive and requires a lot of investment. In addition, the question of sales markets remains open: the product will be too expensive for the local population, and foreign companies show no interest in the meat of the Far Eastern seal. Leading engineer of the TINRO-Center Mikhail Maminov and head of the laboratory for the problems of rational use of aquatic organisms Albert Yarochkin told about this in an interview with the newspaper "Zolotoy Rog".

The All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography began to develop standards for food products from seal meat... Such information appeared recently in the central media. According to the calculations of scientists, they said, the population of seals, walruses, seals and fur seals has increased, which makes it possible to start industrial production without harm to the environment.

Since the seas of the Far East are the habitats of these animals, the "Golden Horn" asked the staff of the Pacific Research Fisheries Center (TINRO-Center) to assess the resources of marine mammals, and most importantly, the demand for products from them. It is no secret that in the diet of Russians, in general, this meat has never been, with the exception of whale meat, and then during the Soviet era. The ban on whaling has deprived us of this, too, which few people regret.

In Soviet times, the hunting of pinnipeds in the country was quite active, but their meat went exclusively to feed fur-bearing animals. Although some argue that in the old days, walrus meat was quite often on sale in Sakhalin and Moscow. With the actual collapse of the fur industry, maybe not in all of Russia, but in the Far East for sure, this trade is a thing of the past.

Does it make economic sense to revive it? The "Golden Horn" is discussing this issue with the leading engineer of the TINRO-Center, Mikhail Maminov, and the head of the laboratory for the problems of rational use of aquatic organisms, Albert Yarochkin.

We can live like vegetarians, but the meat of marine mammals is useful for human health, - says Mikhail Maminov. - The fishery has never disrupted populations. According to our forecasts, up to 56 thousand animals can be caught annually in the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. Today, about 1-1.5 thousand seals are caught, the same number of walrus. Basically, these volumes go to the food of the indigenous peoples of the North.

A quota is needed for the production of marine animals, as well as for fishing, which is allocated by the Federal Agency for Fishery. The catch of pinnipeds in the USSR has always been, and it stopped due to the collapse of the marine hunting fleet.

Now there are private companies that would like to revive the fishing, but this pleasure is expensive, large investments are required. In addition, seals are not as large animals as whales, and at the same time it is impossible to get a large amount of meat from their catch.

- Mikhail Konstantinovich, have you tried products from marine mammals?

Tried it, delicious. It's always tasty when cooked well, but you have to know how to cook.

- In your opinion, can these products be in demand among the population?

This is a big question. It all depends on the technologists. First you need to try, everyone has their own taste. By the way, in the 30s, canned seals were very popular, even from beluga whales, these are cetaceans. Good quality medicines are made from the meat of marine mammals. But, since all this requires large investments, there are no people willing to develop this direction yet.

- Is there a demand for these resources from foreign companies?

On our resources, in my opinion, no. Previously, marine mammals were hunted in large numbers by Norway, Finland and Canada. The meat went to the domestic markets of these countries and to others European countries... Then the "greens" achieved a ban, and the mass mining stopped. As far as I know, the Norwegians and Finns are seeking permission to resume fishing.

The meat of marine mammals will certainly be expensive, since these are animals, I don’t take sea lions, small, ”says Albert Yarochkin. - Their fat is very healing, contains up to 30% polyunsaturated fatty acids.

If it is mined, then it must be processed quickly so that it does not lose its value. This is how all aquatic organisms differ. It is necessary to quickly freeze, pack in a good, gas-tight film, etc.

- Are floating bases necessary for such a fishery?

Not necessary.

- So, will you need onshore processing, close to the fishing areas?

Yes, from Koryakia, representatives of the tribal community of small nations approached us to make a technical justification for the processing of marine animals. They asked how they could establish an economically profitable fishing and processing of these objects not only for themselves, but also for the market. We made a feasibility study. Calculations have shown that under certain conditions this can be economically justified. Special vessels will be required, which could also be used for fishing. This will eliminate seasonality in such work.

- Has anyone already processed sea animal meat?

Several years ago, in Chukotka, the Americans built a plant for the production of canned walrus meat in the village of Larino. He worked for a while, but now it's worth it. In Khabarovsk there is a company called Larga, which has a quota for a certain number of seals. They get good out of her edible fat, packaged and sold. They say that it is in demand. I don't know about meat. They were going to freeze it and turned to us for recommendations, took the documentation; how it all ended, we do not know.

Let us remind from RIA PrimaMedia that Primorye scientists doubt the possibility of catching seals in Primorye: firstly, the products from their meat have never been in great demand, and secondly, seals are found in the territory of the reserve, where their catching is prohibited.

Nevertheless, a petition has already appeared on the Internet in defense of the Far Eastern seals - the authors ask the initiators of the idea of ​​producing products from seal meat to abandon this idea and urge the authorities to prevent the revival of industrial murder.

Each nation has its own unique national dishes. Czech cuisine is hard to imagine without pork knuckle, Italian - without thin slices of carpaccio, and Spanish - without jamon. And here the National dish Nenets, Chukchi and Eskimos is called Kopalhen.

The peoples of the North have been eating this meat delicacy since childhood, but people who are not prepared to try kopalchen cannot, since the consequences can be dire.

Kopalchen is a northern “delicacy”, the description of which may seem disgusting to many. The dish is “prepared” most often from fresh venison, less often - from walrus, seal or even a whale. The carcass of the animal is harvested as a whole, such a supply of food can be enough for the whole family for several weeks or even months.

The first step in the "preparation" of copalchen is to properly kill the animal. When it comes to deer, the healthiest and strongest of the herd is chosen. Further - they beat him off from the herd and keep him hungry for several days. So the stomach of the deer is completely cleansed in a natural way, and the animal can be sent to slaughter. They kill the deer by strangulation, trying not to damage the skin, so that no wounds remain on the body. Then the carcass of the animal is immersed in a swamp, sprinkled with turf, and a mark is made at the place of its "burial". Interestingly, in the Soviet years, pioneer ties were used as marking, which were clearly visible and did not fade in any weather.

The carcass is left under water for at least six months. Then, in winter, they dig up and eat. During this time, the meat begins to decompose, cadaveric poisons are released, which is why an unprepared person should never try kopalchen. And hardly any of the tourists will want to taste the carrion: Copalchen has a specific look and smell, which completely discourages appetite. Local peoples eat such meat with pleasure, for them it is a life-saving reserve in the event that hunters cannot get food for a long time. Eskimos and Nenets got used to cutting frozen kopalchen into thin slices and seasoning with salt before use.

Kopalchen has been known since ancient times. Such meat is high in calories, so just a few pieces are enough for an adult man to work in the cold all day without freezing or physically exhausted.

So that the use of copalchen does not cause poisoning, children are taught to fresh meat from birth. Instead of a nipple, babies are given a piece of meat or bacon, and after the child has grown up, he eats kopalchen along with the older members of the family. Kopalchen, by the way, is also used to feed sled dogs.

Each northern people has its own traditions. For example, the Nenets prefer to harvest deer meat for the winter, the Chukchi - walruses, and the Canadian Inuit - whales. Another version of this dish is a seal stuffed with seagulls. The method of preparation is the same: leave the skinned carcass for several months in the permafrost, and then, having dug it out, can be eaten.

Cadaveric poison contained in rotten meat will definitely lead to severe poisoning or death if a stranger decides to try such a dish, but for local residents this is a real salvation from starvation and a delicacy.

sources

Each nation has its own culinary traditions. For example, if the daily diet of the inhabitants of Europe and the overwhelming majority of Russians includes such types of meat as beef, pork or lamb, then for representatives of some peoples of the north, dishes made from the meat of the inhabitants of the sea: walruses, seals or seals are more familiar. By the way, not so long ago in the Russian media there were statements that such delicacies would soon appear on the shelves of our stores... How ready is the domestic consumer to get acquainted with such products? A big question, because few of us know what seal meat tastes like and what can be cooked from it at home.

Seal taste

The conversation about the taste of seal meat should begin with the fact that, although this marine mammal has been considered a traditional fishing object for northern peoples, for example, the Evenks, for centuries, it is reliably known that his meat was never widely consumed... That is, of course, the indigenous inhabitants of the northern regions of Russia ate such meat, but they did it only when absolutely necessary, when it became a matter of survival in extreme conditions. As for the daily use of seals, there is no such tradition. These animals were hunted mainly for their skins, which were used for sewing clothes and furnishing dwellings. For domestic purposes, fat was also used, while meat was allowed to feed dogs, hunting bait and even fertilizer, burying it in specially prepared pits.

It's no secret that taste qualities meat of any animal is largely determined by its diet. In this regard, it is necessary to clarify that the seal menu is mostly fish, which has a corresponding effect on the culinary characteristics of the seal meat. Those who have tasted seal meat say that it tastes strongly of fish. Moreover, this smell and taste are so stable that they are not eliminated even under the influence of special agents and a large amount of aromatic spices.

Also, experts note the high level of fat content of such a product. This is explained by the fact that the seal lives in the cold seas and without a significant supply of fat in such conditions it simply cannot survive. Thus, You cannot call dietary seal meat - this is a fact.

Culinary perspectives

What can be prepared from seal meat? Skilled culinary experts claim that with a certain approach, any product can become the basis delicious dish that will win the heart of even the most discerning gourmet. For example, experts claim that Seals can make wonderful cutlets- this is the most acceptable and promising option, since for cooking cutlets or other minced meat products it is possible to mix seal meat with other, more familiar types of meat for us. This will have a positive effect on both the taste of the final product and the level of fat content in it. The addition of a large amount of appropriate seasonings and spices to the minced meat also helps to solve the problem of specific taste and smell.

Yet it is believed that cooking such as smoking will help make the seal meat more palatable. Especially if in the technology of hot smoking sawdust is used from such wood species that have a strong persistent aroma. Besides, the possibility of producing stew from seal meat is being considered. True, I must say that similar experiments have already been staged by the Soviet food industry - in the 80s, whale meat stew appeared on the shelves. Then the experiment failed - the Soviet consumer did not like such a delicacy.

So, seal meat tastes quite specific - there is a rather persistent smell and characteristic taste of fish, which is the basis of the diet of these mammals. It is difficult to get rid of them, even careful preliminary processing, as well as the use of a large amount of fragrant spices, solves this problem only partially. Despite this, some experts argue that thanks to modern technologies in the food industry, it is quite possible to prepare wonderful semi-finished products from seal meat, as well as smoked meats and stew.

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In Russia, industrial production of seals and seals may begin - the authorities are trying to fill store shelves with domestic seafood. WG wrote about this the other day. The Baikal endemic seal also runs the risk of getting from the waters of Lake Baikal to the consumer's table - the meat of young seals is quite edible, it doesn't smell as fishy as it does in adults.

Experts gathered at a round table in Irkutsk on November 25 to answer the question - Is it worth it to extract the Baikal seal on an industrial scale for these purposes? This issue has gained particular relevance now, when the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography began to develop standards for food products from seal meat - we are talking about minced meat, semi-finished products, pâté, canned food and hot smoked products.

The number of seals on Lake Baikal is now quite large - about 100 thousand heads, says Boris Ditsevich, senior researcher at the educational and methodological center "Sibokhotnauka" of the Irkutsk Agricultural Academy. If earlier the seal could be seen only in the north of Lake Baikal, now often this mammal also enters the south of the lake, appears in the area of ​​the Small Sea. Such a greatly expanded population harms the animals themselves in many ways - many seal cubs experience difficulties in obtaining food, their body weakens and they become susceptible to infectious diseases, in particular, to distemper. And many females, due to the greatly increased population, often remain unfertilized. And if in the north of Russia polar bears help regulate the number of seals, then on Lake Baikal this mammal has no natural enemies. There is no need to be afraid that the industrial extraction of seals will damage the biosphere of Lake Baikal, says the scientist: "Every year the seal brings one or two cubs, and it lives for about ten years, so this type of seal reproduces very quickly."

Ideally, it would be good to cut the number by half - to 50 thousand heads, says Boris Ditsevich. To do this, a quota of two thousand heads per year would be enough to begin with. Seal hunting would attract tourists to Lake Baikal in winter.“Hunting for seals with sleds on the ice of the lake was very widespread in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Now tourists, too, would like to give preference to this type of active rest, ”says Boris Ditsevich. And the meat of young seals would become a delicacy that would be treated to tourists at tourist centers. You can even make hats from seal skins. The fat that can be melted from the seal meat is also useful. But the meat of adults can be used as feed for fur animals, in particular, minks and arctic foxes, which are raised in animal farms.

Now only those Russian peoples have the right to get seal meat. for whom this food is traditional, in particular for the indigenous peoples of the north. At the same time, the Evenks did not particularly like the meat of an adult seal because of its smell. Often it was used simply for fertilization. In all other territories, industrial extraction of seals is now prohibited. The few animals that are caught for research purposes represent a fraction of the total. Basically, seals are studied by scientists in Buryatia, in the Irkutsk region, several individuals were sent to the Institute of Geochemistry named after V.I. A.P. Vinogradov SB RAS and the Baikal Museum in Listvyanka. Accordingly, the size of quotas for Buryatia is larger - almost 1.5 thousand individuals per year, and for Priangarye - 50.

According to the representative of the Angara-Baikal Territorial Administration of the Federal Agency for Fisheries Alexei Telpukhovsky, the last time in the Angara region, three peasant farms took a quota for the extraction of seals from Bolshoy Goloustnoye and Buguldeika. However, in fact, they mined only three to five of these Baikal endemics. But sometimes there are cases when seals fall into fish nets - up to 10-15 individuals. This is already, as they say, illegal mining.

It will take at least three years to allow commercial fishing for seals. To do this, firstly, research organizations must conduct monitoring, which would show how many seals can be caught. Secondly, it will be necessary to make changes in the fishing rules. In this case, the initiative can come from the regional government. According to the assumptions of experts in Buryatia, the quota for the extraction of seals could be set at 4-5 thousand individuals per year, and in the Angara region, one thousand would be enough. According to Boris Ditsevich's estimates, the extraction of seals could bring 6-7 million rubles to the regional budget annually.

Alexey Telpukhovsky agrees - you can get a seal, but the main thing is that you do not need to make a show out of this, because this animal is a brand of the Baikal region.

The question pops up - if there are fewer seals, perhaps omul will be added to Baikal? Some officials from Buryatia and the Angara region, we recall, believe that the breeding seal is to blame for the decline in the population of this fish.

It is impossible to give a positive answer to the question, experts say. The seal mainly feeds on gobies and golomyanka. People taught the seal to omul themselves: “Often the seal swims to the place where the nets are installed and she has no choice but to eat the omul that has swam there, she gets used to it, and then the animal starts looking for the food to which it has developed a habit,” says Boris Ditsevich. In general, it is not typical for the seal to eat omul - this fish swims quickly and the seal simply cannot keep up with it.

Magadan scientists have developed sausages, sausages, jerky and pâté from seals and seals

Scientists from the Magadan Institute of Fisheries have developed new products with a purely northern flavor - sausages, sausages, jerky and seal and seal pate. They say that it is very useful for health.

Jellied and pate, sausages and sausage. All this is made from seal meat. Director of Magadan-NIRO Sergey Marchenko, demonstrating product samples, is sure that the processing of pinnipeds in Magadan can be put on an industrial level. “You have a good high quality product with unique characteristics in front of you. Once upon a time, no one ate crabs, squid, but now they are considered a delicacy, ”said Sergei Marchenko, director of Magadan-NIRO.

The sea animal was actively hunted in Kolyma thirty years ago. Its meat has always been part of the diet of the indigenous peoples of the north. In Magadan, a sewing and souvenir factories worked, producing clothes and souvenirs from fur and bones of seals and seals. But in the 90s, the fishery was curtailed. They are ready to revive it, says Andrey Zyulkin, the Magadan fishery. He is already in the business of drawing up a business plan. “There were 3 fishing vessels on the territory of the Magadan Region, which, on average, harvested about 9 thousand individuals each vessel. This is about 30 thousand a year. It was in demand! Today we have a demand, ”says Andrey Zyulkin, a Magadan fishery.

Seal hunting is also needed to preserve marine bioresources. The population of sea animals in the waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk has already reached a million. Which poses a threat to the natural balance and not only. “Now there are so many seals that fishermen simply complain that the seal even gets fish from the nets. The hunting industry just stopped working, ”said Evgeny Tikhmenev, Chairman of the Far Eastern Branch of the International Academy of Sciences of Ecology and Human and Nature Safety.

According to scientists, up to sixty thousand heads of sea animals could be hunted in Kolyma a year. Its meat is rich in useful polyunsaturated acids and hemoglobin. In the future, a canning production could be opened here, long-stored useful products would be in demand even by astronauts.

So far, there are only prototypes of products made from seal and seal meat. Mass production is out of the question. But scientists and fish producers are already thinking about this. They say: you just have to start. Then it would be possible to produce also the drug Tulenol, and cosmetics from the endocrine glands of the sea animal, according to