Russian Holidays - Day of Action against Fishing

They decided not to create a new date for the Day of Action against Fishing in Russia, but to take advantage of the calendar “location” of the large-scale national holiday Fisherman’s Day, which is celebrated on the second Sunday of July Since 2003, it has been customary to celebrate two “fish festivals” on the same July day The main mission of the holiday is the fight against poachers, counteracting cruel, uncontrolled and massive fishing And also – ensuring the safety of the aquatic ecosystem The authorship of the holiday belongs to an initiative group of animal rights defenders, who at the next meeting in Anapa insisted on the need to establish such an important date The first “effective day” to protect water resources and their valuable inhabitants took place in Novorossiysk on the Black Sea in 2003 However, then the city authorities prohibited holding the action in the city center, so the activists were forced to relocate to the embankment on the outskirts This did not disrupt the plans of the defenders, and the picket, with the support of environmentalists and journalists, was successful The organizers distributed leaflets calling for a fight against poachers and an end to harsh treatment of defenseless fish, their fishing and mass extermination The procession reached the central market, headed to the fish rows, and the procession participants began distributing propaganda leaflets to sellers and buyers The central event was a theatrical performance-picket for the sake of saving living organisms living in rivers, lakes and seas The main character was an actor who played the role of a fisherman A live exhibition with swimming fish was simulated The tranquility of the picture was disrupted by the sudden casting of a fishing net A lot of fish got into the honeycomb structure, but some managed to escape Then the fisherman in snow-white gloves began to catch them with a hook As a result, they turned red with the blood of the caught fish At the same time, the actor-fisherman, according to the director’s idea, did not even try to hide his joy and jubilation The next stage was a dispute between the fisherman and animal defenders, who argued in favor of the fish, their right to life, and also talked about all the horrors of inhumane fishing The goal of the action - to demonstrate the harshness of fishing, which led to the disappearance of certain species of fish - was achieved The next action of the same nature took place the following year in Sochi Poachers are usually called violators who catch fish during the spawning season or “hunt” for endangered species, or exceed production quotas They also use prohibited weapons or carry out fishing from technical equipment with the engine running Fishing is a profitable activity for them, since fish acts as a priority item of trade It is especially difficult for salmon and sturgeon fish Their destructive fishing for profit continues, despite all the bans and sanctions Uncontrolled fishing leads to a decrease in the population of the fish family, and global pollution with waste and oil products leads to the death of the world’s oceans In order to openly declare existing problems, the day of struggle against fishing was created So far it is not being carried out en masse, but rather locally in different Russian cities on the Black Sea coast Traditionally, small actions are held with the distribution of leaflets and picketing They are designed to draw public attention to the consequences of excessive fishing, in particular, causing irreparable damage to natural potential and fish resources The main thing is to try to prevent cruelty to the “irreplaceable living asset”