A.Mungunkhuyag: Mongolia is like a newborn baby in sport fishing
- Are there many people who practice sport fishing? We heard there are world-class athletes in the sport.
- There were very few people interested in this sport until 2000. Only Russian specialists and people who studied in Russia were interested in fishing as a sport. I loved fishing when I was a kid because my father was also a fisherman. A few years ago, I wanted to develop sport fishing like it’s done abroad, so I founded the Mongolian Sport Fishing Federation in March 2012. There is also the International Confederation of Sports Fishing (CIPS, in French). This organization has four branches, including fishing in fresh water (FIPSED), fishing at sea (FIPS-M), fly fishing (FIPS-Mouche), and casting fish (ICSF). Mongolia joined the FIPSED and ICSF in April 2013. Sea fishing doesn’t exist in Mongolia, and casting fishing was irrelevant until now. We received an offer to participate in the 10th world championship from the International Federation of Sports Fishing in FIPSED. We accepted this offer and five anglers and their trainers participated in the USA this February. Our team took 8th place and our athlete, B.Oyunbold, took 8th place in the world rankings.
- Do Mongolian sport fishers have any advantages or differences from their counterparts in other countries?
- I think Mongolian perception, diligence, and sensibility can help one become a good angler. Indeed, Mongolia is like a newborn baby in the world of sport fishing. But I think we’ve succeeded in a very short time. We’re working for the purpose of developing this sport.
- Is sport fishing important to Mongolia?
- Real sport fishers are nature-lovers. They feel nature’s beauty when they go fishing. I can tell you, they don’t litter or pollute water. They never do illegal fishing, such as using drag nets, electric current, or explosives, because they only use fishing rods and hooks. We don’t take every fish we catch. We only take a few fish for food. Fishing is our hobby. According to Buddhism, killing aquatic animals is a sin. Therefore, people think negatively about fishermen. However, our ancestors who lived from the Tuul River to Baikal Lake were fishermen.
There are many facts about fishing in “The Secret History of the Mongols.” One of them is that Houlen Ujin fed her sons fish. I think many people who lived near rivers used to go fishing. Ancient fishing hooks made of bone and iron have been found. Therefore, Mongolians were fishermen and used fish for food. I think my fishing hobby is inborn. I have been fishing since I was seven years old. Now I’m interested in sport fishing rather than just the hobby. I think sport fishing is the best way to protect rivers and lakes. For example, we should organize competitions in order to advertise, and teach people how to catch fish using barbless hooks and releasing them.
- Which countries use sport fishing for tourism?
- Western European countries, including Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Norway are developing sport fishing. East European countries, the USA, Japan, and Korea are also developing rapidly in the sport fishing sector. In Mongolia, there’s no place for organizing official fishing competitions. Those countries are successfully fish farming by using artificial lakes, storage ponds, or power plant water. For example, Russia has been developing fish farms for many years. Russia is always focusing on fish farming even though Russia has many rivers and lakes. Russia’s Sakha Republic has more than 700 thousand rivers. Although they’re paying attention to creating artificial lakes. They have crucial strategic importance. Mongolia should focus on creating storage ponds and reservoirs. I think agriculture should be combined with pisciculture and aviculture. Pisciculture will also help supply organic food to people.
- Is there an opportunity to develop fish farming in Mongolia?
- There’s a chance to construct stocking ponds or reservoirs for fish farming and bring Mongolian fish into the foreign market. Specialists graduating from the Mongolian State University of Agriculture as fish-farming technologists can’t do farming here because of poor conditions and lack of funding. There’s vast opportunity to propagate fish at low costs by doing research about weather, and creating reservoirs. For example, we can negotiate with gravel pit companies around the Tuul River to create reservoirs. Then we will be able to build green gardening and fish farms. There’s a big fish market in Mongolia. We can propagate carp and cold water fish, such as trout.
- There’s concern that Mongolian fish are becoming rare and endangered. People think it is because of fishermen. What’s your opinion?
- I truly oppose it. Fishery has very little effect on the Tuul River. The main causes of fish reduction is tannery waste, which is dumped into the river and pollutes the water. Sewage water treatment plants should purify water 100 percent through many stages, including mechanical, chemical, and biological. But you can see that Tuul River water is deeply polluted. Insects that fish feed on are nearly extinct because of river pollution. Also, rivers from Ikh Tenger, Baga Tenger, and Zaisan, which flow into the Tuul River, have dried up. The harmful activities of Ulaanbaatar’s citizens affect fish reduction significantly. Nowadays, young fishermen have changed. Most of them fish for pleasure or competition, using barbless fishing hooks. Real fishermen can avoid damaging fish and release them. It is possible to catch without harm for fishermen who have good techniques.
- Are those changes noticed in other rivers such as Darkhan and Selenge?
- We believe that illegal fishermen who use nets are the reason why fish are becoming rare in Selenge and Darkhan. They catch a shoal of fish by net even though it is illegal to fish during the breeding season from April 1 to June 15. I heard that two people with boats spear gravid fish for two hours every night in the Orkhon River. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it is said that foreigners and wrestlers use gravid fish for gaining physical strength. Lately, local people catch and can the fish for sale instead of protecting the fish. Flawed regulations of local nature protection agencies, giving permission to fish, and a lack of controlled fishing have existed to this day. Three-day fishing permits for 10,000 MNT is relatively high. Fishing from boats is statute-prohibited, but foreigners don’t adhere to this law. Many rules about fishing are regularly violated in Mongolia. Therefore, if this sport will be supported, it will be a big chance to host an international competition and advertise Mongolia. Our goal is to organize competitions and advertise recreational fishing, as well as protect nature and water for our youth.
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