Scientists note recovery in omul stocks in Lake Baikal, limited fishing possible starting in 2028

IRKUTSK. June 10 (Interfax) - Research conducted in Lake Baikal in 2024-2025 revealed a significant recovery of omul stocks in the lake, Oleg Bulatov, research director at the All-Russia Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), told reporters on Wednesday.

"Data from 2024-2025 indicate a significant, fairly rapid recovery of omul biomass. In 2025, omul biomass increased by 30% compared to 2024," Bulatov said.

Bulatov clarified that scientists calculated omul stocks using two methods, namely mathematical modeling and hydro-acoustic surveys.

"In both cases, we noted a very close agreement between the figures: a biomass of 11,000 tonnes. This is a fairly significant figure, the first such figure recorded in the last 15 years," Bulatov said.

Bulatov said that the assessment of Baikal's omul stocks would continue this year.

"If we confirm this year that the stock continues to grow, this will be grounds for a limited, I emphasize, limited, opening of fishing activities starting in 2028," Bulatov said.

The Baikal omul, endemic to Lake Baikal, is a valuable commercial fish. It was previously caught by anglers in Buryatia and the Irkutsk Region. The Agriculture Ministry in 2017 banned harvesting owing to population decline.