In 2025, nearly 200,000 young fish were released into the Vyatka River.

      According to the Kirov Fish Protection Department, 195.8 thousand sterlet fry were released into the region’s waterbodies over the year. The releases were carried out by companies required to compensate for environmental damage. Each stage was overseen by a commission headed by the territorial office of Rosrybolovstvo. Officials from the regional Ministry of Ecology were also members of the commission.

      Before the release, specialists checked the physical condition of the sterlet juveniles, their activity, compared the temperature of the river water with that in the containers holding the fish, and monitored dissolved oxygen levels.

      The releases traditionally took place in the lower and middle reaches of the Vyatka River — in Vyatskopolyansky, Malmyzhsky and Orlovsky districts and within the city limits of Kirov. Specific stocking sites were determined by the Volga-Kama territorial administration of Rosrybolovstvo based on calculations of ecological damage.

      The ministry also reported that fry releases will continue in 2026. Quantities will be determined based on applications from organizations. Work is planned to begin after the ice break-up and continue until late autumn.

      It should be noted that fish fry were also released into Kirov’s waterbodies. For example, in October 2024 the Kirov administration reported stocking the ponds near the circus, into which 100 kilograms of fish were released. In published photographs, the fry were transported to the water in produce crates without water, and some fish lay at the shore and in the water belly-up. At the time, the mayor’s office stated that carp, pike, perch, as well as bighead carp and grass carp had been released into the pond, expecting that most of the fish would survive.