Annual Salmon Festival in Russian Far East plans to expand.

Last August citizens from Sakhalin Island, the Khabarovsk Region and the Kamchatka Peninsula gathered on the Bolshaya River for the third annual “Saving Salmon Together” Festival. Founded in 2011 by the Kamchatka public salmon council and WSC, the festival brings together community members from every walk of life to celebrate and help protect wild salmon—widely regarded as one of the region’s most important resources.

The three-day festival included a fishing competition, presentations from the public salmon councils, awards and recognition, and performances from the Children’s Youth Festival and other community groups. One of the highlights of the festival was the declaration from the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency that the Kamchatka regional sport fishing championship will now be part of Russia’s nationally-recognized “People’s Fishing Festival” and in future years winners will be able to compete in President Putin’s federal fishing program.

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