dohom@sanly.tm
75 D.Azady Street, Turkmenbashi
The ban on commercial sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea will be extended until 2026

Caspian countries supported extending the moratorium on commercial sturgeon fishing until 2026, Vasily Sokolov, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries, told reporters.

The ninth meeting of the Commission for the Conservation and Rational Use of Aquatic Bioresources of the Caspian Sea is taking place in Ashgabat. Representatives from Turkmenistan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Kazakhstan are participating in the commission's work.

"Regarding sturgeon, all parties supported extending the ban on commercial harvesting, meaning sturgeon fishing will be permitted next year only for scientific purposes or for artificial reproduction," he said.

Sokolov noted that the parties had decided to develop joint fishing regulations for the open part of the Caspian Sea beyond national jurisdictions. Russia will prepare a draft document, which, through the chair, Turkmenistan, will be circulated to all participants for review at the commission's next meeting.

The deputy head of Rosrybolovstvo reported that the meeting discussed the state of Caspian fish stocks. He stated that Russia advocates for conducting scientific research using a unified methodology, as each country currently conducts its own.

"The biggest concern is the change in fish food supply, which, of course, has an impact on the overall ecosystem and the state of stocks," Sokolov emphasized. He added that the falling Caspian Sea level is negatively impacting sturgeon food supply and slowing their population recovery.

All news

All news
Card image cap
Feb 26 2026
The winners of the “AI Solutions” student hackathon have been announced in Turkmenistan

The Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics of Turkmenistan summarized the results of the national student hackathon "AI Solutions" and announced the winners. The competition took place on February 21 at the "Sanly Çözgüt - IT meýdança" business association, which operates under the Institute. Sixteen student teams participated—one from each university, according to "Turkmenistan: Golden Age." The first place was won by teams from the Institute of Engineering, Technical and Transport Communications of Turkmenistan, the Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan, and the Yagshygeldi Kakayev International University of Oil and Gas. The second place was won by teams from the International University for Humanities and Development, the Turkmen State Institute of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and the Magtymguly Turkmen State University. Third place was awarded to teams from the Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management, the Turkmen Agricultural University named after S.A. Niyazov, the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages, and the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan. The winners received diplomas and commemorative gifts from the host university. Six teams from several other universities across the country received incentive prizes. Hackathon participants competed in developing IT products using artificial intelligence, specifically testing systems capable of generating questions based on user categories and evaluating results based on the answers received. The effectiveness and performance of the participants' innovative solutions were assessed by a panel of experts, including university professors of IT disciplines and invited experts in the field.