The regular 27th meeting of the Commission on the biological resources of the Caspian Sea organized by the State Committee for Fisheries of Turkmenistan convened in Ashgabat yesterday, the Turkmenistan.ru correspondent reports. The meeting is held in the conference hall of the President Hotel.

The heads of national departments for fisheries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran and Turkmenistan, leading specialists of the sector, scientists, environmentalists and lawyers, international and national experts will discuss the most important issues of the preservation and rational use of the Caspian natural riches.

During three days, the participants will consider activities of the Commission and its legal status. Special attention will be paid to defining quotas for fishing sturgeon in the Caspian Sea in accordance with interests of each of littoral countries. The participants will also plan steps for joint research and studies of the status of biological resources in the reservoir, and assessment of its natural reserves, organization of the relevant activities for preservation of the biological diversity of the unique natural reservoir.

The Commission on the Biological Resources of the Caspian Sea was established in 1992 on the initiative of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia. In 2002, Islamic Republic of Iran joined the Commission. The main functions of the Commission are to coordinate activities of member states on management, sustainable use and preservation of the Caspian biological resources, to coordinate joint research and scientific cooperation, to establish the order of defining of quotas for fishing sturgeon, sprat and seal, and to interact with international organizations.