On August 1-2 ROSATOM held International Fishing Tournament in the waters of the Gulf of Finland. The Tournament was held in the PRO ANGLERS LEAGUE format of the European boat spinning tournament. The event was held near the Leningrad nuclear power plant (NPP), which is Russia’s largest operating NPP.
20 competitors from Russia and countries where ROSATOM is implementing nuclear power plant projects, such as Hungary, Egypt, India, Bangladesh and Turkey, took part in the tournament.
The Tournament aims to strengthen international cooperation, as well as to clearly demonstrate the safety of the proximity of nuclear power plants for the flora and fauna of nearby water bodies.
The process of fishing itself was the key during the competition. After weighing, the fish were released back into the sea. Russian professional anglers, winners of Russian national and regional fishing competitions, as well as independent foreign experts from Czech Republic and Egypt judged the tournament. An official award ceremony took place at the end of the event. The winners were the team from Egypt. The second and third places were taken by fishermen from Russia and Hungary respectively. Participant from Hungary was awarded a special prize in “the biggest catch” nomination. Turkish team was awarded a special prize in the “determination to win” nomination.
During the tournament, the participants also visited Leningrad NPP located in Sosnovy Bor.
“I have been fishing for a long time. However, I am participating in the professional tournament in Russia for the first time. This is an incredible experience! I am grateful to all the participants of the tournament, because their enthusiasm and sporting spirit have made the competition quite tense and interesting. – Ghanem Hamed, participant from Egypt and one of the winners of the Tournament, shared his impressions. – Our team is from Matrouh, where El Dabaa NPP, the first nuclear power plant in Egypt, will be constructed soon. It was important to learn how inhabitants of the area near NPP live. After the plant visit it became clear that its safety level is high and its employees are professionals with iron discipline. We were fishing near Leningrad NPP and there were a lot of fish there. This made it clear that NPP do not affect ecology”.
The event was attended by ecologists and workers of NPP who conducted dosimetric control during weighing of fish. “Long-year research studies have been conducted by the Leningrad NPP in the 30-km area show that it does not have any impact on the environment”, added Alexandra Tkacheva, head of the Environmental Department at Leningrad NPP.
