Leonid Khochiev, About Fishing

Leonid talks about fishing among the Kalmyks:Many people here live off fishing. When I was little, there was not much water around. After the lake became abundant with water, more fish appeared. We only consumed fish that weighed no less than 10 kilograms. We released smaller fish back to water. In contrast, today people catch fish of any size. Sometimes sea fish swim into our lakes and ponds. Fish only spawn when the water level rises. During the past two years the water level went up in the Volga, which is good for people. We have many varieties of fish here, including catfish, buffalo fish and common rudd. We catch fish using a net, called gyolm in Kalmyk. People fix the net on both banks of the lake and then they simply pull it with the catch. People also fish with a seine net called shuugul in Kalmyk. One of the methods of fishing in winter is by using hooks. When the ice becomes thick, fishermen make holes on the ice and watch for fish with a powerful lantern. When a carp approaches the hole, the fisherman hooks it and pulls it out of water. Another method of fishing is with a harpoon, chichyur in Kalmyk. This method is used in the time when water level rises. Fishermen pierce fish with a harpoon. In the past, old men did not kill female fish, except for those that weighed more than 15 kilograms. In the past, at the end of the day, fishermen handed their catch to their managers. After counting when the managers went home, the fishermen took the biggest fish for themselves. They also sang songs on their way home. Today there are many fishing implements that allow people to catch any fish. I always warn my children against overfishing.Sponsored by Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwi