The overall target of the project is to catch, treat and sell fish from the Aral Sea to the benefit of the people of Aralsk Region. In the Aral Sea exists a largely unexploited resource of fish. Up until now, the project has succeeded in demonstrating that the fish can be caught and treated. Now the effort should be concentrated on supporting the local society in their ongoing work to establish the structures needed to ensure that this resource is treated to the benefit of the local population. The 

• Second Phase of the project should further these targets by:

• Supporting the 21 newly registered fishermens’ co-operatives,

• Supporting an independent NGO-organisation and the 'NGO Aral Sea Working Group           Kazakstan',

Investigating in detail the possibilities to project an effectively structured plant ('KAMBALA’) that treats and distributes the fish to the benefit of the fishermen, the workers in the fishery industry and the Aralsk-region in general.

When executed successfully, this work can form the basis of a substantial Third Phase of the project that has its furthermost concern and aim within the years 1999-2002 to physically realize the fishery plant KAMBALA in accordance with the terms agreed upon in 1998-1999. A successful outcome of 1998-99 includes:

1.     That the fishermens' co-operatives have obtained reliable assurances that they control their own equipment. That fish has been caught in amounts big enough to ensure real economical development for the co-operatives and persons involved.  That the fishermens’ co-operatives have project descriptions and agreements with the kulhoz'es and societies they belong to,

2.     That the NGO-organisation has proved able to execute the obligations involved in organizing and supervising this project,

3.      That a substantial project description with budgets for the fishery plant 'KAMBALA has been worked out, and that before medio 1999 the necessary applications for donors to the physical establishing of the plant have been worked out.

According to the furthering of aims (1-3) the proposed program of 1998-99 is this:

June: A campaign and an international conference about the Aral Sea and the building of the dam is held in Århus, Denmark, with the participation of Kazak representative. 

The conference will form part of NGO arrangements connected to the topmeeting of all European Ministers of Environment concerning environmental co-operation between East and West.

July: One member of the Danish Working Group settles in Aralsk until December in order to assist and report the project-work.

From August through December, the following tasks should be realized via below mentioned members of the Danish NGO Working Group, together with there Aralsk partner employed by the project.

1.      Two fishermen participate in the fishery from specific fishermens' co-operatives on the Aral Sea from September through December. Importantly, this work should emphasise the possibilities to treat the fish (flounder) correctly and sell it at prices that demonstrate the real market for flounder in the area.

2.      An ethnographer, specialising in public participation undertakes an interview investigation among the women expected to work in the fishery sector, and among the local authorities, leaders, and co-operatives' spokesmen.

3.      A technician undertakes preliminary technical investigations. What is the condition of the means of production that form the basis of the project? How big investment is required to establish the fishery plant? What equipment could be bought in Kazakstan, and what must be imported?

4.      An expert on logistics investigates the project, especially concerning questions such as what structure of ownership could form the KAMBALA? Could an independent foundation own the plant? Who could form the board of such a foundation?

5.      An expert organisation will support the NGO-organisation in developing means to organize and supervise the project. The NGO-organisation should be responsible for local engagement, and accounting.

6.      A biologist participates in a biologically controlled test fishery on the Big Aral. The project needs to obtain real information abut the size of the stock of flounder in the parts of Big Aral that could be included in the fishing areas.

During the early 1999 this work should be recaptured by the project co-ordinators and a final project document should be worked out, as mentioned above.

Such are our proposals for the aims and means of the fishery project 'From Kattegat to Aral Sea" in the Second Phase, from June 1998 through August 1999.

Boennerup, April 1998.  NGO Aral Sea Working Group Denmark.

Project co-ordinator: Kurt Bertelsen Christensen