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Annual fish production in the Kyrgyz Republic (or Kyrgyzstan) has fallen significantly since independence in 1991. In 1991, fish production (inland and aquaculture) was estimated at more than 1 361 tonnes. By 2006, it had decreased to 71 tonnes. In the same period, more than 90 percent of state fish farms were privatized as part of the economic changes that followed the breakup of the former Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics.

In February 2007, the Government of Kyrgyzstan, through the Ministry of Agriculture,
Water Resources and Processing Industry (MAWRPI), requested FAO to provide technical assistance for the sustainable development and management of the fishery sector in the country. FAO, through its European Community (EC)/FAO facility for consultancy services, approved Project GCP/GLO/162/EC – Kyrgyzstan – “Development of inland fisheries and aquaculture in the Kyrgyz Republic to reduce rural food insecurity”.

This FAO Fisheries Circular has two main aims. First, it is intended to inform those interested in fisheries and aquaculture in Kyrgyzstan about the current situation with regard to fishery resources and their utilization in the country. Second, it attempts to provide an example of a consultative and participatory policy framework development process, which might be of use also for other countries in transition in the Central Asian region.

The documents presented here are considered as final versions and cleared as such by the Department of Fisheries (DOF) of the MAWRPI. The documents are also available in Russian language from the DOF in Bishkek.

The Review of capture Fisheries and aquaculture in the Kyrgyz Republic is presented in Part I of this Fisheries Circular. Part II contains the final version of the Strategy for fisheries and aquaculture sector development and management in the Kyrgyz Republic (2008–2012).