The Tournament was held on August 1-2 in the PRO ANGLERS LEAGUE format of the European boat spinning tournament. Participants from different countries gathered to compete in the waters of the Gulf of Finland.

The event was held near the Leningrad nuclear power plant (NPP), which is Russia’s largest operating NPP. 20 amateur 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 between the countries, 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, and were able to get familiar with the operation of the nuclear power plant. The station is among the 2019’s TOP 3 nuclear power plants generating power in Russia.

“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”.

Derek D’Souza, Vice President of the all India international game fishing association and an avid fisherman himself, said: “I really enjoyed participating in such an interesting event. The fact that it’s held in front of a nuclear power station with teams from many other countries makes it more challenging and allowed us to see that nuclear energy is safe.”

Nadim Hasan, sharing his experience, said, “I have seen how our neighbouring countries are benefitting from recreational fishing. I believe this tour gave me some first-hand experience of an international angling events. I will try my best to use the acquired knowledge for organizing angling events of international standards in Bangladesh.”

The event was attended by ecologists 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.

Reference:

Rosatom State Corporation

ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation is one of the global technological leaders. The company has the assets and competencies to work at all stages of the nuclear production chain, from uranium mining to the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and nuclear waste management. Rosatom is the largest electricity generating company in Russia, providing over 18% of the country's energy needs. The company ranks first in the world in terms of the size of its foreign projects portfolio, with 36 power units in 12 countries at various stages of implementation. Rosatom ranks first in the world in uranium enrichment, second in the world in uranium reserves and fourth in terms of its production, and provides 17% of the nuclear fuel market. The state corporation brings together about 400 enterprises and organizations, including the world's only nuclear icebreaker fleet. Together, they employ about 250,000 people.

Leningrad NPP

Leningrad NPP (LNPP) is the largest station in Russia in terms of installed capacity, which exceeds 4,000 MW. Today, LNPP consists of three units with reactors of the type RBMK-1000 (a high power channel reactor) and one unit with the VVER-1200 reactor (Water-Water Energetic Reactor generation 3+). The station provides more than 50% of electricity needed in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. The main feature of the VVER-1200 project is its unique combination of active and passive safety systems that make the station highly resistant to external and internal influences. In particular, the unit with the VVER-1200 reactor uses core catcher – a device used to localize the core melt of a nuclear reactor; passive heat removal system through steam generators, designed to ensure long-term removal heat from the reactor core into the atmosphere in the absence of all sources of power supply, etc. None of the existing stations in the world is equipped with a similar configuration of security systems. LNPP is located near Sosnovy Bor, a town located among pines and dunes on the shores of the Gulf of Finland 80 kilometers from St. Petersburg. Sosnovy Bor is one of the most beautiful cities in the Leningrad Region, being home to about 68,000 people. The life of Sosnovy Bor is inextricably linked to the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant. More than 500 large, medium and small organizations operate in Sosnovy Bor, including the largest research institutes and production and construction companies.
ROSATOM International Fishing Tournament  held in Russia for the first time
ROSATOM International Fishing Tournament held in Russia for the first time