Since time immemorial, the sable was the main object of the fur trade of Russia and has played a leading role in the formation of the Russian state, and also determined the fate of Siberia and the Far East in the development of state territories. In addition, sable has its own complicated history of existence.
By careful estimates, scientists found that in Siberia the number of Sables in the period of their peak production in the first half of the seventeenth century amounted to about 800-950 thousand individuals. Within the entire habitat of the reserves of the sable reaches up to 1.5 million hens. Thus in the years 1641-1650 was extracted in an average of 145, 4 thousand Sables for the year and in some years the production reached 340 thousand. By the beginning of XX century in the blanks was less than 50 thousand sable skins annually, and the species range is represented by a separate foci habitat of the animals that remained in remote places. Continued intensive pursuit.
La prevented the recovery of populations. In the doldrums of the surviving fragmented populations were nearly three centuries.
In the early twentieth century in some places, the sable has completely disappeared as a species or were on the verge of extinction. Then to the study of biological and ecological characteristics of this valuable species was attracted by a large force of scientists working in almost all regions, which still retained its population. The revival of the fisheries of the sable was given a national significance. To this end, in the beginning of the century the government of Russia introduced a three-year ban on the production of sable. In remote, inaccessible areas of Siberia, which still retained sable group, was directed the expedition of biologists to survey areas. Based on their findings in a number of places were organized sable reserves: “Sayan” in 1915 and “Barguzin” in 1916, and later, in 1929, already under the Soviet regime, “Kondo-Sosva”. With the mid 30-ies of XX century began a gradual increase in the number of sable and the restoration of its habitat.
In the period of Soviet power when lifting the war-ravaged national economy needed foreign currency, the mining of the sable, multiply the result by the tsarist government initiated security measures and the decline of the press hunting for years swept the country wars has increased, and for several years its resources were again undermined. At this time, across the country, stocking not more than 7 thousand Sables. Only in 1935 at the state level was a complete ban of production and sale of pelts of this valuable animal, followed by an active recovery period of habitat and number of sable with extensive work on the artificial dispersal, regulation of the fishery and implementation of biotechnical measures. Subsequent studies of the species ecology, biological bases of estimation and forecasting population became the theoretical basis for the rational use of its resources.
In the framework of the state program of enrichment of the fauna of the country by introducing new fur types have been developed and measures of re-acclimatization of a number of native species. The main tasks of that time was the preservation of sable as a species and restore its population in areas of former distribution. Huge public funds were spent on catching, transportation, accommodation, security, feeding Sables, for organization of hunting farms in the places of their releases. Over three decades of intensive work on the artificial restoration of the area were caught alive and released about 20 thousand animals.
Taken (widespread closures in 1935-1940, years of artificial dispersal of animals, regulation of production) coincided with the process enabling natural changes of several natural factors in Siberia. In the end, the beginning of 1960-ies there has been an increase in the number and restoring habitat within its historical borders. A huge role in the decline press on a population of sable was played by the migration of people from small villages in the taiga are enlarged, attached to the trunks and leaving hunters on the fronts of the great Patriotic war. Taiga in some areas depopulated, which facilitated the emergence of natural sable reserves. C create consultations the Belarusian delegation industry (organization wide networks of fishing hunting grounds, such as GOCH, POS, KZPKH, GPC) in the 1960-ies was revived Providence sable in most regions of Siberia. Sable inhabited almost all suitable for him, taiga land from the Urals to Kamchatka. To the ninetieth years of the sable population was 1.0–1.2 million head, which was close to reserves of the XVII century. The official billets sable skins reached 250 thousand per season, and production was estimated at 300-350 thousand individuals.
To date, sable resources are mostly restored to the level of the capacity of the land. A high level rose and the extraction of sable — 400-500 thousand animals per season. This kind of took the lead in the fur fisheries in many parts of Siberia, accounting in monetary terms, over 90 % of all commendable harvested furs in fishing areas. The population of the taiga commercial areas of the region there is mainly due to sable hunting. The resources of the other fur animals practically are not developed. The reasons are clear: low purchase price of furs in the face of falling demand in both domestic and international markets, and increase the cost of its production. Results of auction sales of furs, confirm this. If 1950-1960 “Sojuzpushnina” on the export was set to 20 species of commercial fur animals, and in 1960-1980 the maximum annual turnover reached $ 120 million, in the years of economic transformation was offered for sale a maximum of 6 hunting species (sable, marten, ermine, lynx, squirrel, muskrat), while fully implemented only exposed the party of sable and lynx, and the total turnover of furs declined to $ 20 million.
However, all this represents a continuing for many centuries the economic, aesthetic and economic value of the sable. At the international fur auctions sable skins and is currently in constant demand, with prices as high as possible. Due to the implementation of the greater parts of sable furs abroad, the state had a considerable increase in the Treasury. Thus the period of intensive fishing sable, 1960 to the present, only auctions of St. Petersburg has sold more than 10 million pelts worth more than $ 1.2 billion.
Sable as the fur kind, and to this day the basis of the fishery of the taiga population of the Asian part of our country, and for indigenous peoples it defines their existence. Where other industries lost importance in the economy of the region, hunting sable is the only material source of life.
Achieved by the end of 1980-ies the level of the number and use of reserves was possible to extract and harvest annually up to 300 thousand Sables. During this period the Leningrad fur auction for the year, exhibited about 150 thousand top quality skins. At an average price of about $ 150 per pelt, the annual turnover of international trade in Sables exceeded 22 million dollars. In the period of perestroika and the collapse of the hunting economy of the country (e.g. in 1993) export of sable skins dropped sharply and amounted to less than 75 thousand pieces amounting to about 4.7 million dollars. The gradual establishment of the procurement of furs in the new conditions, and some growth in the economy contributed to the market organization of paths of furs from the hunter to export. After a long pause in the 1990s, the years since 2000, there has been a gradual increase in international trading Sables. So, in 2000, selling his pelts at the Petersburg auctions has increased to kt 182.8 thousand pieces. In 2006 JSC “Sojuzpushnina” was put up for auction more than 465 thousand skins of Sables, including more than 391 thousand was sold for the sum of about 56 million dollars. In subsequent years, at the Petersburg auctions per season were received from 330 (2008) to 470 (2011) thousand sable skins. Record sales occurred in 2011, when it was sold almost 460 thousand (98 %) exhibited at auctions sable skins totaling more than $ 71 million. Over the past 10 years, the sable was in high demand. At auctions in St.-Petersburg came to new buyers (China), while the average price of sable pelts reached $ 158, and at the February auction 2012 it exceeded already $ 175. In addition, since 1992, sable skins was exhibited at the auctions fur auctions in Seattle and Copenhagen, and that an additional approximately 50 thousand pieces a year. It should be noted that the price in some cases was much lower. Time has shown the economic attractiveness of trade of sable at auctions in St.-Petersburg, where presently came all Russian suppliers.
Statistics auction sales of the free market of recent decades finally showed us close to the actual production level of a sable. Post-harvest the number of animals has the estimated nature and can be considered only as an approximate estimate. Actual predposylka numbers given the growth of the species is 1.8–2.0 million individuals. Thus reasoning officials about allegedly exceeding the established standards percentage of seizures from a population of animals, in terms of maintaining a high level of production for a dozen years, rather show the errors of estimating the number than about the disaster sable fishery.
It would seem that the results of the implementation of the state program should rejoice. However, officials have a different view of events. On the eve of new 2006, the Federal service for veterinary and phytosanitary surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), represented by Deputy E. A. Nepoklonov all hunters coblation Russia made a “gift” by giving the heads of territorial administrations of the Rosselkhoznadzor and the main state veterinary inspectors of subjects of the Russian Federation letter no. FS-EN-2/9754 from 28.12.05, which prescribed: “In order to strengthen control over veterinary and sanitary safety of raw pelts of fur-bearing species of hunting animals in the veterinary accompanying documents controlled by the state veterinary inspection the cargo (the veterinary certificate form № 3) in the column “Special notes” must specify the number, date, place of issue license plate tear-off coupon to a nominal one-time license for the extraction of objects of fauna, carried to objects of hunting, and the name of the organization that issued the coupon.”
Like what is special about the recommendations to strengthen the control of the veterinary-sanitary safety in the treatment of furs? The more it passes through the hands of several parties fur business enters the international market. In addition, in connection with the increase in population density of sable in some regions (Irkutsk, Tomsk region, Krasnoyarsk Krai, etc.), a growing number of animals affected by skin disease, the etymology of which has not been fully established. However, the main catch of this letter that the veterinary certificate can be issued only for furs, produced at a nominal one-time license. First of all it concerns the sable license, for the production of which a hunter must have a special permit issued by a state Agency on the basis of allocated quotas. The determination for the region is the prerogative of Moscow on the basis of credentials supplied by the public service accounting for economic entities of the regions. It is known that Sobol recent years has been the only hunting object, allowing the fishermen of Siberia to make ends meet, and the foreign trade Association “Sojuzpushnina” worthy to represent Russia on the international market. So, the auction sale of sable skins in recent years by almost two times began to exceed the allocated redeemable and hunters production quotas sable. Here-the dog and buried.
However, there are no hopeless situations, and modern merchants have found “holes” in the regulatory documents that promote uncontrolled production sable indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Russian Far East. This allowed them to put on auctions excessive fur from a veterinary certificate. Like all the judgments: and the sheep are safe and wolves are fed.
In 2013, apparently at the initiative of Kordamentha MNR of the RF, the activity of the officials to streamline the fur trade in the country. The focus was primarily on sable, forcing at fur auctions as dominant in the recent past, fur products and traditional species of wild fur-bearing animals.
To be continued.
