Mongolia Taimen Conservation at Sweetwater Travel

Our Taimen conservation project has been very successful in accomplishing long-term protection for the Taimen. The project, originally funded by the Global Environmental Facility and the World Bank, was Mongolia's first Taimen conservation project and insures that anglers visiting the Eg-Ur watershed will find healthy populations of Taimen and Lenok in the river.

Our anglers actively participate in the conservation efforts through tagging the Taimen which they catch and release. The scientific results have yielded some fascinating data with some fish traveling over 70 kilometers during the course of the fishing season only to return to the exact run where they were tagged the following year.

With the help of our anglers, and the Tributary Fund, the conservation effort completely restored the Buddhist Dayan Derkh monastery. The reconstruction is a central component of the watershed conservation project and marks the return of Buddhism to the Eg-Ur valley. Herders from all over the valley witnessed the ceremony and tearfully thanked us for supporting their faith and their heritage.

Today's conservation efforts are led by the Taimen Fund. Long-time guide, Charlie Conn, is the executive director of the Taimen Fund and oversees its support of the Riverkeepers who patrol the river to make sure fishermen are properly licensed, practicing catch and release, and are using proper techniques to insure that all Taimen are released unharmed. In additon to the Riverkeepers, the Taimen Fund actively supports local economic development efforts, regulatory oversight of Mongolian fisheries, and replication of its successful efforts in Eg Ur to other watersheds in Mongolia.

Commitment

Sweetwater is committed to protecting the Eg-Ur watershed and its fish. We feel very blessed to have spent so many wonderful days in the Eg-Ur valley and feel a profound obligation to protect the Taimen and the river which the Taimen call home. We thank the Taimen Fund for its work in Mongolia and look forward to working with it to insure that future generations have the opportunity to experience the world's largest trout, the Taimen.

By visiting Sweetwater’s camps in Mongolia, anglers will provide critical support to this unique and important conservation project. Please support the Taimen Fund and its important work in Mongolia. Here is a link to their website: www.taimenfund.org

For information on Taimen conservation activities, please contact Dan Vermillion at Sweetwater, 406-222-0624 or Charlie Conn at 406-223-3550.

Click here to see our conservation presentation outlining our Taimen conservation project.