ASTRAKHAN, September 29. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia will not lift moratorium on catches of Caspian sturgeon until its population stabilizes, President Putin said upon completion of the summit of the five Caspian states.

"Signing an agreement on preservation of a bio-resource in the waters of the Caspian Sea is of special importance. Now, we have a legal basis for joint realization of comprehensive measures for protection of rare fish species, above all, sturgeons. Since 2005 Russia has been observing a moratorium on catches of Caspian sturgeon, and we do not intend to lift the moratorium until the sturgeon population stabilizes," Putin said.