Science: Saving the Caspian

One of the Soviet Union's greatest natural assets is the Caspian Sea, the world's largest inland body of salt water. Much of Russia's annual fish catch and most of its black caviar come from the Caspian; tankers ply its waters, carrying oil from Baku to ports in the north. But the Caspian is in trouble. Since 1930 its water level has dropped more than eight feet, leaving fishing villages and port facilities high and dry; the fish catch has been cut more than half. To compensate for the continuing water loss, the Soviets are...

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