Experience and prospects of sturgeon use in aquaculture of the European North

Abstract

The article presents an overview of the current state of sturgeon farming in the Northern regions. The European North is characterize by optimal parameters for the development of aquaculture, but difficult climatic conditions inhibit the development of warm-water fish farming, in particular, sturgeon breeding. However, despite this, the use of sturgeon aquaculture in the North is quite relevant, as the sturgeons are characterized by high nutritional value and good commodity indicators (fast growth, low feed costs, high survival). When creating optimal conditions in fish farms, these objects show considerable potential and show high cultivation efficiency. The largest producer of sturgeon products in the European North is an enterprise in the Vologda region - «Diana» Fish and Commodity Farm, where production volumes reach 23 tons of caviar and 150 tons of marketable fish per year. Such results were obtaining due to the optimal location of this farm, good climatic conditions, developed infrastructure and other factors. In other regions of the North, growing volumes of sturgeon farming is much lower. In the Leningrad region, several farms grow commercial sturgeon and have reproductive fish. An increase in the production of sturgeon products may be promising with the use of industrial growing methods, for example, in installations with closed recirculating systems of water supply (CRS). In the Murmansk region and the Republic of Karelia, good results of sturgeon rearing up to commercial weight were also obtained and reproductive herds were formed. Evaluation of fish-biological, morphometric and reproductive indicators (the coefficient of fatness and wide-spinnability) of these species showed the high quality of Lena sturgeon producers. Research results indicate good growing conditions and prospects for the use of sturgeon in aquaculture of the Northern regions.