Paid fishing in Belarus. How Cormorants are grown in Belarus: “The one with the beak dives and feeds fish to the one without the beak”

Introduction

Fish is an indispensable high-quality food product for people. One of the pressing problems of the modern world is the problem of providing the population with food. At the same time, it is closely intertwined with the problem of environmental protection. Providing the population with fish products is an important task for the economy of any country due to the high nutritional and biological value of fish. In countries that do not have direct access to the sea, attention has always been paid to increased attention its cultivation in inland waters.

Belarus occupies one of the first places in the world in terms of the abundance of freshwater reservoirs. However, a significant part of the water fund is not used to obtain fish products. The fishery potential of small reservoirs, ponds, and complex reservoirs located in the agricultural sector is also not used.

The fish farming industry of Belarus does not provide the population of the country with its own fish products in full. The missing part of fish products is imported.

The annual consumption of fish and fish products per capita in our country is 16.5 kg, while the recommended medical standards are 21.6 kg. To fully provide the population of the region with fish, it is necessary to supply the food market with at least 20.6 thousand tons of this product per year. There are 19 specialized organizations involved in fish farming in Belarus.

Fishery activities in the republic are carried out in two main areas: fish farming, based on breeding and growing fish in artificial reservoirs, and fishing in fishing grounds.

Fish farming in the republic is carried out by specialized fish farms, as well as fish farms, workshops at agricultural, industrial and other organizations of various forms of ownership. The area of the pond stock of specialized fish farms is 20.26 thousand hectares, including 16.33 thousand hectares for growing commercial fish.

The problem of providing fish and fish products is so important that in a special UN report it is highlighted as a separate column among eight other indicators that determine the level of food security of countries. In turn, states that do not have direct access to the sea are comprehensively striving to compensate for the shortage of fish products by developing fish farming.

In developed countries, the share of fish in people's diets accounts for from 18 to 83% of the protein diet.

China occupies a leading place in the world in the field of fish farming - it accounts for more than half of the world's freshwater aquaculture production.

With the world's population expected to grow from 6 billion to 8.5 billion by 2025, fisheries production should double.

Research methods: literature analysis, description, evaluation, observation.

The objectives of the study are determined by the purpose of the study and are to:

Characterize the fisheries industry of the Republic of Belarus;

Consider the essence and directions of fisheries, fish farming systems;

To study the problems and state of breeding and catching, processing of fish and production of food fish products.

Characterize the objects and conditions of the study;

Consider factors and ways to increase the economic efficiency of fish farming and fishing, production and sale of fish products;

Analyze the state and prospects for the development of fisheries in the Republic of Belarus.

Chapter 1. Literature Review

1.1 Characteristics and directions of fisheries, fish farming systems

To sustainably meet the needs of the population of the republic, at least 180 thousand tons of fish and fish products per year are needed. Currently, the bulk of this volume is imported in the form of deep-frozen products. The share of our own, most valuable fresh and live fish is 8.3 percent.

The most important direction in the development of fisheries in Belarus is commercial fishing. It is based on sustainable fishing in lakes, reservoirs and rivers in volumes that ensure the preservation of their biological diversity.

Fisheries in the republic traditionally mean the extraction of fish from natural waters (fishing), fish farming in artificial and natural reservoirs and the processing of fish products. Without touching on processing issues, we will dwell on the methods of obtaining fish.

One of the most traditional methods that has constantly accompanied human economic activity is fishing. Fishing refers to ways and means of removing part of the product various types fish inhabiting water bodies under natural conditions. Distinctive feature this direction economy is a limited resource base and a high dependence on natural and climatic factors. The main task of fisheries development is the rational use of natural fish resources in order to obtain food fish products, subject to the sustainable use of the raw material base and the conservation of the biological diversity of the ichthyofauna of water bodies.

The second direction, which largely eliminates the shortcomings of the first, is fish farming. Fish farming is understood as a set of biotechnical measures aimed at breeding, preserving, increasing and qualitatively improving fish resources in artificial and natural reservoirs.

In the Republic of Belarus, the fishing industry acquired national importance in the mid-20s. last century. Production and research structures were created, and Fishery Rules were approved.

The efforts of scientists of the Belarusian Research Institute of Fisheries (BelNIIRH) ensured the development and constant improvement of progressive technologies for the transition from extensive forms of management to the organization of intensive production. As a result, in 1989, state fisheries enterprises, together with collective and state farms, achieved the maximum catch (21.3 thousand tons) of fish from inland waters of Belarus. It was based mainly on fish grown in pond and cage farms - 18.4 thousand tons (86.4% of total fish production). In a number of fish farms, productivity up to 16.0-17.5 c/ha was achieved, and in some ponds - up to 20-25 c/ha of high-quality table fish.

According to the Institute of Nutrition of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, the physiological norm of fish consumption per capita should be at least 18.0 kg per year.

In developed countries, the share of fish in people's diets accounts for from 18 to 83% of the protein diet. In total, according to the FAO, about 72.5 million tons of fish and other inhabitants of the waters used by people for food are caught.

There are 19 specialized organizations involved in fish farming in Belarus.

In 2010, fish farms in Belarus grew 21 thousand tons of fish, of which 4.8 thousand tons were fish seeding material and 16.2 thousand tons of marketable fish (7% more than in 2009). Including 12.8 thousand tons of marketable carp, 2.5 thousand tons of grass carp and silver carp, 640 tons of crucian carp, 111 tons of pike, 64.5 tons of sturgeon species, 24 tons of catfish species were grown.

Sale and processing of fish. In 2010, Belarusian fish farms supplied 13.5 thousand tons of pond fish to the domestic market (4% more than in 2009). 344.4 tons were exported. 900 tons were sent for processing.

The importance of the fishing industry. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the share of fish in the diet has reached a record high - an average of 17 kg per person per year.

Global fish trade reached a record $102 billion a year.

Much of the growing global demand comes from industrial fish and seafood farming, which is growing at almost 7% annually.

About 10 million people now live in Belarus. Taking into account the physiological norm of fish consumption per capita (18 kg per year per person), the need for fish products is already at least 180.0 thousand tons. It is desirable that at least 20% of this amount be freshwater fish, which goes to the table consumer mainly in fresh form and is the most valuable dietary food product.

Fund of fishery reservoirs.

Fishery reservoirs mean water areas where fishing activities are or may be carried out. The stock of fishery reservoirs of the Republic of Belarus is rich and diverse, but at the same time it is characterized by extreme fragmentation. According to reference data, the country has more than 10 thousand lakes with a total area of about 200 thousand hectares, 130 reservoirs with a total area of 80 thousand hectares and 20,800 rivers with a total length of 90.6 thousand km. In addition, there are 21.86 thousand hectares of fish farm ponds, 4.6 thousand hectares of collective and state farm ponds, as well as 17.05 thousand km of canals for various purposes.

Efficiency of using the stock of fishery reservoirs

The fund of fishery reservoirs of the Republic of Belarus is used in the production of marketable fish products by various economic entities, which can be combined as follows:

1. State fish-breeding enterprises that are part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

2. Fish breeding and fishing enterprises under the jurisdiction of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus.

3. Fish-breeding enterprises of the agro-industrial complex (collective farms), communal property of regional executive committees and district executive committees, respectively, included in the Committees for Agriculture and Food of the regions and departments of agriculture and food of the district executive committees.

4. Fish-breeding enterprises used by public organizations (Societies of Hunters and Fishers), subsidiary farms, industrial enterprises, forestry enterprises, consumer cooperative enterprises, farmers and other legal entities and individuals.

The efficiency of using available pond areas is currently low due to a number of objective and subjective factors. With a design capacity of state fishery ponds of 17,200 tons of fish products per year, the utilization rate varies across regions from 39.3 to 86.4%, amounting to an average of 53.0% across the republic. The utilization rate of communally owned ponds is even lower.

For the purposes of fish farming and fishing, in addition to the ponds of fish farms, collective farms and state farms, about 160 thousand hectares of lakes and reservoirs and 4.3 thousand km of rivers can be used, which is 57.0 and 4.8% of the available water fund, respectively.

1.2 The essence and directions of fisheries, fish farming systems

Fishing is a unique type of production in the country's economy. One of the main tasks of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food is to create conditions for increasing food resources and agricultural raw materials, improving the supply of quality food products to the population of the republic.

The norms for rational consumption of food products, approved by the Ministry of Health, provide for the average annual consumption of fish and seafood (depending on age and physical activity) from 16 to 24 kg per year per person.

According to the method of obtaining fish products, there are two main directions:

Through catching from fishing grounds (rivers, lakes and reservoirs);

Through rearing under controlled or semi-controlled conditions (aquaculture).

Aquaculture production is carried out in the following areas:

Pond fish farming;

Fish farming in cages and pools in warm waters;

Fish farming in closed water supply systems.

The main production of fish in the Republic of Belarus is carried out by growing it in state pond fish farms, which are part of the system of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Additional - in ponds of agricultural enterprises, in installations with closed water supply, cages and pools of auxiliary fish-breeding workshops of industrial enterprises, private firms and individual entrepreneurs, catch by tenants (legal entities of various forms of ownership) from fishing grounds.

One of the promising areas for growing fish is its production in cages and pools based on waste water from thermal power plants, as well as in closed water supply (RAS) installations. The advantage of this direction is that fish can be grown in warm water farms all year round. In summer, heat-loving species such as carp, herbivorous fish, buffalo, channel catfish, paddlefish, tilapia, etc. grow well. In winter, the temperature in warm-water farms ranges from 9-14 ° C, which makes it possible to successfully grow cold-loving fish species, such as trout , steelhead salmon, which reach marketable weight by spring. In a RAS, fish can be grown all year round under given conditions. This makes it possible to reduce the time required to obtain marketable products by 1 year compared to conventional technology, and also to ensure a uniform supply of live fish to consumers throughout the year. Since in industrial conditions fish do not have the opportunity to use natural feed, it is important when growing fish to provide it with high-quality feed, balanced in basic nutrients. The cost of such feeds, as a rule, exceeds the cost of feeds used in pond fish farming, which increases the cost of the resulting fish products. The main object of aquaculture in Belarus is carp, which currently accounts for 79.7% of the total production of farmed fish. Along with carp, silver carp (10.0%), herbivorous fish of the Chinese faunal complex - grass carp, white and bighead carp (about 8.0% in total) and pike (1.8%) are grown. Among other species, tench, European catfish, rainbow trout, and sterlet are cultivated in small quantities, but the production volumes of these species do not exceed 0.5%.

In the Republic of Belarus, the main body responsible for developing the strategy for conducting aquaculture activities (including fisheries) and its management is the Department of Land Reclamation and Water Resources of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The department plans macro-indicators of work and monitors their implementation by enterprises of the republican form of ownership. Locally, these functions are carried out by the committees on agriculture and food of regional executive committees and district executive committees, which are in charge of municipal and private enterprises.

The structure of the Department for Land Reclamation and Water Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus unites 19 full-system pond farms and 1 growing planting material and carrying out fishing on natural reservoirs. They account for about 88% of the country's annual fish production.

The total area of the country's pond fund is 24.53 thousand hectares, of which 20.8 are on the balance sheet of fish farms of the republican form of ownership, and 3.73 thousand hectares are owned by municipal enterprises.

In addition to fish farms, 120 business entities of various forms of ownership (state fish farms, enterprises of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, forestry enterprises, private enterprises, farms and public organizations) carry out commercial fishing and organize paid recreational fishing in natural fishing grounds on a lease basis.

Fish farming is carried out by specialized fish farming organizations that are in republican ownership, and organizations that are in municipal ownership, for which fish farming is not the main activity. The area of the pond stock of specialized fish farms is 20.26 thousand hectares, including 16.33 thousand hectares for growing marketable fish, 3.93 thousand hectares for fish seeding material. There are about 8.9 thousand hectares of pond areas suitable for growing pond fish in municipal ownership. Closed water supply installations for fish farming are operated by individual entrepreneurs.

There are two ways to conduct fish farming:

The first is full-system, when fry are hatched from the eggs, and then commercial fish are grown from them;

The second method is an incomplete system, when young animals are not bred, but purchased from a nursery and then raised to marketable condition.

In the first case, reservoirs are divided depending on the age of the fish they contain into: uterine bodies, where adult males and females are located; spawning areas, where spawning and hatching of fry occurs; nurseries, where they keep fry removed from spawning ponds; wintering areas, where fingerlings (juveniles no more than a year old) spend the winter; feeding grounds, where young animals are raised for the second summer, after which they are caught. If an organization conducts partial-system fish farming, then, as a rule, it only has feeding ponds.

One of the branches of fish farming is pond fish farming. Today, breeding and keeping fish in ponds is based on serious scientific data, taking into account the characteristics of the habitat for a particular species of fish, various temperature conditions, the presence of vegetation and other factors.

For fish, the most important water parameter for life is its temperature regime, which directly depends on the geographical location of the reservoir. Different types fish prefer different ambient temperatures. And these are not simple preferences, this is a necessary component of the full development of a particular type of fish.

The main objective of pond fish farming is the use of artificial reservoirs for fish breeding. The reservoirs themselves, according to their structure and purpose, are divided into ponds and reservoirs. Reservoirs are designed for long-term regulation and storage of water resources; in ponds this regulation is limited to a one-year period. Such regulation is usually seasonal - such ponds are filled with water in the spring and released in the fall. The annual change of water in ponds allows them to be used at a higher fish-breeding and technical level with increased fish productivity.

Improving the efficiency of pond fish farming can ensure implementation on existing fish farms the latest achievements Fishery Science of the Republic. First of all, these are resource-saving intensification biotechnologies, including hybridization, stimulating the development of the natural food supply of ponds and its effective use by a complex of farmed fish (herbivores, carp, crucian carp, pike), optimization of fish feeding and feed production, effective prevention of fish diseases, use technical means for feeding and aerating water at high planting densities of farmed fish. Due to these factors, it is possible to increase the volume of pond fish production on existing areas by two or more times.

Ponds are one of the most effective areas for the development of fish farming. Their use makes it possible to regulate both the species and quantity of products, comprehensively use land and water resources, and distribute geographic priorities for growing fish in those regions where there is the greatest demand for these products, thereby saving on transportation costs.

In addition, industrial fish farming has a number of undeniable advantages over other methods of fish production, confirmed by both practice and scientific research. In particular, the products of pond farms do not require industrial processing, do not require significant transportation costs for delivery, and allow the consumer to be supplied with live fish.

Commercial fish farming is the most promising and progressive direction for the development of fisheries in inland waters. It is this that is capable of meeting the internal needs of the population for healthy and fresh fish products, expanding their range and increasing quality guarantees. Currently Special attention is given to fast-growing fish varieties, which will undoubtedly further increase the attractiveness of this production.

1.3 State and problems of breeding and catching, processing of fish and production of fish food products

In the Republic of Belarus, the production of commercial fish products, including live fish (pond and lake-river); chilled, frozen, fillet, salted, smoked, dried, spiced and pickled, minced fish, culinary and balyk products, fish caviar, edible seafood, are handled by enterprises of twelve departments, as well as legal entities without departmental affiliation and individual entrepreneurs. The main suppliers of live fish are enterprises of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of republican and municipal ownership (83.8% of total production).

Fishing on lakes, reservoirs and rivers will have to be reoriented from extensive fishing to the targeted formation and rational use of biological resources of aquatic ecosystems.

Amateur fishing remains one of the sources of fish supply to consumers. The volume of fish caught by amateur fishermen is directly dependent on the population size, the state of fish resources in fishing grounds and the financial situation of the fishermen themselves. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis, the country's population currently catches 7.2 thousand tons of lake and river fish for their own needs.

In addition to the production of live fish at its own expense, a significant amount of fish is imported from outside the country in the form of frozen, cut or processed fish products, mainly of marine origin.

The production of canned fish at Belarusian enterprises is currently unprofitable, since when using imported fish, imported food tin, vegetable oil and tomato paste, with the same quality of the resulting product, the cost of a can of Belarusian canned food is higher than that of a similar Russian one.

The main sales of produced fish products (91.7-94.2%) are on the domestic market. The main centers of consumption of live fish are cities, primarily the capital and regional centers, as well as regional centers near production sites. The rural population meets their needs for aquaculture products through retail outlets in regional centers or directly from fish producers. Almost 90% freshwater fish sold live, the rest processed (smoked, semi-finished products, canned food). The sale of fish is carried out both through the distribution network and directly by producers, through outbound trading in markets.

The share of exports of food fishery products accounts for no more than 10% of production volume, while the bulk of exports is processed seafood.

The bulk of fish consumption in the country is met through imports (mainly seafood). Among the EU countries, the main importing country is Belgium.

Further increase in sales volumes of fish grown in inland waters is constrained by limited public demand and market saturation with marine fish products. Compared to pond fish, sea fish is sold in cut or semi-cut form and at a relatively low prices(15-30% lower than pond water).

Chapter 2. Materials and research methods

2.1 Characteristics of objects and research conditions

In the second chapter, I looked at the branch of the RUE "Polesyegiprovodkhoz" Fish farm "Sokolovo" is located in the Brest region of the Maloritsky and Zhabinkovsky districts and belongs to the third zone of pond fish farming in the Republic of Belarus.

The Sokolovo fish farm was built in 1931 on the basis of Pansky ponds and put into operation in 1939. The fishery farm includes three sites: “Ore” in the Maloritsky district, “Sokolovo” and “Trostyanitsa” in the Zhabinkovsky district.

The type of farm is full-system. The fish farm is engaged in the breeding and cultivation of carp, bighead carp, grass carp, pike, and European buffalo catfish, starting from the larvae and ending with the production of marketable products.

The fish farm has the following categories of ponds: wintering, spawning, nursery, summer-breeding and feeding. The total area of the ponds is 702 hectares, including the Trostyanitsa site - 22 hectares, the Sokolovo site - 285 hectares, the Ruda site - 395 hectares.

By 2015, fish farms in Belarus will meet the population's need for valuable fish species by 70%. This was announced by the head of the department for growing valuable fish species of the Department of Land Reclamation and Water Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The republic's need for valuable types of fish today is 5-6 thousand tons per year. By 2015, the volume of its production in Belarus will increase to 3.8 thousand tons, that is, Belarusians are provided with this product by approximately 70%." This year, the production of valuable species of fish (salmon, sturgeon, catfish) is planned to increase in comparison with 2011 almost tripled - up to 350 tons. According to the State program for the development of fisheries activities for 2011-2015, 15 projects for the cultivation of valuable fish species will be implemented in the republic, including both the construction of new facilities and the reconstruction of existing ones. "In 2011, A trout complex with a capacity of 60 tons was put into operation in the Mogilev region. Two farms for growing African catfish were commissioned this year in the Grodno and Brest regions.

A fish hatchery for obtaining planting material for salmon species will be commissioned in Gorki, Mogilev region, to "Dazhynki". It is being built on the basis of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy. The construction of a trout farm has also begun at the Alba fish farm in the Nesvizh region.”

In the first half of this year, fish farms in Belarus increased the volume of pond fish processing by 12% compared to the same period in 2011. In January-June, about 600 tons of pond fish were sent for processing, from which about 360 tons of finished products were obtained. Currently, 7 specialized organizations are engaged in fish processing in the republic: OJSC "Experimental fish farm "Selets", OJSC "Fish farm "Lyuban", OJSC "Fish farm "Dneprobugsky", OJSC "Fish farm "Krasnaya Sloboda", OJSC "Fish farm "Volma", OJSC "Fish farm "Polesie" and JSC "Experimental fish farm "Beloye". In the first half of the year, fish farms in Belarus sold 5 thousand tons of pond fish. The bulk of the products (just over 4.6 thousand tons) went to the domestic market. For export (and this is mainly Russia - BELTA’s note) the organization supplied only 392.5 tons of pond fish,” noted the deputy head of the department, clarifying that 93% of external supplies fell to OJSC “Experimental Fish Farm “Selets”. The remaining 7% were exported supplied by the Lyuban Fish Processing Plant OJSC, as well as the Polesye and Sokolovo fish farms. Last year, sales volumes of pond fish increased by approximately 20% compared to 2010. Today, 19 specialized organizations are engaged in fish farming in Belarus. They have at their disposal 20 thousand hectares of artificial ponds in which carp, silver carp, carp, tench, pike, catfish, as well as valuable commercial fish species are raised.

2.2 Factors and ways to increase the economic efficiency of fish farming and fishing, production and sale of fish products

Aquaculture is a fairly expensive area of economic activity that requires significant financial investments. This is due to significant capital costs for the construction of fish ponds, structures, costs for their subsequent maintenance, purchase of feed, mineral fertilizers, means of prevention and treatment of fish. In industrial fish farming, in addition to feed, large costs are spent on energy supply and water treatment. The rural population (farmers) engage in aquaculture as a supplementary activity to their main activity. Basically, this is the lease of small reservoirs with subsequent stocking with feeding fish species (carp, crucian carp, herbivores, pike) for the purpose of commercial capture or the development of recreational fishing on a paid basis. Commercial fishing, given the current species composition of the catches obtained, is also often unprofitable, since the costs of wages, transportation, depreciation and repair of fishing gear are not always compensated by the value of the catch received.

Increasing the economic efficiency of fish farming and fishing is directly dependent on reducing the cost per unit of fish products obtained and increasing its value. This can be achieved in the following ways:

Widespread development of polyculture of fish in production (two or more species, when grown together and not competing for food;

Transition in carp breeding from outbred individuals to zoned breeds and interbreed crosses;

The use of a set of measures in pond fish farming that allows, by adding lime and organo-mineral fertilizers, to stabilize the environment and increase the natural productivity of ponds by 40-80%;

In industrial fish farming, the transition from carp cultivation to the cultivation of more valuable fish species (sturgeon, salmon, catfish, eel;

Improving production technology at feed mill enterprises for the production of specialized complete feed for fish;

Carrying out a set of measures to improve the health of fish farms, prevent and combat fish diseases;

Partial processing of aquaculture products at production sites, which allows to reduce costs when selling live fish and weight loss when it is kept before sale;

Transfer of the most economically important fishing grounds to lease only to those tenants who are able to use reservoirs with the greatest efficiency;

Expanding the practice of creating fisheries focused on paid recreational fishing using high-value stocked fish species, creating a service sector to provide recreation for the population, etc.

In the field of fish processing, the main way to increase efficiency is to expand the range of products in the form of semi-finished products and ready-to-use products in small packaging and appropriate shelf life, as well as fish cooking.

Currently, there are 160 tenants of fish farms in Belarus. Tenants, as a rule, are only interested in catching fish and do not pay attention to reproduction and stocking of reservoirs with fish.

The existing production capacities of fish processing enterprises allow the production of more than 16 thousand tons of products per year. The fishing industry has refrigerated and refrigerated warehouses with a capacity of 19 thousand tons of one-time storage of fish and fish products.

The most important condition for increasing the volume of fish production is the implementation of measures for technical re-equipment, the creation of new technologies, the acquisition and implementation of modern technical equipment and mechanization into production. According to medical standards, 18.2 kg of fish products per year are necessary for the normal development of the human body.

Recently, there has been a tendency in the republic to increase fish consumption. Maintaining this trend in the future requires taking measures, the most important of which are creating conditions for increasing the volume of production of fish food products, expanding the range, improving the quality and competitiveness of manufactured products. For the purpose of sustainable functioning of the fish and fish products market, it seems promising to create integrated formations with the participation of fish farms, processing enterprises, feed mills, organizations of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and banks.

These measures should ultimately increase the efficiency of fish farming and processing of fish products to a level that allows for the organization of further expanded production.

The giants that create the basis for the food security of the state are the state enterprise of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus "Belryba", the joint venture "Santa Bremor", "Vitalur", "BelVilleLesden", "Leor Plastic", which specialize mainly in imports, as well as OJSC "Minsky fish complex."

Chapter 3. Research results and their analysis

3.1 Analysis of the state and prospects for the development of fisheries in the Republic of Belarus

Fish farming in the republic is carried out by specialized fish farms, as well as fish farms, workshops at agricultural, industrial and other organizations of various forms of ownership.

Agricultural organizations are assigned 8.9 thousand hectares of ponds for various purposes, on which up to 1.5 thousand tons of marketable fish can be grown annually.

Another direction of development of fish farming in the republic is industrial, based on growing fish in cages, pools, and installations with closed water supply. The production capacity of cage lines installed on the basis of warm waste water from the Berezovskaya and Novolukomlskaya State District Power Plants makes it possible to produce up to 1.5 thousand tons of marketable carp per year. Cages are used for raising broodstock and commercial fish of valuable species - trout, Lena and Russian sturgeon, sterlet, bester, European and African catfish, etc.

Fishing is carried out by legal entities on the basis of lease of fishing grounds or free use and in the presence of special permits (licenses) for fishing.

The management of fisheries through commercial fishing and the organization of paid recreational fishing is carried out by 205 tenants of fishing grounds, to whom 102.4 thousand hectares of lakes and reservoirs and 1.2 thousand km of rivers have been leased (free use).

The main share of fishing grounds (34.3 percent of reservoirs and 29.3 percent of the length of watercourses) is used by state environmental institutions and forestry organizations of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus.

Fishery organizations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food use 23.1 percent of the total leased area of reservoirs and 13.6 percent of the length of watercourses, 6.9 percent of fishing grounds are leased by the republican state-public association "Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishers", 3.2 percent – institutions of the Ministry of Forestry. Organizations subordinate to regional executive committees lease 32.5 percent of fishing grounds.

The implementation of the planned set of organizational and technological measures provided for by the Republican program for the development of the fishing industry for 2006–2010, approved by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated April 19, 2006 No. 535, made it possible to systematically increase the production of marketable products and bring the volume of its sales in 2009 to 14.8 thousand tons (which is 2.4 times higher than the level of 2005).

Consumption of fish products in general per capita reached 14.5 kg per year. Its slight decrease in 2009 compared to 2005 is explained by a decrease in fish imports into the republic by 46 thousand tons (from 190 to 144 thousand tons). At the same time, the volume of consumption of the most valuable fresh freshwater fish increased from 0.6 kg in 2005 to 1.4 kg in 2009, and by 2015 this figure is planned to increase to 2.4 kg.

In 2012, 21 thousand tons of fish were grown in Belarus, of which 4.8 thousand tons of fish seed material and 16.2 thousand tons of marketable fish (this is 7% more than in 2009). Including grown:

12.8 thousand tons of commercial carp;

2.5 thousand tons of grass carp and silver carp;

640 tons of crucian carp;

111 tons of pike;

64.5 tons of sturgeon species;

24 tons of catfish fish species.

As for the sale and processing of fish products, fish farms of the Republic of Belarus supplied 13.5 thousand tons of pond fish to the domestic market in 2012 (4% more than in 2009). Export supplies in 2012 amounted to 344.4 tons, and 900 tons of fish were sent for processing.

Currently there is a reorientation from commercial fishing to artificial breeding fish. Aquaculture (breeding and (or) growing of aquatic organisms, carried out under full or partial human control, in order to obtain marketable products, preserve and replenish stocks of aquatic organisms, as well as improve the state of the environment) is the fastest growing sector of food production, outpacing growth rates fisheries and accounting for 40 percent of the catch. The priority areas of global freshwater aquaculture are trout and sturgeon farming.

In the Republic of Belarus, the share of salmon, sturgeon, and catfish species of fish is 0.7 percent of the volume of fish grown in the republic.

The available capacity of the republic's pond fish farms, intended for the cultivation of carp and related fish species, is limited by the design capacity and the possibility of intensifying fish farming due to costs that will not be recouped due to the requirements for keeping conditions.

An increase in fish production volumes is possible only through the introduction of new modern technologies fish farming, construction of fish hatcheries, industrial specialized complexes and the creation of closed water supply installations for growing salmon, sturgeon and catfish species.

For the development of industrial fish farming by growing fish in cages and pools, as well as in closed water supply installations, financial support from the state is required.

Keeping valuable fish species (salmon, sturgeon, catfish) by fish farming organizations is highly costly due to their physiological characteristics. The lack of compensation for the costs of their maintenance and the attribution of additional costs to the cost of production will lead to an unreasonable reduction in the number of these species, including expensive broodstock. To restore it, it will be necessary to purchase fish seeding material and breeding stock outside the republic.

To meet the population's needs for fish products domestic production To resolve the issue of import substitution, it is necessary to continue work on the construction of fish processing workshops in fish farms.

The main target indicators are to achieve commercial fish production volumes of up to 22.7 thousand tons by 2015, and processing volumes of freshwater fish by fish farming organizations up to 4 thousand tons per year.

To achieve a stable supply of high-quality fish products to the population of the republic, as well as their supply for export, the following tasks must be solved:

Creation of 11 specialized industrial complexes for the cultivation of commercial salmon products, 1 sturgeon complex with a capacity of up to 100 tons per year, 3 specialized fish hatcheries-reproductors for the production of fish seeding material for salmon, whitefish and other fish species;

Formation of a sustainable raw material base and introduction of modern technical processing of freshwater fish in fish farming organizations;

Development of technologies for commercial cultivation of salmon, sturgeon, catfish and other fish species in various types farms in the conditions of Belarus;

Creation and conservation in Belarus on the basis of trout and sturgeon broodstock complexes of native and economically valuable fish species (sturgeon, salmon, whitefish, carp, herbivores) in the amount of 105 thousand pieces as a reserve genetic fund for the formation and replenishment of local populations;

Creating conditions for the export of fishery products and ensuring the competitiveness of products;

Development of entrepreneurship, expansion of service industries, ensuring employment of the population;

Rational use of biological resources of natural reservoirs.

To achieve the goals and implement the identified tasks, it is necessary within the framework of the State program:

ücreation of new and development of existing fish farming complexes for the cultivation of promising fish farming objects;

ücarrying out technical re-equipment of fish farming organizations;

ücarrying out work to maintain the pond stock in working order;

ücarrying out treatment and preventive measures;

liming of ponds;

Conducting selection and breeding work and introducing additional fish species for optimal use of the food supply;

üstate support for business entities by creating favorable economic conditions for the development of production of promising fish farming facilities;

ücreation of conditions for the reproduction of fish resources;

üinstallation of specialized lines for the production of domestic fish feed for salmon, sturgeon, catfish and other types of fish;

Increase in the number of jobs in fish farming organizations located in rural areas by 27.7 percent;

Creating conditions for achieving wages for workers involved in fish farming equivalent to 435–500 US dollars;

Increase in annual budget revenues by 27.4 billion rubles;

Expanding the range and improving the quality of fish products by increasing production volumes of salmon, sturgeon, catfish and other types of fish;

The volume of fish processing is up to 4 thousand tons per year;

Reducing the import of fish seeding material for salmon, sturgeon and whitefish species, including those listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus;

Investment attractiveness of fisheries.

In the near future, pond fish farming will remain the main revenue-generating direction for the development of aquaculture in the republic. During the implementation of the Republican program for the development of the fishing industry for 2006–2010, the amount of marketable pond fish grown in fish farming organizations increased from 5.6 to 15.2 thousand tons.

In 2012, pond fish production volumes (sales) reached 18.1 thousand tons, which is 100.9% of the state program target and 119.1% of the 2011 level. Including fish farms of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food sold 16.6 thousand tons of pond fish in 2012, or 100.6% of the target and 20.7% more than the 2011 level. The highest indicators in the sale of fish were achieved by OJSC "Experimental Fish Farm "Selets", OJSC "Fish Farm "Volma", OJSC "Fish Farm "Novinki".

The total volume of production and import of finished products, including canned food, amounted to 78.6 thousand tons in 2011. The main raw materials supplied for industrial processing are ocean fish and seafood (herring, sprat, herring, mackerel, salmon fish, seaweed ), whose share in the total volume of processed raw materials is 90 percent. The production of fish products by fish processing enterprises of the republic from raw materials from local catches in the total production volume is no more than 10 percent. The range of canned fish of the tomato group, natural canned fish, natural canned fish with the addition of oil, and jelly made from locally caught raw materials is limited in the republic's trading network.

Activities to create new facilities for the production of marketable products, breeding, growing planting material for valuable fish species and fish processing provide for the introduction of advanced technologies in fish farming and the fishing industry.

Due to the absence in the republic of manufacturers of specific equipment for fish hatcheries, commercial farms and closed water supply installations, its purchase will be made by import from direct manufacturers with many years of experience, or from their official dealers within the republic. The amount of funds required to purchase equipment for these import facilities is 18–19 billion rubles for five years.

Thus, the total import intensity of the State program in 2011–2015 is estimated at 20–21.5 billion rubles or 3.7 percent of the total amount of funds provided for its implementation. At the same time, the use of new technologies for growing valuable fish species and the introduction of innovations at the republic’s fish processing enterprises will make it possible to reduce the import of fish and fish products by 470–480 billion rubles by 2015, which is comparable to the cost of the entire State program.

The fishing industry development program is a set of measures aimed at providing the population of the region with fish and fish products, as well as carrying out a unified public policy in the field of fishery activities, which is carried out in three areas - fish farming (breeding and growing fish in artificial reservoirs), fishing in fishing grounds on the basis of licensing, as well as the development of cage and industrial fish farming of economically valuable fish species.

The construction of complexes for breeding valuable fish species will make it possible by 2015 to fully satisfy the region's needs for these species, limit imports as much as possible, and also ensure the protection of domestic producers.

The program defines the main objectives, including - increasing the volume of fish production in the country's water bodies; expanding the range through the introduction of polyculture and cultivation of valuable fish species, organizing the production of semi-finished products on the basis of fish processing workshops; increasing the profitability of fish farming organizations up to 20 - 25%. It is planned to restore production capacities and reproduction bases of fish farming organizations; ensure a more complete use of the resource potential of leased natural reservoirs, while providing for equipping fishing crews with modern fishing gear and improving the organization of fishing; improve the organization of fisheries and fisheries. To intensify the industry, it is necessary to organize the production of fish feed and fish feeding, stimulate the development of a natural food supply and liming, mechanize production processes, and prevent fish diseases.

To determine the permissible catch of fish from the grounds without causing damage to fish stocks and maintaining them at a stable level, a record of the attendance of water bodies by amateur fishermen and the amount of fish they catch will be organized and carried out; the degree of impact of recreational fishing on the resources of the land was determined.

Restoration and clearing of production areas from tough vegetation, carrying out agro-reclamation measures will increase the natural productivity of ponds, reduce the cost of artificial feed, improve the sanitary and epizootic situation, ensure the standard yield of fish products and effectively use the production capacity of fish farming organizations.

The most important condition for transferring fish farming to an industrial basis and turning it into a highly efficient industry is the mechanization of technological processes for the production of pond fish.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food today adheres to the following point of view: fish farms should pay attention not only to increasing the production of marketable fish, but also to its in-depth processing. Currently, the fish farming organizations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food already operate 6 workshops for processing freshwater fish, and two more are planned to be commissioned in the near future.

Particular attention in the State Program for 2011-2015 is paid not only to in-depth processing of raw materials, but also to the breeding of valuable species of commercial fish in Belarus - salmon, sturgeon and catfish. Today, about 80% of the total production in the country's fish farms is carp. But bighead carp, crucian carp, pike, catfish, sturgeon, and grass carp are still grown in small quantities. It is expected that their production in five years will increase more than 20 times - up to 2.5 thousand tons per year. At the same time, fish imports are expected to decrease by 7.9 thousand tons annually.

Conclusion

Fisheries play an important role in the country's food complex. In the overall balance of consumption of animal proteins, including meat and dairy products, eggs, the share of fish proteins today is about 10%. Supplying the population with food products based on fish and seafood in the required quantity, high quality and at affordable prices should become main task both the extractive fishing industry and processing enterprises.

The domestic market is saturated with fish products to a greater extent due to their imports: domestic production of total consumption is 15-16%, and imports - 84-85%. In Belarus, 72 enterprises have the right to import fish and seafood.

The basis of the raw material base of the industry is aquatic biological resources in inland waters, including rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

The water fund of the Republic of Belarus includes more than 10 thousand lakes with a total area of about 200 thousand hectares, 150 reservoirs with a total area of 80 thousand hectares, 20.8 thousand different rivers with a total length of 90.6 thousand km. In addition, there are 21.86 thousand hectares of fish farm ponds, 4.6 thousand hectares of ponds, as well as 17.0 thousand km of canals for various purposes. Most of the fish produced in the republic (about 78%) is grown in ponds, but their area does not exceed 10% of all existing reservoirs. This suggests that Belarus has huge reserves for growing fish in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, reclamation canals, the potential of which is not sufficiently used.

5. Economics of organizations and sectors of the agro-industrial complex. Book 2: textbook / ed. V.G. Gusakova - M.: Belarusian Science, 2007.

16. Nesterov A.P. Environmental economics and market: Textbook for universities. – M.: Law and Law, UNITY, 1997.

17. Nesterov P.M., “Environmental Economics and Market”, Moscow, 1997.

18. Emelyanov A.G.: Fundamentals of environmental management. - M.: Academy, 2011

19. Rudsky V.V.: Fundamentals of environmental management. - M.: Aspect Press, 2007

20. Trushina T.P.: Ecological foundations of environmental management. - M.: Dashkov and K, 2006

21. Emelyanov A.G.: Fundamentals of environmental management. - M.: Academy, 2004

22. Neverov, A.V. Economics of environmental management: educational and methodological manual / A. V. Neverov. – Minsk: BSTU, 2009. – 551 p.

23. Babenko M. A. Fundamentals of ecology and economics of environmental management: educational and methodological complex, N. L. Belorusova. – Novopolotsk: PSU, 2010. – 326 p.

Svyatoslav Yatsevich lives in Paris and works at Novinki. And it's not what you think. Paris is a Belarusian village in the Postavy region, “Novinki” is the oldest fish farm in the country. Svyatoslav came here as a young distribution specialist; he has been fishing and feeding his family for five years. And his company is Belarus.

Early morning, weekday. Together with the director of the fish farm, Alexander Likhomanov, we are driving along a narrow earthen spit. To our left and right are dams, ponds and ponds. Carp, silver carp, and grass carp splash in them.

- IN next year It's our anniversary. The fish farm will be 75 years old,” says Alexander. He's driving, looking around carefully. — This is one of the oldest enterprises in the country. Among all fish farms, Novinki ranks 10th in terms of area and 6th in terms of production volume. Every year we grow more than 1000 tons of marketable fish. We are an open joint stock company, but all shares are owned by the state. I've been here eight years.

Seagulls cruise over the rearing and feeding ponds, lazily looking at the people swarming below. The seagulls don’t need that much fish, but the fish farm has a plan. It's a busy time here these days. A massive autumn harvest has begun in Novinki.

We are told that this is a risk. The water has not cooled down, it is still warm. There is a possibility that there may be a freeze. But where in business, even a state-owned one, is there without risk?
“We’ll start after lunch,” the director says to someone on his cell phone.

* * *
A swan flew over the old Soviet Reflex 1500 feeder, which resembles a rusty catamaran. “Reflexes” have been standing here for thirty years and can last as long because they are made of high-quality metal. The new feeders are made by a Belarusian manufacturer who decided to save on metal by lowering the price and winning the tender. These feeders, says the director, quickly rot and sink.

“Novinki” is a full-system carp pond farm. The main share of production is occupied by carp, a smaller share by silver carp and grass carp. Pike and catfish are also grown in small quantities.

Before it gets into the frying pan, fish goes through several stages of development. In the hatchery, eggs are obtained, then larvae, and fry. At a certain stage, they are moved from stationary baths to ponds, where feeding begins. The fish are raised for two or three years. At the beginning of September, the workshop is closed, and the baths are empty.

Hatchery

But the ponds are filled to capacity. On one of them, men load feed into boats. It will have to be scattered among the feeders - one and a half tons for each. The Yamaha engine starts easily, the Veterok rattles and coughs - off we go. Workers will soon unload the feed with shovels, manually.
“The degree of mechanization in fish farms is extremely low,” notes Alexander Likhomanov. — It would be possible to buy feed dispensers, but they cost a lot of money - our whole business will lose its meaning.

* * *
Today we have to catch about 30 tons of fish. There is no need anymore, because the carp should immediately go to the retail chain. We're about to start.

In a cramped “guardhouse,” workers gather from the surrounding ponds, previously employed in feeding and cleaning water bodies. Some play thousand, others make nets. There are nails in Oriflame boxes. Compote is poured into beer bottles. The kettle is smoking. The fire is burning cheerfully, fish are splashing a couple of meters away from us, and the stew is bubbling appetizingly in the bucket. They do not cook fish soup, but pickle soup. Eating fish soup every day makes fish farmers tired.

“Parisian” Svyatoslav Yatsevich writes something in a notebook. He is the site foreman and is responsible for all the ponds here. Svyatoslav graduated from the academy in Gorki and earns about 5 million. His wife earns 2 million, she is just out of maternity leave. Slava bought a brick house in Paris for $4900 and drives a 2001 Scenic. In the surrounding collective farms, he tells us, there is darkness and fear. And “Novinki” haven’t sunk yet.

Fisherman Valera, a heavyset man in a striped T-shirt, asks about what’s going on in Minsk these days. We talk about the latest catch of Belarusian justice, about Baumgertner and company, but Valera is clearly not interested.
- And here comes Roman. Get into the bulb! - he interrupts.
The men laugh together, and we soon understand what’s going on. Roman is a local star and joker, a lively guy who likes to tell jokes.

“Once a hare and a bear had an argument…” he begins without ceremony. - Did you hear? No? Well, I'll tell you!
In an hour and a half, Roman tells a hundred jokes, without stopping for a minute. He is a tractor driver, earns a pittance, but was able to raise his two sons and daughter. Roman's daughter is studying to become a lawyer and will work at customs. During a break between bikes, the tractor driver tells us that he approves of her choice.

* * *
Director Likhomanov defeated drunkenness in Novinki, fired drunks without pity, and declared war on poachers. Somehow he manages to keep the old fish farm one of the leaders in the industry.

Alexander Likhomanov (center)

Director says:
— The fishing industry is in a difficult financial situation. For the last four years, our farm has been ranked first in terms of performance among all organizations. In fact, we are the last ones who can still work without government support. Ours is less than 10%.

Why are we still holding on? Due to high labor productivity: it is 2.5 times higher than the average for the land reclamation department. There are 70 people on staff, including guards, drivers, and administration. A little.
And all these people should be thanked for still being here. Our average salary is about 4.9 million. The highest is in the fishing sector. But I understand perfectly well that people need to be paid at least twice as much. Because their work is not easy. When stocking and fishing, we work at night, seven days a week. Many spend a long time in the water. My employees don’t have personal farms: they simply don’t have time! Yes, they need to pay more, but we cannot do this.

In Soviet times, the industry was subsidized by 70%. There is almost no support now. But prices cannot be raised. On the contrary, this year all fish farms were forced to resort to dumping - to reduce the cost of products by 3-4% compared to 2012. And this despite the fact that the cost of fuel and feed has increased by 30%. After all, if we raised the price, no one would buy the fish.

We sell medium carp in the markets for 21,150 rubles, selected carp for 26,300. Is there a profit? Hard to tell. The estimated cost of farmed fish is now 19,000 rubles (pond fish, by the way, in all countries is more expensive than sea fish, it’s a matter of feed). Plus transport, logistics, fuel to deliver fish to the distribution network. For transportation costs, 4 thousand rubles are allocated for each kilogram, and this year it will be 5 thousand. Therefore, only selected carp will probably not be at a loss.

Where is the exit? We need to reconsider our subsidy model. Introduce a transparent subsidy mechanism. Not according to the principle “you don’t have money to pay workers, we’ll give it to you, but if you flounder and survive, you won’t get anything.” We must help those who can and want to work! Now, for example, we cannot compete with pork and poultry, because these industries are supported by the state.

— What if we admit that the state does not and never will have money?
— You can work without money. But to do this, the fish farm needs to grow about 300 tons of fish. The staff needs to be reduced to 20 people. Some of the fish will be obtained on natural feed. With such optimization there will be profit. But no one will allow you to take such a step... There is a food security program. And there are plans that need to be carried out.

* * *
For fishing, water is drained from the pond. This takes two weeks. A few hours before the start of the process, a passage is opened in a special chamber, the fish, feeling the fresh water, rushes inside. Then the chamber is closed, the water is drained, and the containers begin to be filled.

Fish farm workers put on overalls and climb into the camera. The trucks have already arrived, we can begin. Valera stands at the crane control panel and masterfully moves the bulky contraption. The crane, he says, is called “Pioneer,” but Valera doesn’t know why. What the hell difference does it make?

Several cars are filled to capacity. The joker Roman is the last to leave, having managed to tell an anecdote about Ilyich’s state farm, which collapsed. His tractor chugs funny, bouncing on potholes. Roman and company take the caught fish for sorting.

The main work will now take place there, and the fishermen are sitting down to have a snack. They lay out their secrets on the table. They talk about the weather, about autumn, about the day off and about the fact that there is still a lot to be done today. This evening, and the next, and many evenings after that, they will have to work hard. “What happens next?” — we ask the usual “urban” question about the future as we leave.

Then, they answer, winter will come, and it will be necessary to cut holes...

Sorting: caught fish are divided by type and weight. The carp we caught today, by the way, is two years old, so not very big

By the way
— Maybe fish farms will be able to earn more money from trout, which officials have decided to grow on a large scale in Belarus? - we asked the director of Novinok.
— In 2015, we also plan to build a trout complex. But there are no surprises in a packet of noodles! You need either money from the budget or cheap loans. Not yet. Besides, I think Belarus is not yet ready for trout. Those farms that will open soon will provide the country with trout anyway.

The problem is that Belarusians consume very little live fish. Firstly, we have not yet “matured”; Belarus is a developing country. Secondly, there is no culture of consumption. Here's an example. When I first started working, I was developing a sales strategy, I thought that the highest sales would be in rich Novopolotsk, and the lowest in poor Braslav and Naroch. But it turned out the other way around.

In Braslav we sell more, in Novopolotsk - less. The reason is that where people live near bodies of water, where they are accustomed to fish, they know how to cook it. Homemade herring is made from carp, canned food is prepared, and barbecue is prepared. In young cities there is no such culture and experience. If there had been an advertising campaign in the country, if fish had been centrally “promoted,” as they say now, the situation would have changed.

We are currently building a processing plant in Postavy. It is planned that there will also be a fish restaurant. But for this, however, you need free money. But they are not there. Therefore, the restaurant is still only a dream.

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The end of February in Belarus today turned out to be “fierce,” as this month should be by its name in the Belarusian calendar.

PHOTO FROM THE ARCHIVE OF FISH FARM “SELETS”

There is ice on the lakes, including the reservoirs of the OJSC Experimental Fish Farm Selets in the Brest Region. It is now low season on the fish farm. But even with a greater minus, here you can see live fish splashing in the water. Not just any sturgeon, sterlet and even beluga! Belarus, sturgeon and black caviar. Are you surprised to hear this? A SOYUZ correspondent went to the city of Belarusian power engineers, Beloozersk, to see how stereotypes are being destroyed.

In 2017, an experienced fish farm produced more than 112 tons of commercial sturgeon. Elite fish from Belarus was tried in Moscow, Smolensk, Izhevsk and Yaroslavl - the Belarusian fish farm sold 16 tons of sturgeon to Russia. In addition, fish farmers grew more than 13 tons of fish seed material. “Selets” meets the needs of all fish farms in Belarus for fry, and also supplies juvenile fish for export to the countries of the European Union and even to Russia, a country called the world center for breeding sturgeon fish.

Nets are hung on the banks of the warm canal in Beloozersk, and the canal itself is half occupied by fish-breeding platforms resembling mini-ponds. The air is minus, but the water here maintains a positive temperature. In mesh cages there are cupid and carp. In concrete - sturgeon and salmon. Artificial ponds are bubbling. Water flows from the pipes to prevent stagnation.

Temperature and oxygen levels are constantly monitored. The food is special. Once a year the fish are weighed. And soon it is planned to chip valuable breeds.

Ivan Mikhovich, head of the Beloozersky section of OJSC Experienced Fish Farm Selets, leads me to a cage with a beluga. If you don’t pay attention to the concrete walls of the reservoir and focus your gaze on the water, a fish of considerable size with long mustaches can be mistaken for a sea monster. All attempts by a fish farm worker to lift the beluga with a net so that I could appreciate the beauty of the largest freshwater fish were unsuccessful. Ivan Denisovich laughs at my fantasies:

In Belarus, no one but us raises beluga. Now we have fish worth 60 kilograms. And these are ten-year-old kids. Of the sturgeons, beluga grows the fastest and can grow up to two tons - such individuals are described in the literature. We brought the fry from Astrakhan. We are now creating our own broodstock. To do this, you need to keep the fish in our climatic conditions, then the offspring will be viable. Beluga spawns at the age of under 20 years. But in warm water, we hope, it reaches sexual maturity earlier.

If beluga is a curiosity for Belarus, then sterlet is an aboriginal fish. They say it was once a dime a dozen in rivers.
VIKTOR VASENIN

At the fish farm, belugas are practically tame. They swim up to the side, hoping for a treat. They are predators, and the most interesting thing to watch is when small fish are thrown at them. If beluga is a curiosity for Belarus, then sterlet is a native fish. They say it was once a dime a dozen in rivers.

Ivan Mikhovich complains that now you can’t see sterlet in natural conditions as often as before:

Sterlet is included in the Red Book of Belarus as an endangered species. Some rivers were stocked with fish with our help. They say the fishermen are already taking the bait. Sterlet grows up to 16 kilograms. The smallest species of sturgeon, but also the fastest to ripen.

A broodstock of sterlet and Lena sturgeon has already been created in Selets. In the future, the farm expects to launch the production of Belarusian black caviar. Theoretically, this is possible: fish farm specialists have already successfully produced an elite product, but it is too early to talk about mass production. Typically, sturgeon spawn in May–June, but in the warm water of the Berezovskaya GRES canal the process shifts to the first spring months. There are two years between caviar collections. If you milk more often, the quality of the caviar will deteriorate.

Sturgeon takes 3–4 years to reach the store counter and arrives there weighing 600 grams, although 250 grams is considered marketable. No one is waiting for the “royal fish” to reach a possible 100 kilograms.

By the way, sturgeon are grown not only in the experimental fish farm “Selets” in the Brest region. Fish farms operate successfully in the Minsk and Mogilev regions, although they are smaller than Selets.

Nikolai Barulin, head of the department of ichthyology and fish farming of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy, noted that previously professional fish farmers were trained only in Kaliningrad, and in 1995, the specialty “Agricultural and Industrial Fish Farming” was opened at the animal engineering faculty of the academy in Gorki, Mogilev region:

Belarus is actively creating its own scientific base for sturgeon breeding, since the state program until 2020 provides for an increase in the production of fish resources in water bodies countries up to 18,158 tons, including valuable fish species - up to 1,200 tons. Sturgeon production is an elite and promising area of aquaculture. In Belarus it is developing in three partially independent areas: caviar, meat and restoration of natural populations. We already produce black caviar for export, supplying it both to the West and to the East.

“Domestic” sturgeon herds are modern, but today a lot is being done to restore natural populations. In two last year The Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen stocked areas on Pripyat and the Dnieper with sterlet, releasing about 3 thousand individuals into the water. The fry were purchased using funds received from the payment of annual membership fees by amateur fishermen - members of the society.

By the way

Last summer, Russian specialists also stocked the Dnieper with sterlet - more than 30 thousand individuals were released into the water on a transboundary section of the river on the outskirts of Smolensk.

Today they remember last year’s consumer rush for fish at the Lyuban fish farm (Minsk region) with a sad sigh: if a year ago they managed to sell 800 kg of live fish a day, now on average it’s 200... The director of the fish farm, Sergei Makarenko, talks about this, showing TUT.BY journalists their possessions: 31 stocked ponds, located on 2.5 thousand hectares.

Why are people buying less Belarusian fish? How is it grown, how much do fish farm workers earn, and why do drivers leave despite their $500 salary? About this, as well as about how the fish farm fights against active fish eaters - cormorants, and about the “great and pure” cormorant love - in the report of our correspondent.

The life of a fish: from the larva to the "waiting room"

Today, about 10 species of fish are grown on the fish farm: carp, grass carp, silver carp, catfish, crucian carp, pike; from this year - also sturgeon and trout. This year, says the director of the fish farm, the plan is to grow 2.2 thousand tons, and the fish farm has already caught 1.4 thousand tons of fish.

Fish farming can take 2 or 3 years. “ In three years you can grow 1-1.5 kg of fish, but you also need to spend more, more feed When the larva is obtained, it is first planted in a nursery pond. We have 18 of these. There the larva develops for a season - from spring to autumn. During this time, the fingerlings grow up, become marketable fish, and in the spring we transplant them into a feeding pond. We have 13 of them.”

The larva itself can be obtained in two ways - artificial and natural. With natural things it seems clear: breeder fish - males and females - are planted in the pond, and they lay eggs. Under unfavorable conditions - for example, unlucky weather - the larvae are “produced” in the hatchery. Unfortunately, it was not possible to see it from the inside - at the time of our stay at the fish farm, the workshop was not working.

According to the director, most of the fish on the farm feed on compound feed: a special structure, similar to a catamaran, is lowered into the water into the feeding ponds, and compound feed is poured into it from above. “If the fish gets hungry, it swims up to the pins that are located at the bottom of the structure, as if tugging at them, and the feed is poured out to it.”, - says Sergei Makarenko. These are, simply put, self-feeders. On each pond, according to him, 17-18 such structures float.

Director of the Lyuban fish farm Sergei Makarenko

“For a fish to gain a kilogram of weight, it needs to eat 3.5 kg of feed, or even 4. We buy food in the spring and feed the fish from April to August.This year we purchased about 7 thousand tons of feed. And then we begin to “fish” the ponds, - says Sergei Makarenko. - Fishing lasts from August to November.".

The territory of the fish farm is divided into two parts - on one side there are ponds where the fish live, on the other there is an area where water is released when fishing - so that the fish remain in shallow water and can be caught with a seine. But not with networks, the director emphasizes. “The net spoils the fish, for example, the scales fall off, etc.,- he explains. - Here in one pond, for example, there are 100 tons of fish, try to catch them with nets!”

Water is drained using special iron hydraulic structures. According to the director, fish farms were initially built taking into account the features of the landscape: one part, where water is filled for fish, is higher than the place where the water is drained. This is how all fish farms were built, he adds.

True, from here the fish does not go straight to sale, but, as a rule, first for holding. “If it were for sale right away, there would be no problems. But after sorting, we send it to another pond, where it will wait in line for sale. The fish usually lives there even in winter, but no one feeds it, and, of course, what "The longer she waits there, the more weight she loses. This is not good for us."

This is what a fish holding area looks like:

Overexposure does not always occur in an indoor space. Only a small number of fish “wait” under the roof - most go to another “waiting room” - in the open air. These are 70 wintering ponds of 1.5 hectares each. These are the ponds:

Cormorants: "The one with the beak dives and feeds fish to the one without the beak."

Stuffed animals in sweatshirts, shirts and scarves are bright spots on the ponds. This is to scare away cormorants, the director explains.

“Usually we also wrap them with all sorts of shiny films, and when they sway in the wind, the cormorants are at least somehow afraid. And that’s not always the case. Usually they organize a “collective” hunt for the fish, drive them to shallow water, then dive and eat, he says. - Therefore, we are forced to fight cormorants. Our fish farm, like many others, has a certain quota for their shooting."

To confirm the killing of the bird, the beak and legs of the killed cormorant must be submitted to the fish farm. " Previously, hunters could put their paws into one fish farm and their beak into another.", says the director. If these are body parts of a gray heron, then the hunter receives 2 kg of fresh fish for them, if a cormorant - 3 kg. According to the director, hunters are not paid with money.

Drivers on "Live Fish" don't want to work for 5 million

The Lyuban fish farm puts the main emphasis in selling fish on “its” trade: at 2 o’clock in the morning every day or every few days the car is loaded with fish and the seller and driver in a car with the inscription “Live fish” go to the “destination”. In total, the fish farm does not have many vehicles - only 20 on-site.

The fish farm itself has few retail outlets: “Lyuban” works only in the Mogilev and Minsk regions. In Minsk, for example, the fish farm has its own “point” only in the Frunzensky district. Some of the products are sold at the Komarovsky market - in the company store of the Selets fish farm.

“That’s what the Ministry of Agriculture and Food decided. For example, the Brest region has six fish farms, so why should we go there?- says Sergei Makarenko. - We sell only 30% of our fish through stores, the rest we sell ourselves: we hire sellers and send them out to sell. Until all the fish are sold, the car does not return. If necessary, the seller and the driver stay at the hotel or spend the night somewhere else. Sometimes they stay for three days because they can’t sell.”

The fish farm has not yet entered foreign markets, they say in the marketing department. “We have recently been included in the register for the right to export our products to the countries of the Customs Union. Not all of the 19 state fish farms are included in this register, say the marketing department. - In the spring, Russian entrepreneurs are interested in our fish, because by spring they are already running out of it. But in general, Russia has enough of its own fish, so how successfully it will be possible to promote Belarusian fish is still difficult to predict.”

True, if there are enough sellers at the fish farm, then there is a problem with drivers. “They don’t want to work, even though they get 5 million”, - the director throws up his hands. At the same time, the fish farm admits that the driver’s job is not exactly a driver’s job. The driver does not just turn the steering wheel to the destination and back - he must also help the seller manage the fish, the marketing department explained to the TUT.BY correspondent.

Last year, the director recalls, “the fish were going well.” “But this is a little difficult. True, now milk and bread have risen in price, if meat also rises in price, then the demand for fish will be restored,- suggests Makarenko. - The sale of our fish does not depend in any way on the rise in price of vodka, but if the price of milk and meat rises, then they usually immediately begin to buy fish more actively.”

But there is not enough restaurant...

At the same time, the director of the fish farm believes that simply increasing the price of meat and milk will not be enough for the demand for fish to increase sharply. “We are already bringing the cheapest fish to the Mogilev region, small ones, but people apparently don’t have enough purchasing power. Sometimes we stay for three days and come back loaded with fish. If last year we sold 800 kg per day, then this year - 200 each, although the price has only changed by 10 thousand since last year: it was 20 thousand per kg, now it’s 30.”

However, prices are often higher. Sergei Makarenko agrees that it may be expensive, but there is no point in selling fish for less than 30 thousand per kilo, “otherwise we will simply work at a loss,” because the price of fish “does not come from heaven.”

"60% of the price of a kilogram of fish is the cost of feed, and itthe price has tripled compared to last year: from 900 rubles to 2,700 per kilogram. Of course, part of the workers’ salaries is included; the average for our fish farms is 3.6 million. In total, 450 million rubles have been allocated for salaries to the fish farms. We also pay off the loan for compound feed. After all, we took out a soft loan of 20 billion to buy fish feed, and now we pay 500 million in interest every month. Plus, fixed costs go to electricity, gasoline, car depreciation, taxes, etc.”. In total, the fish farm employs 160 people.

About 10% of the grown fish goes to the processing shop. “The fish is smoked, made into kebab, and marinated in pieces. Cold smoked products are entering the market and are now very popular.”, says Deputy Marketing Director Irina Adamchik.

According to Irina Adamchik, this year “fish slices, fillets and carp kebabs are in good demand, although these were only our trial batches.” “But there’s a problem with a ton of sturgeon raised for the first time. We’ve invested a lot in this fish, it’s very useful, but we can’t sell it yet - we’ve only sold half a ton.” Although it may also be a matter of price: not everyone can pay more than 100 thousand per kg of Belarusian sturgeon.

“Selling” fish through hypermarkets is not an option. And it’s not just about sturgeon - hypermarkets, according to Irina Adamchik, in principle take no more than 50 kg of fish for sale. "And they sell them for 2 weeks", the specialist adds.

“Why not open more of your own branded stores? Maybe people just don’t know you?” - I ask the director. But Sergei Makarenko is still skeptical about such prospects: maintaining a store is an expensive business: pay rent, utilities, etc., and a kilogram of fish, he says, will generally cost 40 thousand. “Who will buy it?” he asks. “In principle, our profitability is good - 14%. Some money is also brought in by organizing paid amateur fishing during the season. A fisherman pays 65 thousand for a ticket, its price includes 3 kg caught fish." On average, the fish farm said, about 150 people come per season.

So far, the fish farm has only one company store, and it is located next to the fish farm itself. “We recently modernized it - we made repairs, hired another salesperson, changed the opening hours - now seven days a week. And people actually began to buy more, but not by much - the store is small.”

Having walked around the expanses of Rybkhoz, I couldn’t understand everything - everything seemed to be well and clearly organized. And there’s a store right away where you can buy fresh food... And I realized that it’s good to buy fresh food locally, but it’s not enough: there’s clearly a lack of a branded, if not restaurant, then at least a cafe where chefs could delight guests with fish dishes. Even though Lyuban is a small town, with a population of just over 10 thousand, this kind of establishment would certainly be popular. If they built a couple more houses, people would come from all over Belarus. The fish farm agrees with this and says that in the near future there are plans to create something like a fish restaurant and open a canning shop.

Reference

There are 19 specialized organizations involved in fish farming in the Republic of Belarus. They have at their disposal 20 thousand hectares of artificial ponds in which carp, silver carp, carp, tench, pike, catfish are raised, as well as valuable commercial species - sturgeon and trout. The largest percentage (78%) of the total number of pond fish is marketable carp. In total, excluding imports, aquaculture products of the total amount of fish products in the republic are approximately 55%, taking into account all fish products entering the Belarusian market - 7%.