What fish to breed in Central Russia? Fish farming as a business. General information about the reproduction and growth of crucian carp What fish grow up to 1 kg

Almost all fishermen first of all pay attention to the weight and size of the caught trophy, without thinking about the age of the fish, how to determine it, and how the fish grows in general. In this article we will try to answer these questions.

The age of a fish is usually called its life cycle. For some, it is short, like pink salmon, which, having reached sexual maturity at one and a half years, spawns and dies (and there are dwarf coral fish, whose life cycle is just over 3 weeks), or very long, like some sturgeon and sharks. Their cycle can reach up to 150 years

Unlike many representatives of the flora, fish grow throughout their lives.

The growth of a fish is an increase in its size and mass. The growth rate depends on the type of fish; there are fast-growing ones and vice versa. The habitat also significantly influences growth: availability of food, water composition, pressure from predatory fish, climatic conditions, anthropogenic impact, and others. If the situation in the reservoir is favorable, then the fish can live to “old age” and die a natural death.

How fast does pike grow?

There are known cases of catching very large specimens of pike weighing 50 kg and 180 cm long. Its lifespan is approximately 30 years. It grows differently depending on age. Usually, 3-4 weeks after spawning, pike fry 3-4 cm in size appear from the eggs. If in the first year of life it reaches a length of 25-30 cm and weighs up to 300 grams, in the second year - 25-45 cm weighing up to 1.5 kg. In the third year it grows up to 60 cm and can reach a weight of just over 2 kg. A ten-year-old pike can weigh 10 kg with a length of 1 meter. The above factors also influence its growth. In cold times, especially in winter, pike growth slows down.

Her gluttony is justified - she must “gobble up” 15-20 kg of food in order to increase her weight by 1 kg. And it is very important what kind of food it is. The larger the predator, the larger the prey must be, otherwise, in pursuit of small things, the pike will spend more energy than it receives from the prey.

Males reach maturity at 1-2 years, females at 2-3 years. The female is always larger than her male counterpart.

How long does perch grow?

The largest specimen of perch caught was half a meter long and weighed almost 6 kg. His age was 23 years. Perch grows very slowly. In the first year its size is about 5 cm, at 6 years - 20 cm. The growth rate is greatly influenced by external factors. In a small reservoir with a small food supply it grows more slowly, but in large ones it grows faster; in the first year it can grow up to 12 cm. To gain weight of 1 kg, it must eat almost 5 kg of food. At 2 years old, the average perch is 11 cm long and weighs 23 grams. By the age of 9 – 29 and 580, respectively. Stripes on the sides of the perch appear when they grow from 20 to 25 mm. The predatory lifestyle usually begins in the second year. Adult females are always larger than yearling males.

How long does trout grow?

Trout has many subspecies, the main ones in the country being brook and rainbow trout. Pied (or rainbow) trout grow quite quickly in the first years of life; with an average life cycle of 12 years, they reach a weight of 12 kg. In the first year, its weight is approximately 25 grams. The pestle reaches maturity at 3-4 years. Rainbow trout, especially Canadian trout, grow even faster when bred in ponds; one-year-old individuals reach a weight of 125 grams by one year, and by one and a half they already have a marketable weight.

How long does sturgeon grow?

The size of the sturgeon is impressive. Its length can reach 6 meters and weigh more than 800 kg. Sturgeon grows very slowly and matures too late. Depending on the subspecies, males become mature at the age of 5 to 18 years, females - from 8 and even up to 21 years. The largest subspecies of sturgeon is beluga or kaluga; at the age of 15 years they can weigh a ton with a length of more than 4 meters; there have been specimens weighing up to 2 tons with a height of 9 meters.

How long does carp grow?

This fish is a fast-growing fish. Under favorable conditions, carp reaches a weight of more than 50 grams in the first year, 800 in the second, and 1.2 kg in the third. Its length reaches 18 cm in a year, and up to 51 cm in 5 years. At 10 years, carp can reach 70 cm and 7 kg. The life cycle can be more than 15 years. Maturity of males occurs after 3 years, females - after 4.

How long does a catfish grow?

This is the largest freshwater fish. There are known cases of catching catfish weighing 400 kg. In the first 5-6 years of life, it is a fast-growing fish, then the growth rate slows down significantly. In just the first month they grow up to 15 cm. By their first autumn their weight reaches 600 grams. During the first five-year period, the catfish doubles its weight per year, then the growth rate decreases. A 50-year-old catfish weighs approximately 120-130 kg, and individuals over 250 kg are at least 100 years old.

How to determine the age of a fish

There is a popular joke among fishermen on this topic. You need to determine the age of a fish by its eyes. The further they are from the tail, the older the fish. But in fact, determining the age of the trophy is not very difficult and is accessible to most curious people. As in determining the age of a tree, the growth rings are counted to determine the age of a fish.

They can be seen on scales, gill covers, otoliths, vertebrae, and sections of pectoral fin rays. The easiest way is by scales. It is necessary to take undeformed scales, but not along the lateral line of the fish, clean them and, using a magnifying glass or microscope, count the annual rings. You can also determine whether the fish grew quickly or slowly in a given year. If the fish does not have scales or is very small, then the count can be made by gill covers, vertebrae, etc. A prerequisite is the treatment of surfaces - it is necessary to dry, degrease, and sometimes lighten them.

What kind of fish grows quickly at home?

It is best to breed fast-growing species. The most popular fish for breeding in ponds is carp. They also breed crucian carp, carp, silver carp, catfish, sturgeon of all types, pike, whitefish, trout, pike perch and others. Most of them grow quickly and many are unpretentious to their living conditions. Popularity depends on the speed of growth, nutritional value and the effort expended to create favorable conditions.

Special farms are being created that are engaged in fish breeding and commercial fishing. There are farms that breed fish for the organization of paid fishing, where fishing enthusiasts can amuse their souls in a pond, knowing for sure that there is fish in it. The rest depends on skill.

When breeding fish in a pond, the best results are shown by carp, which can gain weight up to 1 kg in a year, crucian carp - 300 grams. Cupid at the age of 1.5 years can weigh up to 10 kg, but in order to breed it, certain conditions must be met. Silver carp can grow up to 2 kg over the summer, whitefish - 400 grams.

We hope that the information presented in this article will be of interest not only to fishing enthusiasts, but also to everyone who loves nature.

Carp originated in Asia, most notably in China, and were used as food as early as 1000 BC. From China it came to Japan, and later to Europe, both as an ornamental fish and as food.

Carp breeding occupies a very important place in fish farming. Carp grows quickly if the temperature in the reservoir is favorable and the fish receives the required amount of food. Carps take root well in warm water ponds, are not picky about water quality and can easily tolerate short periods with some oxygen deficiency. In winter, carp enter a state similar to hibernation and begin to worry only when there is a severe lack of oxygen - they can die if there is a prolonged lack of oxygen.

From an economic point of view, carp breeding is profitable due to its rapid growth and low demands on living conditions. It reaches a marketable weight of 1.5 - 2.0 kg at the age of two. Grows to a weight of 20 kg at the age of 15-20 years. Carps live a long time (according to some sources, more than 200 years). They can reach significant sizes and weight. The natural productivity of carp in ponds is up to 2 c/ha. The carp has good meatiness, the meat is of high quality. It is grown both naturally and artificially. Reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years. Fertility up to 1.5 million eggs.

Carp inhabits the waters of the Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral seas. It is found in the rivers Danube, Dnieper, Don, Kuban, Ural, Kura and Volga. Distributed in the basins of the Amur and some rivers of China. The carp has a strong, long, not very tall body, thick in the front and covered with large scales. In the elongated dorsal fin, all rays are soft, except for the anterior, serrated bony ray. The carp has three-row pharyngeal teeth with a well-developed chewing plate.

Carp are extremely hardy. It can withstand exposure to slightly oxygenated water well. During the winter cold, when rivers and lakes are covered with thick ice, the carp goes into real hibernation. Having settled down in the recesses, on the pits, it “dresses” in a kind of “fur coat” made of a thick layer of mucus. All winter carp are in a torpor. Carps do not feed in winter. The number of respiratory movements of the gill covers decreases from 40-45 to 3-4. Digestion slows down and then stops completely, and metabolism decreases greatly.

Breeding carp at home

Cyprinids occupy a leading position in freshwater aquaculture in terms of the quantity of fish produced. Ponds, fish hatcheries and other reservoirs, including rice paddies, are used for carp breeding. The following breeds are bred: scaly carp, mirror carp (with scales scattered throughout the body), linear carp (with scales located along the lateral line), naked carp (without scales), Ukrainian framed carp and Ukrainian scaly carp. Carp can be cultivated either separately in monoculture or together with accompanying species (white and gray carp, grass carp, tench) and predators (catfish, pike perch and pike). Depending on the type of nutrition and the use of ichthyological measures, three carp breeding systems are distinguished: - extensive, semi-intensive (or semi-extensive), intensive

Extensive carp breeding system

The extensive system involves breeding carp on the basis of natural food (zooplankton and bottom fauna). The advantage of this system is low production costs. The disadvantage is the slight increase per unit area (from 300 to 700 kg), which leads to a constant reduction in carp production when using this system

Semi-intensive carp breeding system

The semi-intensive system is based on providing most of the protein components in carp feeds through natural feeds, the development of which is stimulated by various agrotechnical measures, while the energy requirement is largely satisfied by carbohydrate additives to feeds (wheat, barley, corn, etc. .). The productivity achieved when using carbohydrate additives varies from 700 to 1400 kg/ha. The advantage of this system is, first of all, better use of the available water areas. The disadvantage of this system is evidenced by the fact that during periods of optimal temperature conditions (June - the first half of October) there is not enough protein in the food for carp growth (natural food and carbohydrate additives to food) due to the natural depression of natural food. The best way to solve this problem is to feed the carp with complex feeds (compound feeds).

Intensive carp breeding system

In an intensive system, the main emphasis is placed on complex feeds (compound feeds) with a higher protein content (from 30% to 40% proteins). Along with the requirements for complex feeds, a high stocking density also implies additional aeration of the water in the fish pond or ensuring the flow of water through the pond. The productivity in earthen objects provided by this method of breeding ranges from 3 to 20 or more tons per hectare of water surface. The advantage of such production is the maximum use of the available area for fish breeding and high productivity per unit surface. The disadvantage is a greater risk of the spread of disease, as well as increased contamination of the water in the pond, and, as a consequence, the water in the receiver.

A special type of intensive production is the system of carp breeding in cage complexes (cage type) . This breeding system ensures low start-up investment for cage production, a small number of workers, high fish productivity per unit volume and profitable production. The disadvantage is the easy spread of diseases and increased pollution (which can be eliminated by installing a protective system) of the aquatic ecosystem in which the cage complex is installed.

And at the end of the article, we invite you to watch a video about carp fishing, which you can catch in your pond, enjoy watching!

Catching Carp with a Float Rod.

We hope breeding carp at home will bring you considerable benefits.

Growth conditions
Compared to other cyprinids, carp is a fast-growing fish. This circumstance, along with other valuable qualities, guarantees the advantage of breeding it in pond farming. The growth of carp largely depends on temperature, food rations and stocking density in the pond. Fish productivity is characterized by the increase in fish per unit area.

In winter, carp usually do not grow, with the exception of wintering areas with sources of warm water at a temperature of 8 ° C, in which the fish should be fed with pellets.

In pond farming, when growing fish, they focus primarily on market demands. Therefore, they strive to obtain the maximum fish yield from the usable area. Fingerlings of marketable carp have a length of 6-15 cm, two-year-olds - 23-24 cm, each weighing 250-450 g. Marketable carp should reach a weight of one individual from 1250 to 1500 g with a length of 38-41 cm.

There is a certain relationship between the length of a fish and its mass. The logarithmic relationship between them has the form of a straight line, which means that if the length of the fish is known, then its mass can be determined quite accurately, and vice versa. Steffens (GDR), based on the results obtained in Saxon pond farms, provides the following data

The fatness coefficient is directly proportional to the water temperature. For example, in wintering ponds it is sometimes much less than in summer ones. Thus, Scheperklaus determined the fatness coefficient of a fish school in the fall to be 1.9, and in the spring - 1.6. A decrease in the fatness coefficient due to weight loss to 1.4 leads to large losses of two-year-olds.

Planting Density

This refers to the number of fish that are planted per unit area equal to 1 hectare. Stocking density depends on the age of the fish. In medium-sized shallow-water fry ponds (64), in which the larvae are raised in conditions of good food

Howling base is only a few weeks, with good preparation of the pond, i.e. tillage of the soil, application of fertilizers, 200,000-300,000 or more grown carp fry are obtained from 1 hectare (with losses of 50-60%).

Fry in such first-order nursery ponds are raised to fingerlings (Ki) (65) from July until the following spring, provided that the pond is deep enough to serve as a wintering area. With good preparation of ponds and minor losses (up to 30%), you can get 25,000-35,000 carp fingerlings per hectare. Record yields of fingerlings in ponds on sandy soils, amounting to 75,000-100,000 per 1 ha, were obtained using Hornoska complete organic-based fertilizer. In this case, granules were used as feeding. Timely renewal of pond water also had a beneficial effect on the growth of fingerlings.

Two-year-old carp are raised in second-order nursery ponds, which are usually drained in winter. The average productivity of these ponds is 2000-3000 two-year-old carp per 1 hectare, and the maximum value reaches 5,000 two-year-old carp per hectare. Average losses in these ponds are 10-15%.

Growth control

To control the growth of fish in ponds, a cape net (66) is used.

Before control fishing, feed should be added to the feeding area. When the fish are gathered in the feeders, the fishkeeper carefully approaches and throws the net along a curve. If the water is clear, the shadow of the net drives away the fish, making it difficult to catch them. It is also difficult to catch them if there is no food in the feeder yet or the feeder is already empty.

However, there are not enough fish caught in the cap net to draw correct conclusions about growth during the control intervals. In addition, only large fish can be caught with a cast net. If you plan the future feeding ration, focusing on large fish, then in the fall you can get productivity that differs from the planned one.

A more reliable method of control is control fishing with a seine (67). Food is brought into the space covered by the net. After 1 - 1.5 hours, two people remove the seine. The catch usually contains a large number of fish. Based on their average weight, one can make a fairly accurate conclusion about growth, on the basis of which subsequent feed rations are calculated.

Since weight gain largely depends on stocking density, fish at low stocking densities are larger than at high stocking densities. Smaller carp reared at high stocking densities, when there is strong food competition, are called “stunted”. This stunting is not associated with disease and does not have a negative effect on subsequent growth. And if these fish are placed in favorable living conditions, they will grow well.

However, there are often carps that are “stunted in growth” not because of food competition, but because of hereditary causes or past diseases. They grow poorly even in favorable conditions. It is recommended to remove such fish without attempting to nurse them. Therefore, sorting during catches should include not only sorting by age classes, but also the rejection of stunted specimens.

The growth of carp can not only be restrained, but also promoted. The point of intensive fish farming is to produce so-called “stimulated” fish, i.e., through rational feeding, to grow larger carp with less losses over the same period of time. This method will be even more progressive if spawning is carried out in a warm-water nursery. Then growing commercial carp will last 2 years instead of the usual 3 years. This method cannot be considered unnatural, since the results of carp breeding in southern countries clearly show that what we achieve with warm water is obtained there under natural conditions.

Planting of different ages. Basically, ponds are stocked only with fish of the same age. However, there is an opinion that when planting two age groups, greater fish productivity can be obtained, since only small, and not large, fish can find food in the shallow areas of the pond.

The planting of one age group is explained primarily by preventive considerations, since epidemics spread more strongly with a two-age planting than with a single-age planting. It is easier, as has happened in practice more than once, to isolate and neutralize fish of one age group than 2 generations at once. But if the pond has clearly defined zones with different depths, then perhaps you should not refuse to plant two age groups. In this case, both groups must differ sharply from each other in size, otherwise sorting during fishing will be difficult.

When buying crucian carp in a store or at the market, any housewife chooses a larger fish. It is not surprising that fish farmers who specialize in breeding fish in reservoirs are asking a very pressing question: how quickly does crucian carp grow?

The growth of crucian carp depends on many factors, and ignoring any of them can have a negative impact

What a fish farmer needs to know

Crucian carp may not get along with all of its “neighbors” in a pond. Therefore, before you start breeding fish in your summer cottage, you need to arm yourself with special knowledge and provide optimal conditions for these unique pets. Moreover, you need to know at what time of the year it is better to release the fry into the reservoir and how much growth the fish will give in a year.

Among the main factors contributing to the successful development of fisheries are the following:

Any fresh water body is suitable for breeding crucian carp, regardless of the region of our country.
Good adaptive properties of crucian carp.
Low requirements for the quality of the external environment (a tributary of a lake, river, or even an ordinary swamp is suitable for breeding crucian carp).
Quick adaptation to changes in water temperature.
Availability of natural food in reservoirs.
Resistance of this fish species to aquatic diseases.
Opportunity to organize a profitable business.

Crucian carp can be crossed with carp, thereby obtaining larger individuals

It is known that crucian carp has high immunity. In particular, diseases such as rubella and branchiomycosis, which many fish suffer from for many years, are easily tolerated by crucian carp. The problem with fish farming is the small proportion of males compared to females.

This is a genetic feature of the family, and to breed crucian carp, fish farmers use another, no less significant property of the fish. By combining carp and carp in one reservoir, and knowing well how many fish need to be released, it is possible to achieve reproduction based on crossing female crucian carp with males of other fish. It is important that male fish and tall female crucian carp fish match in size. Such offspring grow quickly and gain weight more actively.

To determine the efficiency calculation, you must first study the varieties of this fish, which is divided into 2 main types:

gold;
silver.

The growth of crucian carp depends on its variety

Perhaps the most important issues when breeding fish are the following:

how much does commercial fish weigh?
how quickly it reproduces;
how quickly crucian carp reproduce and grow.

Silver crucian carp reproduce much faster than gold crucian carp. So, at the age of 1 year, this fish weighs from 6 to 8 grams, at two years the weight reaches 50 grams, and by the age of three it weighs about 100 grams. If under normal conditions the weight of commercial crucian carp is usually 500 grams, then in special favorable conditions such a pet grows more actively and can gain weight up to 5 kg.

Where do crucian carp live?

If there are too many goldfish in a reservoir and no other species of fish at all, then over time they can degenerate into a smaller breed, with a large head and a small overall weight.

The silver crucian species is more preferable for breeding due to its survival rate, regardless of habitat

Silver crucian carp is more adapted to survive in different bodies of water; its weight usually does not deviate from 1 kg. By the age of three, these individuals weigh about 250 grams, which is 2.5 times the weight of goldfish of the same age.

Experienced fishermen and fish breeders know well how many offspring fish farmers get when breeding fish. Thus, from crucian carp you can successfully obtain different types of fish as a result of crossing. Wild crucian carp have become good donors for many types of aquarium fish, distinguished by amazing shapes, colors and different sizes. Therefore, crucian carp every year become the subject of many scientific conferences, theoretical studies and practical experiments.

The Far Eastern rivers, lakes and reservoirs of Siberia contain tons of commercial fish, the most popular of which is crucian carp. Along with more valuable fish species, it has become an object of commercial activity and a sought-after raw material for catering establishments. In addition to the Siberian district, crucian carp have adapted well to the climate of the European part of the country. Fish are successfully bred in specialized reservoirs, river tributaries, lake backwaters, etc.

Crucian carp can live in a wide variety of water bodies and areas

Newly created reservoirs in any region of the country make it possible to breed new species of crucian carp every year by crossing individuals of different breeds. For fans of sport fishing, private fishing and fish breeding in conditions close to natural, it is useful to familiarize yourself with special literature that has accumulated special knowledge about the breeds and life of fish. According to the generally accepted classification, it includes, among others, freshwater fish - crucian carp. The geography of their distribution is quite extensive - Europe, North America, Africa and other countries.

Within the group, crucian carp belong to the genus carp. Golden (also known as common) crucian carp has a dark color on the back, while the belly is lighter. The main feature of the common crucian carp is its relatively short intestine. These fish use sweet clover as food: various larvae, small invertebrates, and algae. The gills of crucian carp allow it to feed on plankton, filtering the water well.

Population of silver crucian carp

It should be noted that algae and small invertebrate organisms are digested more quickly by the fish’s intestines, therefore individuals that feed primarily on plankton differ from their relatives in body length. Large crucian carp are distributed mainly in Siberia and the European part of the country. If we are talking about the Far East, then its numbers here are small. It lives in a few swamps, small lakes and slow-flowing rivers.

Goldfish are able to survive in a wide variety of conditions

The silver crucian carp is more adapted to the conditions of the harsh Siberian climate, which successfully reproduces in both small and fairly large reservoirs, no matter how many degrees it is “overboard”.

Silver crucian carp are more hardy, not whimsical and spawn well every year in any fresh and even brackish water. How much silver carp grows in a year depends on the conditions of detention, weather, the breed of males and their productivity. A decrease in the amount of oxygen in water, changes in temperature and acidity of water are not a particular obstacle to their reproduction.

Even if the water temperature drops to zero degrees, crucian carp will be able to survive. In conditions of polluted ponds and wetlands, it is able to survive and reproduce, unlike other types of fish. Increasing in weight up to 200 - 300 grams per year, crucian carp is particularly resilient when there is a lack of air in the water.

The ability of crucian carp to quickly change weight and create various bizarre shapes distinguishes these fish from other freshwater fish. Their bodies are so flexible that aquarium enthusiasts have grown amazing specimens: telescopes, comets, veiltails and other fish species. Japanese and Chinese fish farmers bred a unique breed of goldfish, the ancestors of which were golden carp.

Crucian carp is able to reproduce even in a polluted reservoir and at low temperatures

Fish farmers should know that at the age of 3-4 years, crucian carp are ready to reproduce. If you provide special care - abundant feeding and optimal water temperature, then the fish begin to mature at the age of two. At the same time, if the water temperature drops to a level below average, then sexual maturation of individuals may be delayed for a year.

How many times do females spawn?

For goldfish to spawn, the water temperature should not fall below 14 degrees, but the optimal temperature is still considered 18 degrees Celsius. Females spawn in 3 stages, with a ten-day break. Spawning usually begins in May and can last until August.

It is noteworthy that golden carp spawn faster than silver carp, but they are less fertile. Thus, a female silver crucian carp lays about 400 thousand eggs, while a golden crucian carp lays “only” 300 thousand. How many eggs will survive depends on how actively the crucian carp is growing.

The eggs laid in reservoirs are fertilized by males and, attached to algae, mature within a week. Schools of goldfish reproduce well in ponds every year, with the number of females significantly outnumbering males. In this case, females can interbreed with individuals of other fish species, carp, for example.

The golden type of crucian carp lays fewer eggs than the silver type

In the Far East, a relative advantage of females is noted, but closer to the Urals this balance is disturbed even more. For reasons that are still unclear, males die faster than females, so scientists use biological schemes for crossing different breeds of fish, thanks to which they obtain large, completely new varieties.

In conditions unfavorable for carp, hybrids reproduce well, spawn and raise offspring. Scientists have noticed an amazing feature: heredity on the maternal side is significantly superior to the paternal line. Due to this feature, female crucian carp survive cooling temperatures, pollution of water bodies and other “life difficulties” much better.

At the same time, good physical characteristics, rapid growth and the ability to adapt to unfavorable conditions are passed down through the paternal line. In this regard, fish farmers for breeding try to use healthy and strong male carp, carp and other individuals that do not differ significantly in size from female crucian carp. During the year of living together, the fish manage to spawn three times.

Crossing individuals of carp with crucian carp is considered effective.

Ponds and reservoirs in which carp do not take root are successfully used by fish farmers to raise crucian carp. If other fish cannot tolerate stagnant water and salty soils, then silver crucian carp is bred in ponds as the main fish.

In the conditions of the Far North, where other fish species (carp, carp) cannot survive due to low temperatures, silver crucian carp are bred in large quantities. When crossing fish, it is very important to take into account the types of food consumed, because... with heterogeneous food, conflicts within the flock are minimized.

To raise fish for commercial purposes, you can use pond farms previously used for carp breeding. If carp are removed from the water due to illness, then crucian carp is used to “treat” the reservoir. It is less susceptible to disease, resistant to temperature changes and is not whimsical.

Silver crucian carp is able to resist many diseases, while other fish die in such conditions

If we talk about how much benefit there is in the ratio of the edible and inedible parts of the fish, then crucian carp uses up to 60% of the product. It tastes good and is healthy. Its composition contains 18% protein, with a fat content of 7%.

In order for the usefulness of fish to be used effectively, it is crossed and more resistant varieties are obtained, larger in weight and resistant to disease. In large fish farms, specialists ensure that crucian carp reproduce quickly and bring the expected results. The natural plasticity of crucian carp is successfully used by fish breeders to breed valuable species.

If the cultivation of crucian carp is carried out purposefully, then the minimum hatching period is 3 years. With good feeding and optimal water temperature, this fish is capable of gaining record weight, from 1 to 5 kg. After this, the fish farm can become self-sufficient.

The rules for catching crucian carp can be found below:

The Lyuban fish processing plant has been providing consumers with its products for more than fifty years. Today, carp, grass carp, silver carp, pike, and catfish splash in its ponds. "Kur"er visited the enterprise and found out what path the fish takes to get to the table of the residents of the region.

“The entire growing process takes place at the fish processing plant: from eggs to commercial fish,” said Sergey Makarenko, Director of OJSC "Fish-processing plant "Lyuban". — How does our fish grow? For example, in the spring we received a carp larva, it grew to 30 grams. The next year we transplant it to another pond, it grows there to 120 grams. Then in the third year we transfer it to a new pond, feed it, the carp grows to 1000 grams.”

As the interlocutor said, there is a two-year rotation for carp cultivation, and there is a three-year one. In the first case, the fish are grown up to 500 grams and sent for sale, in the second case, the carp gains more than a kilogram.

“For a fish to grow to 1 kg, it must eat 3-4 kg of feed. While the fish is gaining its marketable weight, it needs to be transplanted three times from one pond to another (for winter and summer).”

Is it expensive to buy Belarusian fish? “The cost includes the cost of feed (today it is 4,000 rubles per kg), workers’ salaries, the cost of electricity, automobile fuel,” says Sergei Makarenko and laments that this year it was not possible to send fish for export to Russia.

“Last year we supplied our goods to the Smolensk and Pskov regions. But due to the collapse of the Russian ruble, Belarusian fish has become more expensive. And the Russians stopped buying it,” says the head of the plant.

OBLOV. The area of the pond from which fish are caught today is 162.4 hectares. The water is first drained into the reserve channel, and the fish are sent to two fish collection channels. Then the workers drag the catch with seines to the final point of fishing - the gateway of the sorting workshop. Photo: Anna Leshchenko

SORTING. The catch is sent to the sorting workshop. Here fish are divided by size and type - carp, silver carp, grass carp, crucian carp, pike. Photo: Anna Leshchenko

WHAT IS FOR SALE AND WHAT IS FOR PROCESSING. After sorting, some containers are sent to the processing workshop, others to a special pond, where the fish will wait in line for sale. Photo: Anna Leshchenko

Fish in numbers

Carp fry

in the first year of its life it grows up to 30 g,
in the second - up to 120−500 g,
in the third - up to 1 kg.

Commercial carp grows for 2-3 years.

The largest specimens for sale:

carp - 1.2 kg
grass carp - 0.8 kg
silver carp - 3.5 kg
pike – 1.7 kg
som - 15 kg

To grow a fish to 1 kg, it needs to be fed 3-4 kg of feed.

A sexually mature female carp in the fifth year of life is transferred to breeding stock and is used for 5-6 years. Such individuals weigh up to 10 kg.

NO WASTE: EVERYTHING GOES TO BUSINESS. In the processing shop, fish are cleaned and cut up. There is no waste production here, nothing is thrown away. The heads go into sets for fish soup, the insides are taken by the poultry farm for meat and bone meal. And the carcasses are sent for further processing. Carp and silver carp are used to make frozen semi-finished products, shashlik in buckets and smoked delicacies. But grass carp is only smoked. Photo: Anna Leshchenko

COOK AND SELL. The company store of the fish processing plant “Live Fish” carries out three daily plans on Fridays and Saturdays in the summer and autumn. “Mushroom pickers or tourists from Slutsk and Soligorsk go to the forest and back. They come to us to buy fish. There are often Minsk residents who come to the villages to visit relatives,” Sergei Makarenko says about the buyers. Photo: Anna Leshchenko

How much is fish from Luban residents?

As of mid-November, the Lyuban fish processing plant sells fish at the price (per 1 kg):

carp - from 29,400 to 43,600 rubles
crucian carp - from 17,300 to 21,800 rubles
white cupid - from 37,000 to 41,800 rubles
som - 62,500 rubles
pike - from 39,600 to 50,300 rubles

Why didn’t sturgeon and trout go?

As I told you Lyudmila Yesimchik, chief fish farmer of the enterprise, several years ago they tried to grow sturgeon and trout here, but the process did not take off.

“The cultivation of these valuable fish species has its own technological features,” she noted. — Trout and sturgeon need to be constantly supplied with cold artesian water, but our well did not allow this. In addition, this fish needs special feed, which is produced only abroad, which means they had to be purchased in foreign currency. Due to the high protein content, imported feed also spoiled quickly. Therefore, we decided not to deal with sturgeon and trout and sent the fish for processing in June-July.”

Photos: Anna Leshchenko

Sergey Makarenko, Director of OJSC Fish Processing Plant Lyuban

Recipe for readers of "Kur"era

How can you cook carp deliciously? Quite simple, especially if you take the recipe for carp with onions and apples. Such carp will certainly be remembered by you for its original taste, incredible softness and tenderness, say the workers of the Lyuban fish processing plant.

Carp with onions and apples

For this dish you need to take one carp, 200 ml of milk, about 0.6 liters of fish broth, half a kilogram of apples, 100 g of flour. You will also need 3 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar, 5 sprigs of thyme, 2 tbsp. l. sugar, 1 bay leaf, 1 onion, 3 cloves, 2 tbsp. l. butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Clean and gut the fish. Cut into pieces about 2 cm thick. Place in a container, pour in milk, to which salt and ground black pepper have been added. Keep for 15 minutes.

Cut the onion into half rings, fry, peel the apples, cut into large pieces, add to the onion. Fry for a couple of minutes.

Remove the carp from the milk, put onions and apples on top. Add spices. Pour in the broth and simmer for about 10 minutes, covered.

It might be useful to read: