CHARACTERISTICS OF FISH FARMING MANAGEMENT AT THE DANUBE LAKES AND PROSPECTS FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Problem. The Danube lakes have always been important water bodies both in terms of biodiversity conservation and restoration of water bioresources. The total area of the Danube lakes (Kahul, Kartal, Yalpuh, Kuhurlui, Katlabuh, Kytai), used as SCFFs, exceeds 44,000 ha. The exploitation of aquatic biological resources within the majority of the Danube lakes is carried out by special commercial fish farms (SCFFs). Unfortunately, the efficiency of using aquatic bioresources in this mode is not always effective.The purpose of the research was to study the current status of fishery at the Danube Lakes and prospects for its development under possible legislative changes.Material and methods. The research was carried out in the framework of the project “The Development of an Optimal Model for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Aquatic Bioresources of the Danube Lakes Adapted to Climate Change” funded within the Programme for the Scientific-technical Projects of Institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for 2019. The analysis was based on the data of statistical reports relating to the catch volume of aquatic bioresources, SCFFs Regimes and field surveys at the Danube lakes.Main results of the research. Averagely, for the period 2014-2018, the planned indicators of the catch volume of aquatic bioresources (ABR) in the SCFFs, built on the Danube water bodies, were reached by 17-77%. Nowadays, the structure of commercial catches in the lakes includes only a low percent of artificially introduced fish species. According to the statistics, only in two SCFFs (Kahul and Katlabuh), their catches exceed those of indigenous species. In other fisheries their proportion constitutes approximately 30%, i.e. the catches are based on the exploitation of natural aquatic bioresources of the lakes. The research substantiates the necessity to reform approaches to functioning of the SCFFs on the large waterbodies.Conclusions. A current status and operation regime of SCFFs at the Danube Lakes is unsatisfactory and does not comply with the requirements of regulatory documents. Assignment of a “commercial fishing area” to a particular user of aquatic biological resources for a term of up 25 years may be applied as a possible form for the exploitation of fishing resources of such water bodies.