Cultivation of Helix pomatia grape snail in integration with pond fisheries

Abstract

The article considers the possibility of integrating pond fish farming with the cultivation of grape snail - a new promising direction of agricultural production in Russia. The biological features of H. pomatia allow it to be grown on dams of ponds and make it a promising object of integration into pond fish farms. At the first stages of the integration of the grape snail, a herd of 300 individuals was created at the experimental base of the Research Institute of Integrated Fish Farming, individuals from the local population were selected quite large (average weight 25.6 g), outwardly healthy with an intact shell. Snail feeding was carried out in an open fenced area of 16 m². The peculiarities of the nutrition of the grape snail were studied in laboratory and field conditions. It was found that the snail willingly eats dandelion, burdock, nettle, etc. growing on the dams of ponds. Promising objects for landing on dams and additional nutrition of the snail are-lettuce, zucchini, parsley. Along with the selection of the diet, the search for optimal parameters of illumination and humidity for an experienced herd of snails was carried out. When the temperature rises above the optimum and there is no precipitation, the humidity of the air and soil in the feeding area was maintained by regular sprinkling with water from the pond. The illumination was regulated by a system of canopies and shelters in the form of wooden shields. The soils of the dam are peat, so additional liming is required, and bone flour, crushed eggshells can be used as a source of calcium for the formation of the shell. Grape snails are hermaphrodites, but during mating there is an exchange of sexual products, so the total number of producers required for obtaining offspring is 2 times less than when breeding different-sex individuals. The snail spawning took place in the feeding area, the caviar is large with a mass of 0.15 g and a diameter of 6.14 mm. Wintering is also possible at the feeding site during preliminary preparatory measures.