Current status of paddlefish aquaculture development, constraints and future prospects in the world and Russia: a brief review

Abstract

The current investigation presents the state and prospects for the development of the American paddlefish aquaculture in the world and Russia. The history of American paddlefish culture as a promising invasive species was recorded outside its native ranges in Russia and around the world, especially, Eastern Europe and China. The leading role of the successful Russian trials during the Soviet Union era in the central and southern regions of the country had a significant impact in preserving this species off extinction and even developing the prospects for its cultivation. The historical data on the first three shipments of paddlefish planting material in the 1970s from the United States to the Soviet Union, the stages of acclimatization of this species and the issuance of Russian scientists who made a significant contribution to the development of this fish breeding object are described in detail. The article presents the current state of paddlefish aquaculture, it is indicated that in the presence of a number of restrictions for the large-scale development of paddlefish aquaculture in the country, there are currently about 20 farms engaged in this fish farming object, both for the purpose of experimental and breeding activities, and for obtaining marketable products. But at the same time, it is extremely difficult to judge the state of paddlefish aquaculture due to the lack of statistical data on production volumes from farms, private ownership, which makes it difficult to assess the main fish-breeding indicator — fish productivity of pond areas. Unfortunately, despite a number of advantages of paddlefish for cultivation in water bodies of Russia, aquaculture of this fish species still does not receive proper development for many reasons, and primarily due to the lack of effective technologies for processing marketable fish for the production of gourmet products and extremely weak marketing and advertising activities.