Prospects for the cultivation of Australian red claw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus on warm waters of energy facilities

Abstract

River crayfish - a delicious food product. On the caloric content (72kcal/100g), the content of fats (2.83%), protein (17.13%) and vitamins of group B (thiamine, riboflavin, etc.), crayfish are not inferior to freshwater fish, and by a number of parameters exceed them. Meat of crayfish is rich in sulfur, phosphorus, iron, cobalt, magnesium, fluorine, potassium, selenium, chromium, calcium and vitamins of group B (B12, B6, B2, B1, B9,), C, E, K, PP and D. There is practically no cholesterol in it, but there are a lot of organic acids. A promising target of cultivation, both in Russia and abroad, is currently the Australian red-cheeked crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. It is cultivated in such countries as: China, Brazil, Ecuador, America, and others. Currently, in spite of the presence of active crayfish farms in Russia, the biotechnology of growing Cherax quadricarinatus is not sufficiently developed. The main advantages of Cherax quadricarinatus over crayfish that live in our region (Astacus leptodactylus, Astacus astacus, etc.) are: high growth rate, tolerance to water quality, lack of pelagic larva stage. It is advisable to use cooler reservoirs of energy objects for growing valuable warm water aquaculture objects, since the water temperature of these reservoirs is higher than the natural. Energy can contribute to the development of warm water crayfish farming both in the Republic of Tatarstan and in Russia as a whole. Due to the excessive heat that enters the natural reservoirs from energy facilities, an excellent opportunity appears in the absence of the cost of expensive equipment, to grow valuable products. According to expert estimates, the cultivation of crayfish is 5-6 times more profitable than fish.