Technologies of carp growing and their features

Abstract

Carp is one of the few fish farms for which a wide range of technologies has been developed: from extensive, with minimal human intervention in the formation of fish productivity of the reservoir, to intensive, with the most controlled production conditions. Carp has many biological features, enhanced by centuries of breeding work, making this fish extremely “technological”, able to more or less fully realize the genetically determined bioproductive properties of different breeding technologies. Technologies for growing commercial carp according to the level of intensification of the production process can be divided into extensive (grazing), semi-intensive, intensive, and continuous, as a distinct type of intensive technology for growing carp in ponds and pools. Extensive technology assumes that the fish will feed exclusively on natural food, zooplankton, and bottom fauna. In this case, the cost of growing carp will be the lowest; the fish will be called “ecological”, but the growth of individuals will be insignificant. Semi-intensive technology assumes that carp feed on natural feeds, and their energy needs are met by providing carbohydrate additives to feed. Intensive technology believes that carp feeding with compound feeds with high protein content is used, which allows achieving productivity of 3–20 tons/ha. This system requires the highest costs, although it gives the highest performance. The pond must provide additional aeration and water flow to prevent contamination of the reservoir and the development of fish diseases. The main disadvantage of popular carp growing technologies is their staging. All operations are carried out strictly one after another in specialized ponds. Moreover, each stage ends with the descent of the tanks, and the fish are transplanted several times from one to another (from spawning to juvenile, from them to nursery). During this, the carp is injured, which negatively affects its productivity and inevitably leads to waste. To remedy this, fish farming is now using continuous rearing technology. The choice of technology for growing carp is a responsible task on which the profitability of fisheries depends.