Russia's fish hatcheries released in excess of 8 billion fish juveniles in 2008

In the first nine months of 2008 Russia's fish hatcheries have already released 8.308 billion juveniles and fish fry, including Coregonus whitefish, Atlantic and Pacific salmon, sturgeon and small freshwater species, reports www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) with reference to Interfax.

Alexander Saveliev, head of PR centre of Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency, says that the investments from the federal budget for the stock reproduction purposes in the year 2008 total 281.4 million RUB.

The fish hatcheries are mostly located in the South Basin. More specifically, 21 companies are engaged in reproduction of valuable species in the Sea of Azov and in the Black Sea and 10 companies do the same job in the Volga Basin and in the Caspian Sea.

The total design capacity of the hatcheries operating in the Sea of Azov and in the Black Sea amounts to 39.5 million sturgeons, 6.25 billion small freshwater fish species, with the confirmed capacity correspondingly amounting to 19.5 million and 6.1 billion fish.

The actual volume of fish released into the water bodies in 2007 amounted to 7.9 million of sturgeons and 4.4 billion of freshwater fish species.