AQUACULTURE IN THE SOVIET UNION 
(By Christopher H. Dodge’) 
BACKGROUND 
The Soviet Union supports one of the largest fisheries industries 
in the world. Fisheries research in Russia dates back to the 13th 
century. Until about 1928, most research involved surveys and expedi- 
tions to determine the extent and types of fish available for exploita- 
tion. However, after 1928, there was increased emphasis on fish 
husbandry and the management of fishery resources.” 
The artificial reproduction of fish and other fresh water and marine 
life (aquaculture) was first attempted in the Soviet Union in the 
1930’s and 1940’s in connection with efforts to control the fishing 
economy in the Caspian and Azov Seas. Today, the Soviet effort 
in aquaculture and the associated marine biological sciences is among 
the largest in the world. Research in these fields is conducted in 
scores of institutes under the U.S.S.R. Ministry of the Fishing 
Economy and the Academy of Sciences. The area devoted to fish 
culture in the Soviet Union has more than doubled since the 1950’s.? 
The world ranking of the Soviet Union in fish culture production 
during the late 1960’s is provided in Table 1. 
According to Ovchynnyk, who has conducted the most comprehen- 
sive study of aquaculture in the Soviet Union,’ there are more than 
25 million hectares®> of lakes, about 5 million hectares of artificial 
resevoirs, more than 3 million kilometers of rivers suitable for fishing, 
and more than 45,000 hectares of ponds suitable for fish culture. 
But in the 1960’s, of 200,000 hectares of ponds at the disposal of 
collective farms (kolkhoz) and state farms (sovkhoz), only about 
90,000 hectares were under active management. That statistic has 
probably increased somewhat since the 1960’s 
GENERAL INFORMATION AND STATISTICS 
As stated by Doryshev,® there are two major reasons for the increas- 
ing emphasis on aquaculture in the Soviet Union. First, the concept 
that fish populations in the world oceans are infinite is rapidly being 
proved to be an illusion. It is true that reserves of unexploited fish 
could add significantly to total fisheries production, but reserves of 
‘The author is an analyst in life science, with the Science Policy Research Division of the Congres- 
sional Research Service, Library of Congress. 
? Borisov, P. G. Fisheries Research in Russia: A Historical Review. Washington, D.C., U.S. Depart- 
ment of Interior, 1964, 187 p. (translated from Russian). 
% Doryshev, S. Aquaculture in the Soviet Union. Marine Fisheries, No. 10, 1973, p. 42. 
* Ovchynnk, M. Soviet Fish Culture. IN: The Status and Potential of Aquaculture, Particularly Fish 
Culture (Bardach, J. E. et al., eds.), Washington, D.C. AIBS, 1968, pp. 194-224 (PB177 768. 
Clearinghouse for S & T Information, Springfield, Va. 22151). 
5 One hectare equals 2.5 acres 
© Doryshev, S. Aquaculture in the Soviet Union. Op. Cit. 
(511) 
