513 
sumption is relatively low); the development of fish culture in ponds, 
lakes, reservoirs, and rivers compensates for industrial pollution; 
aquaculture, particularly pond culture, is under man’s control which 
means that productivity relative to conventional fisheries is very high; 
according to Soviet sources, cultivation of fish is more profitable 
than agriculture (livestock husbandry). For example, the primary cost 
of 100 kilograms of cattle is cited as being 2.5 times higher than 
the primary cost of the same amount of fish. Accumulation of protein 
in fish from the same amount of food is two times higher than in 
cattle or sheep and 1.5 times higher than in swine or poultry. 
Some comparative statistics on the contribution of fish culture to 
the Soviet economy as cited by Ovchynnyk ® are: 
1. In 1959, state fish farms had 49,000 hectares available for fish 
culture. In 1966, 90,000 hectares were available; 
2. Many new hatcheries (called “‘fish culture factories’’), fish farms 
(called ‘‘fish nurseries’), and holding stations for the acclimatization 
of fish have been built throughout the Soviet Union during the 1950’s 
and 1960’s. In the Central Administration for Fish Culture there are 
11 holding stations, 25 fish farms, five programs for improving 
spawning habitats, and two support stations. In the late 1960’s, these 
establishments produced more than 10 billion young fish (compared 
with 6.5 billion in 1954) for release into lakes, rivers, reservoirs, 
and seas. 
3. The introduction of polyculture (the cultivation of several species 
of fish in one pond for better utilization of natural food) has markedly 
increased unit productivity. Polyculture together with the use of artifi- 
cial food has been found to increase productivity by a factor of 
15 under certain conditions. 
4. Transplantation of fish from one habitat to another is now prac- 
ticed widely in the Soviet Union. Since the 1920’s, more than 50 
species of fish have been introduced into 1,225 lakes, 80 rivers, and 
93 reservoirs. The catch of acclimatized fish between the mid-1950’s 
and mid-1960’s increased from 8.45 thousand to 16.47 thousand met- 
ric tons. 
5. The culture of herbivorous (plant-eating) fish has received special 
attention in the Soviet Union during the 1960’s. New methods have 
been developed to better reproduce these fish artificially through the 
use of pituitary-extract injections. As a result, a hundred million young 
herbivorous fish are produced each year and distributed over large 
territories of the U.S.S.R.. In 1967, a hatchery was under construction 
on the Volga River for the production of an additional 50 million 
herbivorous fish annually. 
6. Hybridization of various fish species is receiving considerable 
attention in the Soviet Union. Most work has been done with carp. 
This approach increases productivity by improving growth and disease- 
resistance characteristics. 
7. The Soviet Union is almost the sole supplier of sturgeon and 
caviar in the world. Industrialization has caused the catch of sturgeon 
to rapidly decrease. In 1960, the number of young sturgeon reared 
was 18 million. In 1965, it had increased to 52 million and was 
to increase even further to 170 million per year in the 1970’s. 
8 Ibid. 
