Ukraine is the one of countries of origin for a number of Acipenseridae species.
Some of them have been probably lost in the wild nature conditions. Such species as Acipenser nudiventris and Acipenser sturio, despite the fact that these species have been historically noted as registered for Ukrainian waters, don’t occure in Ukrainian wild nature no less then three decades. At the same time wild populations of such species as Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, Acipenser stellatus, Acipenser ruthenus, Huso huso are stll presented in the Ukrainian marine and freshwater bodies.
Any sturgeon fishery is absolutely prohibited in Ukraine since 2000, and the all Acipenseridae species, historically described for the Ukrainian water bodies, have been included to the National Red Book in 2009.
An important step towards implementation of the strategy for conservation and restoration of sturgeon populations was the adoption of the "Action Plan for the Conservation of Sturgeons (Acipenseridae) in Ukraine for 2021-2030", approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine in 2020. This Action Plan provides implementation of number of important measures for conservation sturgeon wild populations.
Taking into account, that last decades only Danube is keeping a status of important sturgeon spawning freshawater body for anadromus sturgeon species, artificial sturgeon reproduction always had an extremely high importance for restocking sturgeon wild populations in the Azov Sea basin and in the Black Sea basin.
Historically, based on natural circumstances, Ukraine is conducting artificial reproduction of wild sturgeon populations mostly on the Black Sea basin. Here Ukraine has well functioning Dnieper sturgeon hatchery, which is producting and releasing up to 1.6 million sturgeon fingerlings yearly. Released sturgeon species are Acipenser ruthenus (the most in general fingerlings amount), Acipenser gueldenstaedtii and Acipenser stellatus.
Additionally to sturgeon restocking in Dnieper area, two releases of Acipenser ruthenus fingerlings to Danube have been done last decade: 2 thousand specimens in 2015, and 10 thousand specimens in 2021. These restocking actions have been technically realized by Ukrainian private aquculture company "Odessa sturgeonbreeding complex", and in 2021 it has occured in cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature Ukraine (WWF-Ukraine). About 1 thousand of released juveniles were marked with special external visual labels.
Also 2 thousand Acipenser ruthenus fingerlings were released in April, 2022, to Dniester river, as a result of fruitful collaboration of aquaculture company "ISHKHAN" with Chernivtsi National University, with support of Ukrainian governmental and non-governmental nature protection organisations.
Unfortunately, developing wild sturgeon populations restocking activities in Ukraine have met a strong obstacle as Russian agression against Ukraine, which has began since February, 24, 2022. Nowadays the Dnieper sturgeon hatchery is situated inside of the area of active military actions, and it excludes normal functioning of this hatchery current year.
Regading commercial sturgeon aquaculture, most developing aquaculture technologies using in Ukraine for commercial sturgeon breeding are freshwater cages farms (located at different river reservoirs) and high intensive recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).
Food products of sturgeon aquaculture have always been classified as a delicatessen with limited demand due to its high market value. During the USSR years commercial sturgeon farming in Ukraine was practiced in pond’s, cage’s and flowing pools’ fish farms (about 15 sturgeon breeding farms in total). The main objects of cultivation in the ponds were Bester (Huso huso X Acipenser ruthenus) and paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), and in the cages and pools - Bester, sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) and Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). The sturgeon production in Ukraine in 1985-1990 was ranged from 130 to 180 tons per year.
The 90s of the 20th century were a crisis for Ukrainian aquaculture and, above all, for its intensive forms. Due to a significant decline in the purchasing power of the population there was a reduction in demand for products of sturgeons. This led to the shutdown of a number of intensive aquaculture enterprises. By 2000 the number of sturgeon fish farms had fallen from 15 to 8.
With the beginning of the new century there is a gradual revival of sturgeon aquaculture. This was facilitated by the growth of demand for fish products and the emergence of full-fledged fish feeds of leading European brands in the domestic market. In 2011 there were about 10 sturgeon farms, including cage’s and RAS. In 2021 were already more than 20 sturgeon farms, and at least half of this number were functioning as cage’s and RAS aquaculture systems. Over the last decade, there has been a trend of increasing the number of farms that combine farming of table sturgeon products with the production of edible black caviar with use of modern methods of ultrasound diagnosis of sex and maturity of fish. Currently yearly sturgeon production in Ukraine is up to 100 tons, according to the official monitoring system.
The problems of sturgeon aquaculture development in Ukraine are, in particular:
a) There is still insufficient demand in the domestic market for an expensive table sturgeon products. Ways of solutions: the use of modern technologies and materials in sturgeon farming to reduce the cost and market price of fish and enter the markets of other countries.
b) Lack of production of quality fish feed in Ukraine. Feeds of domestic brands are still considered to be worth than imported feed at the expense of "price-quality", and starter feeds are not yet produced in Ukraine. The problem could be solved by the construction of a feed plant in Ukraine by one of the world’s leading feed producers, such as BioMar, AllerAqua or Coppens. The expediency of the step is due to the fact that today in the intensive aquaculture of Ukraine for feeding fish use more than 2,000 tons of high-protein feed each year, and this amount is growing permanently.
c) The development of cages sturgeon (and not only) farms restrains the legally difficult procedure of renting part of the area of water reservours of national importance. Since the adoption of the Law on Aquaculture in 2012, only one farm has achieved to lease of part of the Kaniv Reservoir for cage sturgeon farming. However, currently the State Agency of Melioration and Fisheries of Ukraine does much efforts especially to solve this problem by implementing needed changes to the national legislation.
d) A significant number of aquaculture enterprises do not report on their activities, what causes lack in collected aquaculture data, especially in part of total production estimation. As the one of important keys to avoid this problem considered an improvement of existing responsibility rules, what is also the one of challenges for the State Agency of Melioration and Fisheries of Ukraine.
e) There are almost no subsidies from the state to support the development of aquaculture. However, due to investments in the aquaculture sector, a significant increase in production and quality of sturgeon products is possible.
f) Internal isolation of many aquaculture farms in their activities. Weak links with scientific institutions and limited access to world aquaculture practices do not contribute to the progressive development of production. One of the ways to solve this problem is to create non-governmental aquaculture joint ventures to solve common problems and gain access to modern technologies and other achievements of science and world practice.
As it should be concluded, the development of sturgeon aquaculture both restocking hatcheries and commercial sturgeon farms is an important factor of conservation and restocking wild Acipenseridae spp. population in natural water bodies of Ukraine and, at the same time, covering market demand on products of sturgeons. Huge water potential in Ukraine is an evident positive circumstance for sturgeon production growing. Besides, Ukrainian scientists and fish breeders have multiannual experience on sturgeon aquaculture for different nature and artificial conditions.