Spring census of replacement and broodstock flocks
21 May 2025

Spring census of replacement and broodstock flocks

Successful artificial reproduction of valuable fish populations begins with the correct maintenance of broodstock. All fish farming processes are seasonal and subject to the life cycle of the fish.
 
After wintering, every spring, cage farms undergo grading - an inventory of the fish kept. The day before, specialists from the Tyumen branch of the Russian State Research Center "All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography" (VNIRO) carried out an assessment of production indicators at the Volkovo research and production site in the Tobolsk region.
 
During grading, fish are individually counted, inspected and weighed. The data obtained allows fish farmers to assess the physiological condition of individuals and understand how the fish overwintered and whether they are ready for active fattening before autumn spawning.
 
The Volkovo research and production site was opened 22 years ago. Today, the cage farm contains the largest whitefish broodstock in the West Siberian basin – about 150 thousand specimens of valuable fish species (muksun, nelma, chir, tugun, omul, river and lake peled). The age of the fish: from yearlings to adults over ten years old. Keeping such a number of producers allows the Tyumen branch of VNIRO to release more than 100 million young valuable fish into the natural environment annually.
 
Press service of VNIRO