BR10264205 “Comprehensive evaluation of fishery resources and hydrobionts of water basins of Kazakhstan and development of evidence-based recommendations for their sustainability”.
The developer of the Fisheries Research and Production Centre program has more than 90 years of experience in this area, as well as other specialized organizations with extensive experience and relevant competences. This program aims to achieve the objectives of international agreements and internal documents of the Republic of Kazakhstan providing for the protection, reproduction and sustainable use of water biological resources, increasing productivity and preserving the biodiversity of water bodies. Implementation of the Program will increase catches from the current 40,000 tons to 60,000 tons, food security, increase export capacity through new products and increase per capita fish consumption from the current 6 kg to the who is recommended by WHO-16 kg.
The aim of the program:
The aim of the program is to evaluate the current state of fisheries and other aquatic animals in Kazakhstan’s main fisheries to develop evidence-based recommendations for their protection, reproduction and sustainable use.
Program objectives:
1.Evaluating the cost of water biological resources and ecosystem services at the Balkash-Alakol basins to determine ways of sustainable development and management of natural resources;
2.Develop evidence-based recommendations to improve fisheries productivity by introduction and reintroduction of fish and hydrobionts, components of the fish feed base;
3.Study of populations of rare and endangered fish species and foreign hydrobionts to develop recommendations for the artificial reproduction of rare species and to prevent the spread of foreign fish species and other hydrobionts;
4.Develop, improve and justify the optimal range of fishing gear in large fisheries, taking into account the characteristics of ichthyocene and other biotic and abiotic conditions of reservoirs;
5.Evaluation of the role of recreational fishing and its impact on ichthyocenesis in Kazakhstan’s major fisheries;
6.Environmental and genetic monitoring of sturgeon species of fish in the Zhaiyk-Caspian basin;
7.Evaluation of production, genetic, chemical and microbiological para-meters to develop recommendations for certification of cysts artemia in Kazakhstan’s reservoirs;
8.The structure, distribution and population of the Caspian seal in the Kazakh-Stan part of the Caspian Sea during the regression period and the development of recommendations for the co-storage of habitats of the species.
To solve the above interconnected problems, following tasks will be set and fulfilled:
The structure of ecosystem services, the cost of resources is classified not only traditionally as direct, but also indirect cost, non-consumer value, with the definition of optimal ways of using bio resources, which will increase returns, additional revenues through a comprehensive evaluation of the role of fisheries in the structure of ecosystem services (5 recommendations and 1 method); Recommendations to improve the fish-yielding of reservoirs through the introduction of hydrobionts in Kazakhstan’s reservoirs, this will contribute to an increase in fish stocks and fisheries efficiency (6 recommendations on introduction/reintroduction, reconstruction of ichthyofauna and fish feed base); Recommendations to conserve the biodiversity of hydrobionts through the artificial reproduction of rare, and extinct species and to prevent the spread of foreign fish species, which will preserve the biodiversity and fish-productiveness of the reservoirs (6 recommendations for the formation of broodstock rare endangered fish species);Innovative fishing models on the main 12 fisheries to improve fisheries efficiency by introducing new efficient and low-cost fishing gear (4 recommendations on the optimal range of fishing gear); Methods and security documents to evaluate the impact, accounting and management of recreational fisheries, which will solve the problem of rational management of mass but poorly regulated type of fishing (2 security documents and 1 method for evaluating the volume of recreational fishing, 1-bio-justification on optimal organization, methods and tools); Productive broodstocks to be formed on the basis of genetically certificated individuals, this will allow effective reproduction, fishing, traceability, evaluation of the effectiveness of fish-breeding enterprises and the contribution of artificial and natural reproduction. It will also contribute to biodiversity conservation and sturgeon growth, increase commercial sturgeon production, increase export capacity and reduce the press on sturgeon’s natural reserves (3 recommendations for certification, labeling sturgeon producers to identify effective spawning grounds and comprehensive recommendations for the preservation of sturgeon’s gene pool); Salt ponds, various characteristics of artemia cysts, including deep processing products, have been evaluated for recommendations for their certification, which will significantly increase export potential by increasing the cost and expansion of the countries importing high-value products (6 recommendations for evaluating the quality of cysts of artemia).The state of the Caspian seal population in the Kazakh part of the Caspian Sea has been studied to preserve the population and habitat of the rare and endemic species (recommendation on the long-term Action Plan for the Conservation of Seals, etc.).
The results obtained for 2021:
Information was obtained on the number and biomass of hydrobionts, the world experience and best practices for the use of ecosystem services were studied. Potential niches for the introduction of of hydrobionts were found in 10 reservoirs. An assessment and analysis of the requirements and obligations of the Republic of Kazakhstan by international treaties were carried out. New and improved commercial fishing gear have been developed and/or tested (3 utility model for patents). The impact of recreational (sports) fishing on 11 reservoirs was studied. An analysis of the hydrological, hydrochemical and hydrobiological condition of the Zhaiyk River during the period of spawning migrations and downstream migration of juvenile sturgeons was carried out, an assessment of genetic polymorphism was carried out using DNA markers (STR and mtDNA) of sturgeons (stellate sturgeon, Russian sturgeon, beluga) of the Zhaiyk-Caspian basin from natural populations and grown in artificial breeding. Seasonal characteristics and productivity of brine shrimp were determined in 10 reservoirs. Seasonal characteristics of the productivity of Artemia crustacean and its cysts were obtained. Species identification of Artemia by DNA markers was carried out. Sample preparation for ddRAD sequencing (DNA extraction and preparation of DNA libraries) was begun. An analysis of the biochemical, microbiological and toxicological composition of Artemia cysts in 10 productive reservoirs was started. A search for seal rookeries was carried out, an analysis was made of the conditions for the formation of their rookeries.
26 scientific articles (1 article for CQASES) and 7 publications in the media were published, 7 seminars/field days were held, 2 patents were received and 1 patent application was filed.
The results obtained for 2022:
The cost of aquatic biological resources in reservoirs was estimated, 1 method was developed. Recommendations on the introduction of fish and forage organisms were developed. The assessment and analysis of the distribution of rare, acclimatized and alien species was carried out. Pilot-industrial tests were carried out, acts of introduction of new fishing gear were signed. 1 method for assessing the volume of sports and amateur fishing was prepared. The analysis of the hydrological-hydrochemical, hydrobiological state of the Zhaiyk river during spawning migrations and juveniles of sturgeon fish descent was continued. The assessment of the genetic polymorphism of sturgeon fish was continued, the genetic certification of sturgeon at sturgeon hatcheries was started.
Work has begun on the assessment of fish-breeding and biological parameters of fish contained in repair broodstock herds at sturgeon hatcheries and farms of Atyrau and West Kazakhstan regions. Preparatory work was started on marking (radiomark) producers of sturgeon (stellate) to determine the effective spawning grounds of sturgeon of the Zhaiyk river. Seasonal characteristics and productivity of artemia in 10 reservoirs were determined. Seasonal characteristics of the productivity of artemia crustacean and its cysts were obtained. Microsatellite variability of crustaceans and artemia cysts from various reservoirs was analyzed. Work on DNA libraries was continued and sequencing of drad markers (regional and population differentiation) was started. The following were carried out: an assessment of the number and structure, an analysis of the distribution of seals and the identification of the most significant habitats (1 atlas of rookeries).
39 scientific articles were published (including 3 articles in Scopus/Web of Science and 7 articles in СQASE ME RK), 8 recommendations were prepared, 1 atlas of rookeries, 2 methods, 2 proposals, 2 manuals, 7 seminars/field days were held, 26 publications in the media were published, 3 patents, 8 acts implementations.
The results obtained for 2023:
Assessment of the value of aquatic biological resources and economic evaluation of ecosystem services in the studied water bodies was carried out, assessment methodology and recommendations on the application of the value of ecosystem services in the practice of nature management in Kazakhstan were developed. Selection of promising hydrobionts for further introduction/reintroduction was carried out. Recommendations on the volume of introduction, release sites and sanitary control of food organisms and fish were given. Biotechniques for artificial reproduction of the Aral barbel and Siberian sturgeon with subsequent rearing of viable juveniles have been developed. Large-scale research was conducted to inventory spawning grounds of the spike in the Syr Darya, Ile and Karatal rivers, and potential spawning grounds were identified, which in the future will be able to ensure effective natural reproduction of the spike. Ways of struggle against alien species of hydrobionts, measures on counteraction to penetration of alien species and elimination of their influence on the state of biodiversity and fish productivity of water bodies were developed. New and improved tools for industrial fishing (mullet trap, improved seine, two-pocket seine) have been developed, tested and patented; distribution of fish concentrations in the water area of water bodies has been studied. The impact of sport and recreational fishing on the state of bioresources of water bodies was assessed and recommendations on the optimal organisation of methods and tools of sport and recreational fishing were developed for amendments and additions to the LSI. The genetic polymorphism of sturgeon fish selected from the natural environment to form repair and breeding herds has been assessed, and acoustic equipment for searching potential spawning grounds has been tested. The survey of 22 saline water reservoirs of Kazakhstan was carried out, bioproductivity of different Artemia populations was assessed, and recommendations on assessment of Artemia cysts quality for certification were developed. Peculiarities of distribution, structure and formation of the Caspian seal population during the period of the Caspian Sea regression were revealed, tagging of seals with satellite tags and electronic chipping was carried out, the number of seals in the breeding grounds was assessed and recommendations on the Action Plan for the Caspian seal conservation were developed.
Within the framework of this program the following was prepared: 147 scientific articles have been published (11 of them in journals indexed in Scopus database (of which 2 articles with quartile Q1, and 3 articles with quartile Q2), 16 articles in journals from the list of the Committee for Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Eductaion), 2 monographs have been published, 1 atlas of seal haulouts was published, 1 popular science film on the conservation of the Caspian seal was prepared, 7 biological substantiations were prepared, including amendments and additions to the legislation of the RK, to the existing normative legal acts in the field of fishery, 35 methodological recommendations and 2 manuals were issued, 62 publications were published in the mass media (mass media), 18 seminars and field days for nature users were held, including annual international webinars on Caspian seal conservation, 9 utility model patents were issued, 3 methodologies were, 2 proposals were prepared to amend regulations and schemes for the distribution of fish concentrations and fishing effort across the water area of water bodies were developed, 9 acts of implementation were signed.