WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2025 53 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 54) It’s closer to how these fish evolved.” The team overhauled infrastructure, installed video surveillance and refrigeration units, and secured all necessary permits. For several years, Ukrainian Caviar Berry successfully produced high-end caviar using environmentally responsible methods—but new challenges lay ahead. The Fall of Ukraine’s Sturgeon Breeding System In October 2023, chlorinated wastewater from the Ladyzhyn municipal pumping station entered the farm’s water supply. With no wind or rain to disperse the chemicals, the sturgeon suffered severe gill damage. Nine tons of fish died, including three tons of elite broodstock—some nearly 20 years old. The financial loss exceeded $1 million. Investigations confirmed chemical contamination as the cause. The incident struck a farm already under immense pressure. Russian airstrikes on nearby hydroelectric and thermal power plants had previously damaged infrastructure, while power outages repeatedly threatened the oxygen supply essential for fish survival. Several farm workers were mobilized and subsequently died in the conflict. The crisis reflected both the vulnerability of Korkh’s farm and the broader fragility of Ukraine’s aquaculture sector. Earlier that year, in June 2023, another devastating blow hit the industry. Following the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant by Russian forces, the Dnipro Sturgeon Production and Experimental Facility—Ukraine’s only state-owned sturgeon hatchery—was completely flooded. Once a key institution for breeding rare and commercially valuable species, it had been the first in Ukraine to successfully domesticate sturgeon and incubate their juveniles. Its main focus was on sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), and the facility released more than 1.5 million young sterlet annually into the Dnipro and other rivers to support wild populations. Today, the hatchery lies beyond repair, and with it, a vital resource for restoring Ukraine’s sturgeon populations has been lost. Scaling Down, Holding On After the disaster, Korkh partnered with a small sturgeon and Ukraine’s sturgeon saga continues… In June 2025, law enforcement in Zaporizhzhia Oblast apprehended poachers near Khortytsia Island dozens of kilometers upstream from the collapsed Kakhovka Dam. Among their catch were two Azov sturgeons (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), each weighing around 10 kg. The discovery offered a rare glimmer of hope: despite the destruction of key spawning grounds, some sturgeon are still migrating upstream to spawn. Today, the Danube River serves as Ukraine’s primary stronghold for native sturgeon conservation. In May 2025, more than 33,000 juveniles were released in Odesa Oblast as part of a fisheries development initiative (2024–2030), including: • 18,000 sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) fingerlings (up to 3g) • 13,900 Russian sturgeon (up to 5g) • 1,900 additional sturgeon, supported by WWF-Ukraine Ironically, the war has temporarily reduced poaching in the Black Sea and lower Dnipro due to limited access, allowing some fish to reach long-lost spawning grounds near Khortytsia. PHOTO 3. Sturgeon Sold for Meat in 2022 — With much of the caviar lost and urgent needs to support both staff and displaced people sheltering at the facility, sturgeon were sold for meat at local markets in the Vinnytsia region. PHOTO 4. Sturgeon Fry Incubated at the Ladyzhyn hatchery.
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