When will the fish king return to the Irtysh?

The most spectacular panorama of the sturgeon farm is from a height. In Ust-Kamenogorsk, when the plane comes in for landing, a ribbon of the river appears in the porthole and bright blue modules next to it. The very color of the complex seems to indicate its ecological character. I remember in 2017, when OstFish LLP was just starting to work, its owners promised East Kazakhstan residents expensive and prestigious delicacies – black caviar, white fish. However, they urged to be patient – sturgeons grow slowly. What’s for today? I decide to see an unusual farm with my own eyes.

…From the regional center to the farm is about 20 km. There is a sign on the side of the road – you won’t get lost. The passage to the LLP site is paved, there is a power line nearby. OstFish CEO Yerlan Sagidoldin immediately explains: the road and the power line were built by the local executive authority as part of the Business Roadmap. A large loan is also issued with the support of the state – in KazAgroFinance on preferential terms. And in general, state support accompanies the project literally from the first steps: scientists, water workers, executive authorities help.

– At first, the fishery was planned to be located within the city, but the local water did not match the quality, – says the head. – Then we chose a site in the Ulansky district, 20 kilometers from Ust-Kamenogorsk.

Yerlan shows the production site: the liquid oxygen supply unit is located separately, the modular buildings are connected to each other, there is a recreational area and … employees are practically nowhere to be seen.

– Everything is automated, – confirms the director. – No more than five employees are directly involved in the process, this is enough.

The monotonous noise of water is heard inside the workshop, swimming pools are installed in rows in the rooms. In some, large fish walk in circles, at least a meter long, in others, juveniles flicker.

The basic equipment is from Latvia. Eight years ago, all the technology was “sharpened” for the production of food black caviar, and mainly for export.

Meanwhile, the cultivation of sturgeon, as mentioned above, is a slow business. In natural conditions, females, for example, begin to spawn when they reach the age of 10-11 years. And in the conditions of aquaculture – from about six years. In OstFish, the year 2022 became such a milestone when the first livestock produced caviar.

Yerlan rubs his hands, remembering what plans the company was making at that moment. In Europe, sturgeon caviar as a delicacy is fabulously expensive, a similar East Kazakhstan product could undoubtedly compete.

Several delegations from European countries have already visited the sturgeon farm, contracts have been signed with the company. But as soon as it came to the registration of the first export batch, it turned out that the so–called euronomer was needed – the registration registration number. It also turned out that for a number of reasons his registration was suspended. And that’s not all. When the Kazakh side seemed to have settled all the formalities, a new barrier immediately arose – the absence of a memorandum between Kazakhstan and the EU on aquaculture…

– The memorandum will probably be signed in the autumn, – says the head of the LLP. – But, to be honest, it’s not worth counting on the European Union to open its doors to us. They know how to protect their domestic market there. They understand: The cost of Kazakh caviar will be much lower.

Yerlan shows a module fully occupied by pools with fry. Cute nosy kids then rise to the surface, then go to the depths. A little more, and in a special car with the inscription on the tank “Live fish” they will be taken to the Kurchum district to be released into the Black Irtysh.

The fact is that the Ob-Irtysh basin is the native element of the Siberian sturgeon. For centuries, in the spring, fish have been rising from the Ob River to the Black Irtysh River to spawn. There were such mighty specimens that with a blow of the tail they could turn over a fishing boat with people…

According to the memoirs of old people, back in the 1950s it was possible to observe a picture when a GAZ-53 truck was loaded with one fish, and the tail was hanging from the body almost to the ground…

The natural cycle on the river was interrupted by the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric power plants. The sturgeon, which remained in the upper reaches of the reservoir for some time, was quickly caught. The species was listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan, but in fact there was nothing left to save – the Irtysh lost the sturgeon.

– When we hear “sturgeon”, “black caviar”, we immediately imagine the west of Kazakhstan – the Caspian Sea, Atyrau, Aktau, – says the head. – Here, in the east, we were the first to learn how to produce sturgeon caviar on an industrial scale, fertilize it and hatch fry. This is how the goal appeared: to revive the population in the Zaisan-Irtysh basin.

The pilot project was supported by science. In 2023, the company held its first serious stock-raising campaign in the Abay region in the Zhanasemeysky district. Then 3 thousand hundred-gram fingerlings were released to the Irtysh. The good deed was observed by environmentalists, regional leaders, and journalists. As a result, Abay residents ordered another large batch of fish planting material from LLP. And then, according to Erlan, “the ice broke.” Natural resource companies began to turn to them, obliged by law to restore fish stocks. Last year, for example, the farm cooperated with Bukhtarminskaya HPP, signed an agreement with a large gold mining company.

The initiative was also supported by the republican enterprise “Kazakhstan su zholdary”. In the autumn of 2024, OstFish twice released thousands of fingerlings into the Black Irtysh to the delight of eco-activists and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

In other words, the sturgeon farm has diversified its business: the nature conservation area has taken a leading role and, importantly, a long-term one. In order for the breeding stock to reappear in the Irtysh areas and natural spawning to begin, the work on stocking should be carried out for at least ten years.

– This year we have the largest volume in Eastern Kazakhstan, – the director gives details of the work plans. – We have to raise about 100 thousand fingerlings and 20 thousand yearlings. In the Abai region, 13 thousand yearlings and two thousand yearlings have already been released into the Irtysh. A volume of about 100 thousand fingerlings and more than 10 thousand yearlings is planned for Pavlodar region.

From eggs to fry

You can watch the inhabitants of the pools for hours. At the sight of a man, the fish rush up, beg for food, substitute their sides for stroking. According to Yerlan, sturgeons feel the biofield of the staff and know “their” fish farmers.

Large individuals, which are seven to eight years old, are kept as a “milking herd” – for the production of caviar. Fry are grown up to 12-20 grams for fish planting material, when they can adapt to the conditions of the river and not every predator has teeth. According to science, the survival rate of sturgeons is higher than, for example, whitefish or carp.

– This species is more than 60 million years old, – explains the head of the sturgeon farm. – He survived the dinosaurs. I am sure that sturgeons will take root, our children and grandchildren will see the king fish in the Irtysh.

Why do white fish and black caviar have a cosmic price? The CEO gives the layout: commodity cutting starts from three kilos, the fish reaches this weight in 2.5 years. Feed is imported, there is a closed water circulation in the pools, that is, there are large expenses for the operation of powerful electric pumps. A lot of equipment has been installed – it is necessary to control temperature, acidity, hydrochemical composition of water, oxygen levels … Fish are provided with conditions close to natural, only without sudden seasonal changes. Ideally, if the temperature in the pools is even all year round – about 18-20 degrees. In short, getting sturgeon is an expensive pleasure.

The load capacity of three modules with an annual capacity of 15 tons is built depending on the season. From spring to cold weather, fish-planting material is grown in the pools, while in winter the emphasis is on obtaining food caviar.

– Today, due to the income generated by the production of food caviar, the farm covers all operating expenses, – says the businessman. – Due to earnings on growing fry, the loan is also repaid. The company will have to pay for it for two more years, then the fish farming partnership will be able to go into the plus.

…I look into a separate room designed for processing caviar. Tiles, process tables, sets of overalls, cleanliness. Now the box is empty, the season will start later – along with the New Year’s rush for delicacies.

According to the CEO, specialists from Astrakhan helped out with the development of the technology. The company uses the “humane caviar” method developed by the famous sturgeon Sergey Podushka. The point is as follows. Brood stock with a certain stage of maturity of caviar is sent for “wintering” – in a separate pool. The water temperature is lowered by one degree daily, and the fish is prescribed a starvation diet. The fatty layer surrounding the caviar gradually splits. After a couple of months, the water is made warmer, and the females have a spring reflex: they are ready to spawn. At this point they are milked through a small incision. Then the fish are simply returned to the water.

– With this method, the mortality rate of sturgeon is three times lower compared to the old way, when they simply had their bellies ripped open, – Yerlan gives details. – Part of the caviar goes to fertilization, we put it in special Weiss and Sturgeon devices. Part of it is for food. We make a small amount of it by order in a downhole way, because this kind of caviar is considered premium among gourmets. It is slightly different in fat content and texture.

Wholesale without retail

The company has filled a lot of bumps when searching for marketing solutions. Yerlan recalls how much effort and time it took to get out with the supply of meat and caviar to the markets of Almaty and Astana. Almost immediately it became clear: this is troublesome, unprofitable, unproductive. Today, the LLP works exclusively through distributors and only with wholesale batches.

– We don’t produce commercial sturgeon, that is, for sale, right now, – says the head. – The exception is cases when orders for slaughter caviar come in. We raise males not for meat, but for reproduction.

For caviar, the company has become one of the largest domestic producers, the annual volume is one and a half tons.

According to the CEO, this is an excellent result, taking into account the high cost of the product. The interest of Kazakhstanis in the delicacy has a pronounced seasonal character – it is bought in December for holidays, as a gift, for the New Year. Orders from cafes and restaurants are more regular, but they are also unattractive in volume.

– The domestic market of our republic is very limited, – concludes Yerlan Sagidoldin. – If there is an opportunity for export, the sturgeon farm will be able to increase production. There is potential.

I once again look around the LLP site. Swimming pools are gradually being modernized here – they are switching from polyvinyl chloride to a more durable and environmentally friendly material, new pumps are being installed, and the recreational area is being developed as a side income. Aquaculture, according to the head of the LLP, has great prospects and, unfortunately, there are still numerous problems. In particular, the industry is experiencing a shortage of specialists, there is no competition among feed suppliers, the accounting system is maintained in the old-fashioned way…

– Not only Russia, but also Kyrgyzstan overtakes us in fish farming, – says the General Director of OstFish LLP. – At the same time, the industry is developing rapidly. I know that there are European investors planning to build a whole sturgeon plant in our republic.

Galina Vologda (“Kazakhstanskaya Pravda”)

Original (in Russian): Когда царь-рыба вернется в Иртыш?