RESEARCH ON THE CREATION OF AN ARTIFICIAL REEF SYSTEM IN THE CASPIAN SEA OFFSHORE ZONE

Abstract

Currently, small-scale commercial and marine fishing operations on small vessels are conducting commercial and marine fishing in the coastal areas of the Mangystau region.

However, even the rich Caspian Sea is steadily depleting its bioresources due to the intensification of commercial fishing, particularly sturgeon stocks. The decline in the abundance of commercial fish species in virtually all waters around the world prompts consideration of alternative approaches, particularly the artificial farming of valuable fish species. The idea of ​​commercial fish farming has a history of more than a century. The emergence of a new branch of inland fisheries – marine coastal fish farming – is entirely logical.

The State Program for the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex for 2017-2021 (approved by Decree No. 420 of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated February 14, 2017) has been approved. It is expected to provide a significant boost to the development of commercial aquaculture in the country, including through the use of coastal areas of the Caspian Sea. Aquaculture development is envisaged throughout the Republic of Kazakhstan. This includes lake farms (OTRKh), pond farms, and marine cage farms.

Environmental changes in the Caspian Sea over the past decades, due to rising sea levels and anthropogenic impacts, on the one hand, and the impact of the invasive comb jelly, on the other, have led to a sharp decline in the food supply for commercial fish. Human intervention is required for the normal functioning of certain parts of the marine ecosystem.

In this regard, the potential for using artificial reefs as a means of managing the hydrobiological regime of the Caspian Sea's coastal waters underscores the relevance of this study.