Animal Science and Food Technology

One of the ways to increase the profitability of production of fish farming commodity products is to improve the technological process. Optimization of fish feeding is the main technological method of the intensification of commodity fish farming. Improving the recipes of fish feed makes it possible to reduce feed costs to procure the planned quantity of products and, accordingly, increase the profit. The use of biologically active additives, in particular - salts of humic acids, is an effective method for improving the productive properties of fish feed. In traditional livestock production, these feed additives have proven effective, and in aquaculture, the feasibility of their use is still not well-grounded. The aim of the study is to increase the productivity of commodity cultivation of sterlet by using feed with an improved recipe that satisfies the nutritional and energy requirements of the organism of this species. The objective is to check the effect of feed supplement “potassium humate” on rates of growth and survival of sterlet, as well as to determine the optimal concentration of this additive in feed. The study was conducted in 2017 as a part of a research project at the Department of Aquaculture of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. We investigated the influence of different concentrations of potassium humate in the feed on growth and survival of three-year-old sterlet during its cultivation in the net cages of the private establishment "Agricultural Research and Production Enterprise “Bester”" (Trypillya village, Obukhiv district, Kyiv region). Methods of research - generally accepted in the field of fishery science (hydrochemical, ichthyological, those of fish farming). The addition of potassium humate at a concentration of 30 mg per 1 kg of feed led to a 17.8 % increase in growth rate and a 12.4 % increase in survival of three-year-old sterlet. The estimated net profit from the use of potassium humate amounted to 2,337 UAH per 1 ton of commodity fish. The results of the experiment are similar to the findings of scientists who carried out similar studies on common carp, Nile tyliapia and brown trout. It is considered promising to carry out studies on the influence of potassium humate on the rate of growth and survival of various age groups of sterlet and other species and commercial hybrids of sturgeon fish

sterlet, commodity fish farming, potassium humate, feed additive, feed, feeding, survival rate, growth