There are investigated general status and recent trends in development of aquaculture in the Republic of Belarus. It is shown that pond fish farming with Carp as main basic species still predominates. Breeding of other species, although intensively progresses, in total volume makes around 20% only. Industrial trend of aquaculture is developing in proportion to construction of industrial facilities, some problems with fodder and seed providing exist. There are addressed some potentialities of innovation development based on scientific research results.

A great challenge in freshwater aquaculture, especially in pond aquaculture is, how to increase the production without additional impact on the environment and without losing the traditional values of the ponds such as ecological services, water- and landscape management. The application of combined intensive- extensive fish production systems (e.g. "pond in pond"; "fish pond water recycling") can contribute to the development of sustainable intensification. The paper presents the results of the practical application of new systems and technologies in two major pond fish farms ("Aranyponty" Zrt. and "Jászkiséri Halas" Kft.) and an intensive trout farm ("Hoitsy and Rieger" Kft.) in Hungary. The paper also shows how the Hungarian Aquaculture Association assists the development of sustainable intensification of the Hungarian fish production sector.

A review of experience the using the Russian rare species sturgeon in aquaculture taking into account the information of the former USSR compiled on the basis of publications exclusively Russian scientists. In Russia are cultivated and studied the 7 rare sturgeon species belonging to 2 families of Acipenseriformes: Acipenser nudiventris, A. naccarii, A. sturio, A. oxyrhynchus, A. mikadoi, Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni and Polyodon spatula. All of these species are endangered and listed in the International Red List and regional Red Data Books. Above named rare sturgeon species are preserved in various Russian aquaculture hatcheries and fish farms. The fish farms titles where they are exposed to breeding or commercial cultivation are given. Biotechnologies of their cultivation were done a long time, with the exception of Sakhalin sturgeon as inhabiting inaccessible areas and Amu Darya big shovelnose sturgeon, because the last is currently not in the Russian rivers in present state borders. New data about their biology, including reproduction are given.

It is demonstrated that application of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems appears to be the fundamental innovation suitable in the near future for creation of the base for re-equipping the fish industry at the whole new managerial, technological and economical levels. There are studied some technical and economical patterns of cost structure for designing and exploitation of modern recirculating aquaculture systems in dependence upon species of fish under breeding.

The article covers the issues of aquaculture products safety control. There was performed a comparison analysis of the requirements to safety profile in the international, European, and Ukrainian regulatory instruments. There are suggested the ways of expansion the sale market for domestic aquaculture products and increasing the sales volumes under condition of unification the indexes of residual contaminants that are stipulated by regulatory frameworks of Ukraine, EU and global community.

The paper provides the results of experimental breeding of sterlet in the combined conditions (ponds - recirculating aquaculture system) for two years.

The process of gametogenesis is analysed. It is shown that some males mature at the age 1+ , ovaries of two-summer-aged females are at the maturity stage II.

Removal of nitrogen compounds from contaminated water of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems is the most critical process in the entire complex of facilities for water renovation and re-use. The most commonly used transformation pattern by means of nitrification with further de-nitrification is characterized by some "bottlenecks" which may be easily avoided when using higher aquatic plants растения – pleistophytes for removal of nitrogen compounds.

There are presented the results of experimental breeding of underyearlings- two year bions of Baltic whitefish in conditions of Recirculating Aquaculture systems. It is shown that monodiet and breeding at temperature with insignificant fluctuation limits (16-18 ⁰С) shall not cause any noticeable change of physiological and biochemical values of young fish as compared to conventional breeding methods. There is provided the data on generative growth and discussed the possibility of normal maturing of producers at the specified technological breeding conditions.

With account of water consumption for breathing and removal of fish metabolic products and the nature of water use the modern pool facilities fall into five types. The niches occupied by microorganisms are studied. There are specified the ratings for use of semisubmersible rotating biological filter.

The article provides the data on comparison characteristics of paddlefish and Lena sturgeon under-yearlins blood. It is ascertained that the paddlefish blood as compared with the same of Lena sturgeon features high level of hematoglobulin and lymphocytes that is the evidence of better adaptation to the environment and is favorable for its resistance. No other significant differences in the blood of the said fish species are ddiscovered, except increased monocytes content with Lena sturgeon.

In developing methods of artificial reproduction mulets (Mugil cephalus; Liza auratus; L. haematocheilus) and flounder (Psetta maeotica Platichthys luscus) fish, it was found that embryos and larvae rearview these species are extremely sensitive to environmental conditions. No less urgent task – to optimize the conditions of the producers mullets and flatfishes in the period of reservation, maintaining before injections aging and maturing. In the development of biotechnology mass reproduction of marine fish, in order to optimize the culture conditions have been developed and put into production two types of industrial recirculation aquaculture systems of different functional purpose: reservations and maintaining before injections producers and for the incubation of eggs and rearing of larvae.

Assessment of the work of the recirculation systems of different designs showed that the most effective was the semi-submersible rig equipped with a rotating disk bacteria bed, which served as the prototype for industrial installations. Developed by design to deliver high performance and reliability of the technology of artificial reproduction mullets and flatfishes in all stages of cultivation.

The article presents the results of biological studies of a new antiviral drug "Albuvir". We found a positive effect of the drug in growing crayfish and shellfish. We have noted an increase in weight gain by using aquatic 0.01% solution of the drug. The results obtained can be used in aquaculture to produce viable young aquatic organisms.

The article provides the findings of studying the spawning of commercially important species of fish found in Zaparozhskoye man-made lake. It was confirmed the efficiency of using man-made spawning sites in large-size continental water bodies. There given practical recommendation on setting and using spawning nests.

The article presents the results of applying natural mineral supplements Tripoli in the diet of carp fingerlings. It is established that promotes the absorption of nutrients feeds and the improvement of all metabolic processes, which is reflected in the increase in the growth rate of fingerlings, survival and productivity, and the grown fish on such a diet has good physiological state.

The paper provides the comparison estimation of size and weight profiles of carp three-days larvae at crossing Belorussian breeds with foreign breeds and also pure breeds and carp lines of domestic and foreign selection.

As a consequence of spawning by industrial method there were obtained 16 reciporocal combinations of crossing the carps of Belorussian selection with imported breeds.

The differences discovered between weight and length of three-day hybrid larvae and their parental forms are helpful for defining heterosis effect by means of Heterosis Indices (HI,%).

Among two-breed hybrids the most significant advantages in terms of larvae showings are possessed by German x Lakhvinski mirror (HI=59,18%) and German x Lakhvinski scaly hybrid (HI=56,7%) and advantages in terms of linear showings are with larvae of StolinXVIII x German hybrid ( HI=15,75%) and Mirror x German mixture ( HI-12,88%).

At present trout breeding in the Republic of Belarus is at the very first stage of its development. Impregnated roe (“eye” stage) and seed for commercial growing are imported from Russia and Poland. Some portion of the imported stuff is used to form small- size replacement and brood stock for reproduction purposes. Aaccording to Slutzky’s classification (1978) variability level of the studied morphological properties in dependence on variation ration is estimated as a low one (5%) and medium one (up to 20%) which is the evidence of stability of trout population available in the Republic of Belarus.

Generally Belorussian trout populations, although the imported material was intended for commercial breeding, represent quite a valuable genetic pool for further breeding.

The objective of work is to estimate the efficiency of using microsatellite markers of mitochondrial DNK for identifying species attribute and discovery of sterlet’s hybrids (Acipenser ruthenus L.) grown in fish farms of the Republic of Belarus.

Analysis of D-loop mitochondrial DHK with 41 bions of starlet spawners by means of species specific primers for sterlet (Ruf- length of DNK fragments-190 p.o.) and great sturgeon (Ruf- length of DNK fragments 374 p.o.) showed that the extracted and analyzed spawners’ mitochondrial DNK for 100% belong to sterlet. In PCR with a couple of primers species-specific for great sturgeon, accumulation of PCR product was not observed.

It was ascertained that among the spawners under study no sterlet hybrid forms are found.

Study of mitochondrial DNK represents the efficient method for species identification and detection of hybrids in sterlet spawners stock.

Fish farms in the Republic of Belarus grow around 40% of mirror carps, their survivalship during the first year is for 10-15% less as compared to scaly carp and actually is below the normative requirements. The selection activity ion Belarus needs be targeted to generation of mirror carp with extended survivalship due to increased general resistivity which also should possess the improved exterior properties appropriate of European breeds (high backbone, fatness, growth rate).

A new small-scaled type of carp features some fishery advantages as compared to the existing standard and technological fishery performances at all growing stages that include: growth rate, viability, cost of feed. In order to preserve excellent fishery and biological properties of new intra-breed small scaled carp of Ukrainian Ramchaty breed and also to reinforce them in further selection generations in the course of it breeding stabilizing selection methods is applied.

For the first time there is given fishery evaluation of replacement stock for the carp of the fourth selection generation of small –scaled intra-breed type of Ukranian Ramchaty breed.

Growing of small-scaled carp shall contribute to increase of fish capacity of industrial fishery water bodies and also shall match market demands, that is small- scaled carp taking into account its commercial and gastronomic advantages as compared with scaled carp.

For maintenance of animal breed genetic pool including carp as the most widespread object of pond fish breeding, it is stipulated forming of collection replacement – brood stocks on the base of selection and breeding farm “Isobelino”, Agricultural Production Institution. The imported carp breeds constitute quite a valuable genetic pool adapted to the conditions of fish farms of the Republic for the life of three-four generations that is used for further selection and breeding works and also for obtaining commercial crosses.

There is shown the possibility of using microbial drug for water quality improvement at commercial fish growing in the ponds and decrease of organic and biogenic contaminations in the waters drained off from the ponds.

There is studied the occurrence of fish distoplamosis causative agents with the fish in natural water bodies and fish breeding farms of the republic of Belarus. For the purposes of prevention and treatment of fish distoplasmosis there is designed a new drug – "Diplocide". Elimination of 100% trematode metacercaria Diplostomum in eye lens and vitreous body of fish eyes and also cercaria (free floating parasite stages) after using the drug was observed.