Fisheries are important in the country's economy as a source of income and employment, increasing the export potential of the economy and as a renewable source of biological diversity.
In this regard, the activities of the Fisheries Committee of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan are focused on the conservation and reproduction of fish resources for their sustainable use.
At the same time, one of the important tasks is to increase fish resources by implementing measures to create conditions for natural reproduction, as well as the implementation of artificial reproduction.
The functions of artificial rearing of juvenile fish with subsequent release into the natural habitat are implemented at the expense of the republican budget by state enterprises of the Fisheries Committee: Ural-Atyrau sturgeon hatchery, Kamyshlybashsky and Petropavlovsk fish hatcheries located in Kyzylorda and North Kazakhstan regions, respectively.
The juveniles of valuable fish species grown by them are released annually into fishery reservoirs. So, in 2023, 53.6 million pieces of juveniles of valuable fish species were grown and released into the natural habitat – juveniles of sturgeon, whitefish, carp and herbivorous fish species (white amur, silver carp).
At the same time, the state order for the provision of services for the stocking of reservoirs is placed annually on a competitive basis among private fish farming enterprises. In 2023, they released 45.4 million pieces of juveniles of valuable fish species into the reservoirs of the Aral-Syrdarya, Balkhash-Alakol, Yesil, Zaisan-Ertis and Nur-Sarys basins.
The release of grown juveniles into reservoirs was carried out on a commission basis with the participation of employees of the inter-regional basin fisheries inspections, representatives of local executive bodies, public and scientific organizations, as well as in the presence of citizens and media representatives.