Kharkiv Oblast fish farmers travel to U.S. to study aquaculture

by Jan Sherbin

CINCINNATI - A group of aquaculturists in Kharkiv Oblast came to the United States in July to look for ways to expand fish farming in Ukraine.

Currently, almost all fish farmers in Ukraine focus on carp, which they grow in outdoor ponds during the warm-weather months. Carp does not freeze well, so there is a glut of fresh carp in the fall and an insufficient supply the rest of the year.

While in the United States the 16 Kharkiv aquaculturists learned about expanding to other varieties and about cultivation technologies. By the end of their three-week study tour, they concluded that paddlefish, catfish and trout hold real possibilities for them, as do indoor recirculating systems. If they can expand the number of species of fish they grow, as well as grow them indoors, they can make more fish available to their customers, in more fresh and frozen forms, year-round.

"Many of the fish species we saw are well suited to our market," says Yuriy Merson, director of Pechenegi Fish Farm. "We want to implement our changes quickly so we can show everyone the new things we've learned."

When touring the fish departments of American food stores, the group noticed colorful recipe cards offered to shoppers. They decided that recipes could help them promote sales of new types of fish.

The group chuckled skeptically as Lewis Shuckman, owner of Shuckman's Fish Company in Louisville, served them roe from paddlefish, also called spoonfish. "This is my first experience tasting spoonfish caviar. It has good taste," said Antonina Slobodchuk, deputy director of Pechenegi Fish Farm, roe-topped cracker in hand.

Paddlefish roe isn't as salty as the caviar commonly eaten in Ukraine. But keeping an open mind on caviar can be useful to the Kharkiv fish farmers, with much of Caspian Sea caviar supply disappearing at an alarming rate due to pollution and smuggling.

While the Kharkivites tasted Mr. Shuckman's caviar, The New York Times monitored their reactions. The group's comments, along with a photo of Gennady Ryanskyy sharing a bottle of Ukrainian vodka with Lewis Shuckman, ran in a story on caviar in the July 20 issue.

In addition to learning about different fish species and recirculating systems, the group surveyed various options for feeding, processing, packaging and marketing fish.

They also visited a cooperative, where they saw a processing plant owned by the co-op's 53 members. They liked the idea of pooling resources and spreading out risk.

The aquaculture study tour was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and organized by the non-profit Center for Economic Initiatives in Cincinnati.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, August 17, 2003, No. 33, Vol. LXXI

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