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Pisciculture

  • The Ministry of Agriculture of Lithuania is the major manager of fish resources of the state’s water reservoirs. In accordance with the agreement of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, the Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania is in charge of the function of pisciculture.
  • The Lithuanian Order of Wild Fauna, FAO “The Code of Responsible Fishery”, and international conventions, which are subscribed to by Lithuania as well, primarily require breeding of rare and endangered animals. Some 37 species of fish and crayfish are on the list.
  • The Fisheries Service breeds or helps to breed some 17 species from the list, namely, salmon, sea-trout, river-trout, vendace, peled, whitefish of Plateliai and Vistytis lakes, pike, asp, tench, carp, European wels, burbot, pike-perch, grayling.
  • Noble crayfish are bred successfully as well. Major work is done when eel, bream, crucian carp, vimba and narrow-clawed crayfish are moved from one water reservoir to another.
  • The Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania implements this vast activity program by unifying fisheries service divisions and subdivisions. The Fisheries Service possesses one incubator for noble crayfish and seven – for fish, some 600 ha of the land where water ponds are equipped for fish farming. 9 closed recirculation systems for fish fingerlings growing and 3 are planned for the future.
  • Incubation capacity reaches some 500 mln eggs annually. The Fisheries Service has Pisciculture division, 1 fishery research division and 1 subdivision. The Fishery Research Division in Klaipeda analyzes commercial fish resources and sea fishery problems in the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, while the subdivision in Vilnius is working with inland water fishery and aquaculture.
  • Rusne subdivision under the division of Pisciculture  started operations as a fish incubation facility in 2008 after the reconstruction for the money received from the Neighborhood Program and construction of closed recirculation systems. It was subjected to further modernization in 2011, which involved increase of its capacities.
  • Tasks performed at Rusne division: incubation and farming of burbot, European wels, and pike-perch. Cultivation of Atlantic sturgeon was started in 2011.
  • The significance of Rusne division lies in the breeding of pike-perch, Eruropean wels, and burbot, as well as stocking the lower River Nemunas and the Curonian Lagoon with the fish.
  • Zeimena subdivision under the division of Pisciculture  was established for breeding and farming of salmon fish, namely, Atlantic salmon, sea-trout and rive trout.
  • The first facility of salmon, which features closed recirculation systems, was built back in 1998, while the sea-trout facility was launched in 2005.
  • Ignalina branch of Zeimena subdivision under the division of Pisciculture: .
  • Tasks include: incubation of vendace, pike, cultivation of pike, tench, crucian carp in ponds.
  • Laukysta subdivision under the division of Pisciculture 
  • Main operations of Laukysta subdivision: incubation and cultivation of young pike-perch and pike eggs, breeding of carp.
  • A closed recirculation system was launched in 2012 for quarantine and culture of European eel.
  • Simnas subdivision under the division of Pisciculture has an incubation facility and ponds. The branch was constructed in 1964 as a fisheries company of whitefish.
  • Total area of ponds – 112.5 ha.
  • Simnas’ incubation facility and administrative premises were renovated in 2007.
  • 3 closed recirculation systems were launched for breeding and cultivation of whitefish, European wels, and crayfish.
  • Task include: incubation and cultivation of whitefish (peled, etc.), river trout, pike, European wels, tench, cultivation of burbot and pike-perch, breeding and cultivation of noble crayfish.
  • Initial work for cultivation of Atlantic sturgeon and other sturgeon species has been started.
  • Traku Voke subdivision under the division of Pisciculture  branch is the oldest fisheries company in Lithuania, which was established in 1884-1885. The company successfully operated during all wars.
  • Was part of the Science Academy, the Fisheries Board, the Environment Ministry, the State Pisciculture and Fisheries Research Center; belongs to the Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture since 2010.
  • Over the period of operations, the branch employed a number of fisheries specialists and scientists, prepared a number of studies that led to improved productivity in fish
  • In 2011, the branch resumed activities in concrete coated ponds. A brood stock of river trout is growing, peled and salmon have been successfully cultivated along with yearlings of river and rainbow trout, and a small number of grayling
  • Perspective: Traku Voke has been functioning as a separate branch of the Pisciculture Division of the Fisheries Service since December of  2011. It carries historic significance and a breeding and cultivation branch of river trout, grayling and other rare rheophilic fish species. In 2013-2014, the branch should be reconstructed to have two closed recirculation systems for breeding rheophilic fish species.

Last updated: 10-11-2023