Abstract

Pontastacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823) (=Astacus leptodactylus) is one of the most wide-spread crayfish species in Russia. In Central Russia one can find the subspecies Pontastacus leptodactylus boreoorientalis (Birstein and Winogradow, 1934) in the Kama river basin which is of no particular harvesting value. Not long ago Pontastacus leptodactylus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823) inhabited many water bodies in Central Russia and their resources were of harvesting value. Presently the harvesting populations of P. l. leptodactylus occur mainly in the north-west and north-east parts of the region. In 1990-1997 we selected places suitable for crayfish farming including production of stocking materials and evaluated possibilities of restoration and rational utilisation of crayfish resources. Geographical and economical factors influencing the conditions for crayfish farming in Central Russia were also investigated. The demand for crayfish production within the region and the present value of the resources of P. l. leptodactylus were analysed. The area of the crayfish water bodies including those which can be stocked with crayfish was determined. Local P. l. leptodactylus populations were characterised with respect to the most important problems of cultivation and acclimatisation. Experiments on crayfish juveniles and pond-rearing were carried out.

Supplemental Documents

• There are no supplementary documents for this article

Cited By

Citations: