Current prospects of industrial use of valuable fish species in Lakes Kuito system (catchment area of the White sea)

Based on the results of our own field studies (Northern Research Institute of Fisheries in Petrozavodsk State University (formerly SevNIORH), Northern Water Problems Institute of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences) and taking into account the available literature and archival information, we studied the long-term dynamics of catches of valuable fish species (salmon, lake char, whitefish, vendace) in Lake Kuito, assessed the current state of the populations and new biology data are provided. It was established that after the regulation of Lower and Middle Kuyto as a whole, changes in the structure of communities of valuable fish species against the background of underdeveloped fishing are not very noticeable, the commercial part of ichthyocenosis remains quite stable. The cessation of centralized fishing has created the conditions for amateur and paid recreational fishing, focused mainly on catching the most valuable fish species: salmon, pale, whitefish, vendace in the conditions of free fishing, existing at present. In the conditions of free fishing, it is proposed to amend the existing fishing rules in terms of establishing fishing measures for salmon (57 cm), fallow (40 cm), whitefish (20 cm) and changing the fishing measure to vendace (9 cm). At the present stage, in the conditions of the Kuito system (including tributaries), in terms of the developed forecasting the volumes of annual total allowable catches of valuable fish species have been determined in the following limits: salmon – 1 ton, lake char – 1 ton, whitefish – 5 ton, vendace – 40–50 ton. The boundary position of the Kuito lakes contributes to the tourist attractiveness and creating a modern tourist complex of natural significance