Specific features of development of larvae and juveniles of soiuy mullet Liza haematocheilus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1845) = Mugil soiuy (Basilewsky, 1855) in artificial conditions

Soiuy mullet of the family Mugilidae is a valuable commercial fish species introduced into the Azov-Black Sea basin. It is adapted to live both in fresh and oceanic saline waters; it fattens in shallow waters of bays and lagoons that warm up and cool down quickly and strongly and is one of the promising objects for artificial breeding. There are presented the research results on cultivating larvae and juveniles of soiuy mullet in 2017-2020 in the conditions of artificial reproduction at the experimental base of “Kerch” department of Russian Research Institute of Fish Industry and Oceanography (AzNIIRH) – Research Base Zavetnoe. The biological norms of larvae rearing to the end of metamorphosis were outlined. The larvae aged 4-12 days were fed only with zooplanktonic organisms. 10-12-day-old juveniles were fed with inert feed. There are given the data on development of eggs and juveniles of soiuy mullet in artificial conditions, main size and weight parameters, daily diets and amount of artificial feed used in its rearing from 5 to 120 days old. Using live feed in combination with artificial feed up to 30 days old is recommended. There are presented quantitative indicators on the expenditure of live and artificial feed and feed coefficients in soiuy mullet larvae farming until the completion of metamorphosis and yearlings. It has also been found that dietary intake of larvae considerably increases with growth, therefore it is expedient to work on using a wider range of artificial feed at earlier stages of rearing - in 10-15-day-old soiuy mullet larvae.