The opening of channels bypassing the Ust-Manych reservoir in the Rostov region is usually an indicator of the beginning of the spawning period for passing and semi-passing fish of the Azov-Don fisheries region. However, the atypical climatic situation of the spring period this year, characterized by sharp temperature fluctuations due to frequent changes in heat and cold waves in the atmosphere, the formation of another low-water situation on the lower Don, affected the timing of the opening of the channels.
As of April 16, 2026, the operation of a two-stream canal located in the Manych rural settlement of Bagaevsky district on the right bank of the Manych River (1400 m south-east of the mouth of the Manych River) was not possible due to the discrepancy between the level regime in the upper reaches of the Ust-Manych hydroelectric complex, the water mark in which did not reach a normal retaining level of 2.80 m Bs. It is when this mark is reached, according to the Operating Instructions of the channels, that water discharge begins at a rate of 15 m3/s. Operation of one of the two strands of the canal began only on April 23.
To study the hydrological regime of the fishing channels of the Ust-Manych reservoir, specialists from the hydrology laboratory of the Southern Branch of the National Research Center of the Russian Federation "All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography" (VNIRO) on April 30 organized the first expedition trip to these water bodies this year. Scientists have monitored the temperature regime and dynamic characteristics of the water flow, the speed of which, according to preliminary data, contributed to the migration of fish to spawn in the Ust-Manych reservoir.
The data obtained during the expedition will be analyzed in detail. The research results will be used to assess fish habitat conditions and the effectiveness of their spawning in the spring of 2026.
VNIRO Press Service