THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOECONOMY AND AQUACULTURE IN TURKMENISTAN: THE CASE OF ARTIFICIAL FISHING POOLS

Аннотация

Turkmenistan, a landlocked Central Asian nation endowed with substantial hydrocarbon reserves but confronting acute challenges of water scarcity, arid climate conditions, and limited biodiversity in its aquatic ecosystems, presents a compelling and underexplored case study for the intersection of bioeconomy development and aquaculture innovation. Positioned at the convergence of the Karakum Desert and the Caspian Sea basin, Turkmenistan's geographic and hydrological profile necessitates creative and technology-driven approaches to food security, economic diversification, and sustainable resource utilization. This paper examines the strategic role of artificial fishing pools—purpose-built controlled aquaculture environments designed to optimize fish production under arid and semi-arid conditions—in advancing the nation's bioeconomy objectives. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Bioeconomy Strategy, Blue Economy principles, and Ecological Modernization Theory, the paper analyzes how artificial fishing pools can function as integrated bioeconomy instruments, simultaneously generating protein food supplies, creating rural employment, reducing pressure on wild fish stocks in the Caspian Sea and the Karakum Canal, and enabling the valorization of biological waste streams through integrated aquaponics and circular production systems. The paper further evaluates the policy architecture, institutional prerequisites, and technological requirements for scaling artificial pool-based aquaculture as a pillar of Turkmenistan's broader economic diversification agenda. Findings suggest that with appropriate investment in technology transfer, water management innovation, and governance capacity, artificial fishing pools represent a strategically viable and economically significant instrument for advancing sustainable bioeconomy development in Turkmenistan.