The article describeы the fishing process as a final technological stage that completes the cycle of fish breeding in the fish ponds. Fishing in the ponds, regardless of their category, is a difficult and energy-intensive process. The safety of farmed fish and the overall results of fish farming depend on the process of fishing. The well-known fishing methods are based on filtering fish when discharging water through fish catchers or other artificial structures. When water is drained from the

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... nd, the fish moves to a fish catcher with the water flow, which contradicts its biological tendency to breast the current and prevents from its getting into the fish catcher or another artificial structure. In addition, the separation of fish from water by a grated water separator leads to the mechanical damage of the fish scales and reduces the number of alive fish. The technology of fish catching in draining ponds used at the small innovative enterprise SRK Sharapovsky (Kamyzyaksky district, Astrakhan region) has been analyzed. The absence of a fish catcher is a specific feature of the technology. Fishing in the ponds is carried out by using a dragnet during the pond drainage, starting the catch when the pond's area is lowered to 1/3 or 1/4. The disadvantages of this technology include excessive accumulation of fish in a small volume of water, which can cause fish death or severe injuries to the underyearlings reared with commercial fish species. Choosing the optimal fishing gear or a device will allow to clearly plan and coordinate the work of the enterprise, because the fishing period is short and depends on the time frames and the market demands.