Identification and risk assessment of an innovative investment project in the sphere of aquaculture

The article is devoted to determining the set of risks that usually arise when implementing investment projects in the sphere of aquaculture , that is, breeding and growing aquatic biological objects in artificial reservoirs. As an excellent alternative to traditional fish farming, such projects are subject to even greater risks associated with innovative and investment processes in aquaculture. In particular, the authors identified the risks that may arise during the development and implementation of the project for breeding and deep processing of Clary catfish, both as a result of shortcomings of the initiators and performers of the project, and generated by the external business environment of the project. In the course of the study, the identified risks were evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively. So, based on an expert assessment of the degree of potential damage that can be caused to the project by a specific type of risk, and the probability of its occurrence during the project implementation, it was determined whether this risk is key for the project. At the same time, countermeasures were developed for key risks in order to minimize the consequences for the project. In order to quantify the risks of an innovation and investment project, the classical method of simulation of project risk assessment was used by constructing three possible scenarios for the development of the situation during the project implementation (pessimistic, most likely, and optimistic). This indicates the financial stability and economic efficiency of an innovative investment project in the sphere of aquaculture, taking in view all identified risks. In that way, the purpose of this article is to attempt to systematize methodological approaches to identifying and assessing the risks of highly specialized projects in the sphere of aquaculture, as well as to form a list of measures to counter risks in order to minimize their consequences.