Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

Derzhavin Aleksandr Nikolayevich was born on December 5,1878 in Kazan, in the family of teacher. He graduated from the Department of Natural Sciences of the Physics-Mathematics Faculty of Kazan University with a diploma of first degree (1902).  A.Derzhavin was awarded the scientific title of doctor of biological sciences (1938) and professor (1938) on the basis of his scientific works without thesis defense by the Supreme Attestation Commission of the USSR. He was elected as an active member of the Azerbaijan USSR AS (1955).

A.Derzhavin, who defined his scientific interests from university years, studied water animals. A.Derzhavin studied at the Zoology Department of the Kazan University (1902-1907) and participated in the Kamchatka expedition organized by the Russian Geographical Society (1908-1910). He provided a description of the marine origin relic fauna based on the collected material. According to this research, he was awarded the silver medal of the Russian Geographical Society. A.Derzhavin worked as a biologist at the Astrakhan İchthyology Biological Laboratory (1910-1912). He was invited to Baku in 1912 and became head of the Department of İchthyology at the department of Agriculture for 15 years (1927). He conducted extensive research in the field of biology of sturgeon and Caspian salmon fishes in the Caspian Sea.  He created stationary points in the Kur basin, arranged artificial insemination of valuable fish, such as sturgeon, longnose gar, salmon and kutum. He has developed the method of fermentation of the sturgeon caviar with the sieve, and the method of incubation of fermented spores in the Ses-Grin apparatus. Thus A.Derzhavin laid the foundation for artificial increase of sturgeon fishes. Derzhavinin's research in these years was reflected in the monograph "Longnose" published in 1922 .

A.Derzhavin closely participated in the establishment of the Baku University and organized the Zoology Department (1919) and became the first professor of this department. The head of Iran-Caucasian fisheries department (1922-1929). A.Derzhavin studied the fish fauna of northern Iran's water basins. In 1930, A.Derjavin worked at the Far East Fish Industry Institute as a professor of the department of Spinal Invertebrates. He returned to Baku in 1932 and lived here until the end of his life. He headed the Baku ichthyology Laboratory (1932) and Kur fishing station (1936), and was also the head of the aquatic division of the Zoological Society of Azerbaijan AS.

Since 1940, A.Derzhavin has directed all his activities to research in the Department of Aquaculture of the Institute of Zoology of the AAS. During this period, he published monographs "Restoration of salmon reserves in the Caspian Sea" (1941), "Restoration of sturgeon fish stock" (1947) and "Kur fish farm" (1956). In addition, in his book "Animal World of Azerbaijan" (1951), A. Derzhavin published 16 articles about the fauna of the Caspian Sea and the sweet waters of Azerbaijan.

He wrote and published most of his 200 scientific works in Baku.

More than 10 doctors of sciences and philosophy dissertations have been defended under the guidance of A.Derzhavin.

For his scientific activity, the scientist was honored with the title of Honored Scientist (1954), "Red Labor Day", "Honor Badge" and a number of medals.

Academician Alexander Derzhavin died on September 17, 1963.