A look at both the traditional and more cutting-edge fish farming systems currently in use Hungary and currently operates as an aquaculture consultant in the country to learn more about fish production in Hungary and his vision for the future of the sector does not have a marine fishing fleet and prohibited commercial inland fisheries in 2016 so is solely dependent on freshwater aquaculture for their fish production harvesting around 19,000 tonnes of fish per year The number one species produced is the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) followed by African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and its hybrids Extensive and semi-intensive fishponds cover 26,682 hectares and account for 80 percent of the total fish production Most farmers are micro enterprises or SMEs and typically use either barrage ponds or paddy ponds Barrage ponds dam up a stream and collect run-off water from the surrounding area during the winter and spring They can be found in hilly areas in the southwest Paddy ponds are surrounded by dykes and receive water from rivers and channels These types of ponds are more common in the lowland areas with farmers adding fertilisers and supplementary feed to the ponds Twenty-three companies use more intensive flow-through or recirculating aquaculture systems While some of these farms produce rainbow trout the majority produce African catfish – a species that Hungary produces more of than any other country in Europe African catfish were introduced in the 1980s from the Netherlands for research purposes but it quickly became clear that there was huge potential for production especially due to the availability of geothermal water to grow them in Due to its similarities with the well-known European catfish and the popularity of filleted catfish the market for the species has doubled in the last 10 years The fishpond habitats in Hungary are recognised for their natural value Over 220 bird species have been recorded at the farms with a record of 274 species at Lake Fehér near Szeged which is around 60 percent of the country’s total bird species Other species living in the ponds include otters (Lutra lutra) and the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) extensive and semi-intensive fishponds operate as open ecological systems where natural and technological processes are in synergy and cannot be separated and can support more organisms than natural wetlands – due to factors like their increased nutrient levels The main environmental benefits include provision of habitats for animals and plants The ecosystem services that these benefits bring include food production Cultural ecosystem services at fish farms include ecotourism activities such as angling “Hungarian fish farmers believe that their products from the ponds are the most sustainable aquaculture product,” says Bardócz “They notice the growing population of birds and otters during the production season and if they stop using the pond it quickly turns into a marshland with a much lower diversity of birds” That birds and otters consume fish grown in the pond is accepted by the farmers who can receive support from the government when following stipulated measures to protect wildlife By providing tourism and angling services in the ponds These activities also educate visitors about the environmentally friendly production of fish but awareness campaigns are needed to provide broader understanding of the benefits that the sector provides Discharge water with nutrients and suspended solids has an impact on the water quality of receiving waters during the harvest of the ponds studies on the environmental impacts of semi-intensive carp pond farms show that during production the pond ecosystem improves the reserved water quality,” Bardocz notes also have some negative environmental impacts such as discharge of effluent water with a high nutrient concentration into the environment escapees of invasive species can have a negative impact on wild fish biodiversity silver carp and grass carp) were introduced in 1963 for polyculture systems under the assumption that they cannot reproduce in the natural environment of Hungary,” explains Bardócz during recent decades there have been an increasing number of sightings of silver and bighead carp spawning in the wild Fish farmers are obliged to take prevention measures to avoid escapes Pond aquaculture is highly dependent on the environmental conditions and is thus vulnerable to the effects of climate change there have been ­­­­longer periods of drought and more frequent floods Farms try to adapt to these changing conditions by using aerators during the hot summer months to keep the optimal oxygen levels Increased temperatures in winter mean the ponds are rarely covered with ice resulting in a year-round predation by cormorants hunt in flocks with specific strategies for maximum efficiency On top of their consumption of 0.5 – 0.8 kg/bird/day they also injure and stress at least the same number of fish which will not eat for days and often die,” highlights Ferenc Lévai Jr “We do not mind herons and otters in our ponds but the cormorants are now one of our main problems,” he continues The changing climate can also have advantages however: due to the warmer winters on some farms the carp are reaching market size (1.5 to 2 kg) in two years While the demand for eating carp is decreasing there is a stable market for restocking in angling waters “Marketing of carp should be improved,” argues Bardócz “If farmers focus their marketing on the sustainability of the product and develop value-added items carp can become more popular amongst the next generations The latest developments in processing technology that provide solutions to eliminate the small intermuscular bones from the fish will most certainly help to make carp more attractive to consumers” Bardócz forecasts a promising future for Hungary’s fish farmers especially for those who combine traditional and modern pond farming technologies Such a combination has been implemented by a farm in Nagyatád The discharge water from the intensive unit is first treated in a sedimentation pond A Hungarian study showed that a 100 hectare pond unit can retain 100 to 250 tonnes of nitrogen and 16.5 to 40 tonnes of phosphorus during the production cycle These nutrients are partly trapped in the sediments but also converted to fish biomass as no supplementary feeds are added to the ponds using the effluents from an intensive fish farm in extensive fish ponds creates a real zero-nutrient emission system while also minimising other environmental impacts of both production units.” many farmers have started using modern technologies – like real-time water quality monitoring and machine learning for prediction of key production parameters – in pond farms These technologies can reduce the risks and costs of pond farming without compromising their positive environmental impacts “If these technological developments could be paired with a larger market for carp we could increase production by 50 percent without adding any ponds carp should be acknowledged as a highly sustainable fish product,” concludes Bardócz Kyra is an aquaculture consultant who specialises in hatchery management and operations She is also an experienced project manager with skills in financial management Úgy tűnik nem található semmi ezen a helyen IMPRESSZUM SZERZŐI JOGOK ADATVÉDELEM FELHASZNÁLÁSI FELTÉTELEK Sign In Register