The protracted drought also caused billions in damage to the fish ponds

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 09. 11. 10:49

Minor or major damage related to the hot, rainless weather of the past two months has been reported for 10-15 percent of the more than 2,200 fish farming water areas registered in the country. Although – thanks to the rainy first semester – the situation is less critical than the drought two years ago, the majority of fish farmers are facing serious problems this year as well.

“In the case of many fishing ponds where water quantity or quality problems arose, it was necessary to limit the use of feed material and often fishing itself, which in itself resulted in a loss of billions of dollars in revenue – István Dérer, MOHOSZ National Fishing Organization Service Center, told Agroinform.hu (MOHOSZ OHSZK) general director.”Meanwhile, in the case of both fishing and fish ponds, a significant cost increase was caused, among other things, by the water quality, in conjunction with the implementation of interventions used to preserve the fish stock, for example, the organization of water replenishment or the operation of water turners and pumps.”

While in 2022 the situation of fish farms was particularly critical in Transdanubia – here it was impossible to solve the water supply of the dammed lakes – this year, more serious problems also arose in the lowland areas, which receive much less precipitation than in the western part of the country. The problems are exacerbated by the fact that the vast majority of fish and fishing ponds have not been dredged in the last 50-100 years, so their water depth is getting smaller and smaller. In addition to the fact that shallower waters warm up sooner, it does not matter at all that on hot days evaporation losses of up to 2-3 centimeters per day occur in lakes with an average depth of five or one meters.