High quality is ensured in the Christmas fish offer this year as well

The year 2024 showed a mixed picture for extensive fish pond farms. Similar to last year, the weather, especially the fluctuations in water quality and water level, had a significant impact on the production processes for fish farmers. Many Transdanubian fish farms struggled with a serious water shortage, which had a negative impact on production, as low water levels provide an unfavorable production environment for fish. One of the main consequences of this phenomenon is the death of fish due to lack of oxygen and the slowing down of weight gain. All this causes serious financial losses for pond farms. In the Great Plain, the provision of water supply can be better solved thanks to the existence of the irrigation canal network, however, due to the operation of the pumps, this requires a significant amount of electricity, which means additional costs. Domestic fish farms are already working at full speed, which is no coincidence: 55-60 percent of the fish produced for food purposes are sold during the Christmas period.

The readiness is complete, as the most suitable period for autumn fishing is the period between October and December. The biggest difficulty for farms at this time is recruiting the appropriate number of seasonal workers, as fishing, sorting and transportation require significant resources at this time of year.

In the case of edible carp and predatory species – these include the gray catfish, African catfish and pike perch, which are popular among Hungarians – the usual high quality is ensured. Hungarian consumers can thus also purchase the ingredients for the 2024 Christmas menu, selecting from high-quality Hungarian fish.

During the end-of-year holiday season, traditional customs come to the fore, which is why carp is still the best-selling fish. The range ranges from live fish to products with various degrees of processing (horseshoe, fillet). In addition to carp, the most sought-after fish species are also busa and grass carp, while consumers who shy away from flounder prefer predatory species, catfish and pike perch. The trend observed in recent years is expected to continue this year: while the older generation prefers live fish, the younger generation prefers products with an increasingly high level of processing. Hungarian fish farms have also sensed the changing consumer demands and are trying to serve customers with the widest possible product range.