HUNGARY
International Carp Conference highlights pond aquaculture’s role in Europe and beyond
Ecosystem services deserve greater attention The sixth International Carp Conference, held in Szarvas, Hungary, was organised by leading carp farmers’ associations and is one of the most important events dedicated to enhancing European carp aquaculture. The members of the organising committee represent the most significant carp producing countries in Europe: Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Croatia, and a 2023 newcomer, Austria, represented by the Austrian Lake Fisheries and Aquaculture Association.
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he first International Carp Conference was organised in 2011 by the Polish Fish Producers’ Association. After that the international organising committee decided to hold the event every two years in different countries. The decision to organise the next conference in Hungary was taken at the 2019 conference in Germany, but due to the COVID epidemic, it did not take place until 2023.
Balanced representation from European producers and international organisations The sixth International Carp Conference was organized jointly by the Hungarian Aquaculture and Fisheries Inter-branch Organisation (MA-HAL) and the Research Center for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE-HAKI) in Szarvas, Hungary between 30 August and 1 September 2023. Over 110 participants from 17 countries represented the carp value chain at the two-day conference. They included farmers, fish feed producers, farmer’s associations, government representatives, NGOs, scientists, and several international organizations that play an eminent role in the development of
European and global aquaculture as FAO, Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP), European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATIP), European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC), Eurofish International Organisation, and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Central and Eastern Europe (NACEE). The conference was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary; Hungarian Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (HUNATIP); Noack Magyarország Ltd. and other sponsors.
Carp farming needs to be more widely acknowledged Although international recognition of carp production and pond farming in Europe has increased slightly over the past 15 years, this particular aquaculture sector still faces many challenges. Its visibility and recognition are not in proportion to the complex environmental, social and economic values that pond farming creates and sustains. This is why the motto of the 6th International Carp Conference was “Get the carp to its rightful place in aquaculture”. The focus of the conference was to strengthen the “carp segment” within European
From left, Javier Ojeda, FEAP; Bernhard Feneis, VDBA; Béla HalasiKovács, MATE-HAKI; and David Basset, EATiP.
aquaculture; improve the image of carp as well as the recognition of pond aquaculture as our common European heritage; and to increase the European contribution to the development of global carp aquaculture exploring the opportunities offered by carp in “blue aquaculture”. The conference also aimed both to bring scientific results and European policies closer to the producers.
president of MA-HAL, and Béla Halasi-Kovács, director of MATEHAKI. They provided a review of Hungarian carp production; the challenges and opportunities faced by the sector; and its position vis a vis European and global carp production; as well as the status of research in the field. After the opening remarks a short video was presented entitled “The beauty of carp”.
Opening speeches were provided by Mr. Gábor Csörgits, Head of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management representing the Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary; Mr. István Németh,
Panel of internationallyrecognised experts address the audience Topics of the conference were interpreted and communicated
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