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which also affects the amount of oxygen. During the day they produce oxygen, but at night they consume it. At the end of the summer as the harvesting season approaches nights become longer, and diurnal oxygen producers consume more oxygen during the night. Additionally, some of the fish have reached market size and consume more oxygen. Demand for oxygen is thus high at a time when supply may be constrained. This can be prevented from potentially becoming fatal by ensuring a water flow in the ponds and by using aerators.
Oxygen saturation of water is a very important factor during the wintering period, too, as during this period a lot of fish are present in a relatively small area. Adequate oxygen saturation can only be guaranteed in high quality, uncontaminated water. Climate change has fundamental effects on the technology used by Hortobágy Fish Farm and more generally on the production of carp in polyculture at farming sites across the country. Eva Kovacs, Eurofish, eva@eurofish.dk
Hortobágy Fish Farm Hortobágyi Halgazdaság Zrt Halasto 02755/8 hrsz. 4071 Hortobágy Hungary Tel: +36 52 369 110 info@hhgzrt.hu, https://hhgzrt.hu/ Managing director: Róbert Pásztor Activity: Production of carp and associated species in ponds Total pond volume: 3,000 ha Number of ponds: 6
Species: Common carp (70%), silver, bighead, grass carp, European catfish, perch, pike, crucian carp Volume of common carp: around 1.200 tonnes of table fish Markets: Hungary, Romania Product forms: Whole round, gutted, fillets, portions, live fish is exported Channels: Retail chains in Hungary, importers in Romania (a big wholesaler and some small retailers)
A Hungarian perspective on the sustainability of pond fish aquaculture
An activity that merits greater recognition
P
ond aquaculture is a key contributor to human nutrition even as the world population continues to grow. The sector plays an important role in the food supply due to the depletion of marine resources. However, to be sustainable in the long term, several factors need to be considered and appropriate measures and actions need to be taken.
A holistic approach is environmentally, socially, and economically responsible The aquaculture sector is covered by the FAO’s 1999 summary of sustainable agriculture objectives: contribution to food security; employment, income
generation in rural areas, with particular attention to poverty reduction; conservation of natural resources; and protection of the environment. It is noticeable that since 2015, the concept of sustainability has been used more and more widely in the assessment of different activities and forms of management, despite the fact that in many cases there is currently no definition of the concept that can be applied to a given sector or sectoral area. Moreover, in most cases, sustainability is approached only from a narrow environmental perspective, whereas it should be understood in a sector-specific way. In defining sustainability, the relevance of pond fish production to
B. Szendifi
A distinctive feature of aquaculture in Central and Eastern Europe is that much of the fish is produced in earthen ponds, a tradition that goes back centuries. Today, however, this form of production also faces serious challenges.
Pond fish farms support a wide diversity of flora and fauna that live in and around the ponds. They also play an important role in water management and water quality by storing water, preventing flooding, and removing nutrients from the water.
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