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Carp-farming sector still going strong. /22. 12. 2011/
Each year, thousands of workers in more than 7,000 different locations produce around 20,000 tons of carp, largely to meet one day of demand for the traditional Christmas dinner. The Czech aquaculture industry's role in overall agricultural output is marginal, but the carp tradition accounts for about 87 percent of the industry output. About half of the carp consumed domestically and some 60 percent of that during the Christmas holidays. The other half is exported, making the Czech Republic the largest carp exporter in Europe.
"Fishing has always been an integral part of our agriculture," said Václav Šilhavý, director of the Fisheries Association of the Czech Republic. So much so that the industry, which employs just more than 2,000 people, has developed an infrastructure from vocational high schools that teach carp farming to research institutes which develop "the highest standards in the world," Šilhavý said.
Just 10 percent of the fish are processed, and the majority are sold live - many on the streets just days before Christmas, some kept alive in bathtubs before being breaded, fried and eaten with potato salad come Dec. 24.
While the carp Christmas dinner is among the most entrenched Christmas traditions, carp are not native to the region. Rather, they came from East Asia. A system of ponds that is still used today in south Bohemia was designed in the 15th century.
Business-wise, it is an expensive endeavor. The systems for carp farming, which are interconnected with natural bodies of water and thus must meet heavy environment regulations, are expensive and for the most part are unsustainable without state subsidies. "There have not been that many changes in fisheries, because it is highly sophisticated already," said Jan Mráček, head professor at the Fisheries Vocational Training School in Třeboň, home to many of the country's largest carp farms. "But lately, thanks to funding, some modernization has taken place, and especially technologies have been updated and that has enabled renewal of the ponds, which is very significant."
Subsidies come from the Agriculture Ministry budget, and the European Union Fisheries Fund, which contributes around 1.5 million euros, including the government co-funding annually.
"The European Fisheries Fund … means significant assistance to invest in aquaculture, the fish processing and marketing to develop new markets with promotional campaigns and education," Šilhavý said.
Though funding from the EU is never guaranteed, recent talks of reforming the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) seem to point to a solid spot for support for the Czech aquaculture tradition in the future, as discussions have emphasized more sustainable fish consumption.
"Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture will benefit from this budgetary greening of the Common Fisheries Policy," EU Commissioner Maria Damanak said in early December, pointing to a 6.5 billion euro fund that will seek to combat overfishing.
Despite the high costs of producing a fish that most that is often described as "boney" and "mushy" even by Czech consumers, any report about Czech aquaculture, whether from the Agriculture Ministry or the United Nations, says a major positive of the Czech fishing industry is the tradition.
"The tradition of Czech carp is related to its unique ponds, and carp have great advantages in that they are adaptable and disease-resistant," Mráček said. "Another reason is the meat of carp has such a specific and special taste and is very healthy."
Source: Praguepost.com, 21.12.2011. Full article can be found here.
