The project "Nature-friendly fisheries management as a tool for the protection of valuable pond ecosystems, No. 3211100004" - RAGO supported by the Norwegian Funds and the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic is coming to an end nowadays. The project was led by the Třeboň organization ENKI, o.p.s. and the FFPW USB was its co-leader together with five other partners. The project sought to look at the ponds through a different lens than traditional carp farming. A total of 11 ponds in four different regions were specifically managed using alternative fish stocking. Water quality, zooplankton, aquatic insects and amphibians were monitored. Another pillar of the project, which was under the responsibility of the FFPW USB, was to support the populations of declining fish species such as common bream, common sunfish, common roach, brook trout, etc. The project repeatedly carried out successful artificial spawning of common bream at the fish hatchery. More than 500,000 redfish fry were introduced into the ponds. As a result, we have our own population of yearling and biennial bream as well as a generational broodstock. The early ontogeny of bream at different water temperatures has also been monitored.
The results of the project were presented to the general public at the final conference held on 21 and 22 March 2024 in Vodnany. On Thursday, the first day of the event, the results of the RAGO project were presented in thematic lectures. The economic aspects of extensive fish farming and alternative stocking were very well discussed and well received. Friday's programme was divided into two parts, with the first group of participants taking an excursion to interesting fishing facilities in Vodnany (FFPW USB and SRŠ Vodnany). The second group participated in the KARAS 2024 symposium, which included a meeting of people and institutions actively involved in the conservation of this once common fish species. There was great interest in the event, which exceeded our expectations and the capacity of the hall. 81 people attended the conference (Thursday) and 46 attended the Friday symposium. Nearly 40 more people watched it online. In addition to Czech participants, there were several participants from Slovakia, Austria and Germany. The RAGO project and its results therefore also have cross-border implications. The results of the RAGO project, including recordings of selected lectures, can be found on the website www.ochranarybniku.cz.
Written by: Ing. Ján Regenda, Ph.D.
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