On October 15-17, 2024, a practical seminar "Fisheries management and water protection in the Czech Republic" was held at the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters USB as part of the integrated project LIFE Living Rivers (101069837/LIFE21-IPE-SK-Living Rivers). The seminar took place in the educational center MEVPIS Vodňany.
During the seminar the participants had the opportunity to listen to presentations, share the best practices and practical examples of good practice. The first day of the seminar was focused on fisheries management of salmonid waters in the Czech Republic. After the introductory presentation of the Living Rivers project, the listeners were introduced to the issue of current fishing management in the salmonid fishing grounds of the Czech Republic, innovative approaches in their management and findings from surveys of fish communities in Šumava. The audience was also introduced to the benefits and limits of shift of the production of fish stocks to controlled conditions.
In the second half of the day, the theoretical knowledge was supplemented by a practical demonstration of rheophilic fish breeding in controlled conditions at the Experimental Fish Culture Facility of FFPW USB, a demonstration of catching fish with an electrofishing device and a visit to a fish hatchery in the NP Šumava for the presentation of good practice in rearing of selected species of rheophilic fishes. The second day was devoted to the protection of sturgeons in pan-European point of view and the process of making passable of streams in the Czech Republic. The audience heard lectures on the pan-European action plan for sturgeons, the protection of sturgeons in situ and news from the activities of the Living Rivers project focused on the protection of sturgeons in the Slovak part of the Danube. In the second half of the day, the listeners were presented with the issue of the current practice of making passable of streams in the Czech Republic, the impact of opening of water barriers for "non-fish" water inhabitants and new methodologies for non-contact monitoring of fish ladders.
The last day of the seminar was devoted to the field trips and practical demonstrations. The participants of the seminar had the opportunity to get acquainted with an example of good practice in the making passable of cross-border streams on the example of the Malše river, where they also had a unique opportunity to look into the life of a critically endangered bivalve - the freshwater pearl mussel. The participants also visited the Genetic Fisheries Center FFPW USB, where they saw the rearing of various sturgeon species under controlled conditions. The entire seminar had a very pleasant atmosphere and was accompanied by many passionate discussions on current topics of practical protection of watercourses in Europe.
Project details.
On behalf of the organizing team of FFPW USB, Dr. Bořek Drozd
