Business trip report, Croatia, Kouba et al.

On 16^th–20^th September 2024, the 24^th International Astacological Symposium took place in Zagreb, Croatia, where the University of South Bohemia was represented by a five-member team of scientists from the Laboratory of Freshwater Ecosystems (Pavel Kozák, Antonín Kouba, Davinder Kaur, Azeem Iqbal, Augusto Frederico Huber). Together, we provided four oral presentations and two posters.

During the four-day scientific programme, topics related to research on freshwater crayfish were discussed and, in addition to the scientific part, the conference programme also included a visit to Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is home to several critically endangered species, including populations of river crayfish and stone crayfish.

During the symposium, the Rector of the University of South Bohemia, Pavel Kozák, was re-elected as a member of the International Conference of Astacology's top management and will most likely be appointed its President in 2026. The election of Pavel Kozák to the head of this world scientific organization only confirmed the excellent scientific reputation of the Faculty in the field of research on these crustaceans.

A significant reinforcement of our team is the arrival of a new doctoral student, Augusto Frederico Huber, who was awarded as the best-presenting student.