World Aquaculture 23 eel, pikeperch, rainbow trout, catfish, and ornamental fish. Today, just four large fish farms use RAS for the production of marketable or stocker fish, with an annual production of 150 t. This sector of Czech aquaculture is relatively new and its rapid development is envisaged during the next decade. Ornamental Fish Industry Production of ornamental and aquarium fish for hobby purposes has a long tradition in the Czech Republic. Currently, the organization is highly efficient to meet high market demands. Hundreds of small breeders have operated since the 1960s when the culture of tropical fish became a hobby for 40,000 people. Current Czech professional breeders of ornamentals use an aquarium system with or without a recycling aquaculture system (RAS) at a median volume of around 25 m3 (Figure 11). The Czech Republic is outside of the tropical region and, therefore, tropical fish must be cultured for a long time under controlled conditions of aquariums and RAS. This production system uses domesticated strains well adapted to manipulation, artificial feed, and culture conditions. The Czech ornamental fish industry produces continually more than 600 tropical fish species of high quality. The Czech Republic is the biggest producer of tropical ornamentals in Europe with 31 percent of total European exports. Annual export of ornamentals from the Czech Republic is around USD 10 – 15 million and this volume ranks the Czech Republic among the top five exporters in the world. Currently, 100 Czech companies possess the license for export of ornamentals, mainly to Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy. Angling Associations In the Czech Republic, angling is considered a traditional recreational activity. The first anglers associations were founded at the end of 19th century. In 1957, the Czechoslovak Anglers Union was established. Today, the vast majority of anglers are organized into two unions – the Czech Anglers Union and the Moravian Anglers Union. The unions are currently among the largest associations in the Czech Republic with almost 320,000 members organized into 585 local units (clubs). In total, 42,000 ha of fishing grounds in the Czech Republic are managed by anglers unions. Many local angling clubs also participate in the production of fish for restocking of fishing grounds. Total stock production is annually more than 1500 t. Thirty fish species, including endangered ones, are released to the fishing grounds each year. Almost 4000 t of various fish species are caught on Czech fishing grounds each year. This amount includes approximately 3200 t of carp, 23 t of tench, 170 t of bream (Abramis brama), 80 t of grass carp, 130 t of pike, 110 t of zander, 80 t of catfish, 20 t of eels (Anguilla anguilla) , 45 t of rainbow trout and 14 t of brown trout. The Czech Anglers Union is a member of the International Angling Organization (CIPS) and of the International Casting Sport Federation (ICSF). Czech Fish Farmers Association The original state-owned fish production enterprises in the Czech Republic were privatized from 1993 to 1995. About 40 Fig. 9. Czech fishponds also create an important wetland environment inhabited by many rare and protected plant and animal species. This is the inflow area of the biggest Czech pond – Rožmberk – 489 ha. (Photo by Jan Ševčík.) Fig. 10. Concrete canals (raceways) for rainbow trout and brook trout culture. This is in Skalní Mlýn near Brno. (Photo by Zdeněk Adámek.) Fig. 11. Breeding system for production of the cardinal tetra (Cheirodon axelrodi) in Horní Pěna near Jidřichův Hradec. (Photo by Peter Podhorec.)
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