In 2012 the company invested in a recirculation aquaculture system, one of the first fish farms in Hungary to do so.
and, according to the company, the filtration systems work so well that recycled water has the same quality as drinking water. Production today is 58-60 tonnes, which is 40 times more than in 1983, when the present manager, Mr. György Hoitsy, took it over. The introduction of recycling technology has also allowed the company to consider expanding in the future as calculations show that with the technology current production
can be doubled with the existing water supply.
Commercial activities coexist with research The farm is more than just a production unit as it is also conducting research in several fields alongside the commercial activities. Fish health is one topic being studied and, in addition, investigations are carried out on fish fauna and
ecology of natural waters. The farm has agreements with several universities for which it serves as a practical training ground for students, while specialists from the farm also lecture in undergraduate and fishery engineer courses. Additionally, a brown trout gene bank has been established and it serves as a base for serious research into crossbreeding. All breeders are tagged with microchips and their DNA is kept on record. The objective of the crossbreeding is to restore the pure Danube line of the species and significant progress has been achieved. A broodstock of this pure Danube brown trout line is expected to be established within the next few years.
Lillafüred Trout Farm
Lillafüred Trout Farm
HUNGARY
The main species produced on the farm is brown trout which is used for both consumption and restocking.
Sagdiclar Manager: Mr. György Hoitsy (since 1983) Farm area: 1 ha No. of ponds: 18 Total water surface: 3,700 sq. m Species produced: Brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout
Volumes produced: 58-60 tonnes (mainly brown trout) Activities: Fish for consumption, fish for restocking Products: Smoked fish, ready-tocook products
Department of Aquaculture, Szent István University, Hungary
Bringing research results to the field Szent István University, formerly known as the Agricultural University of Gödöllö, is the largest institution in Hungary for education and research in agriculture and environmental sciences. The Department of Aquaculture was founded on 1 January 2001 under the leadership of Professor László Horváth and was the only one in the country at the time.
T
he activities of the department can be classified into education, researchdevelopment-innovation (RDI), and consultancy. While education is a relatively stable and well-planned task, the RDI activities depend highly on the staff ’s success at applying for research funding. The results of these research projects form the basis 42
of the consultancy services and the knowledge and technology transfer activities.
Research and development grants fuel all activities Everyday activities at the department are carried out by professional staff who vary in number
from 40 to 55 people. Of this group, only four people have statefunded salaries (so called normative funding), while the remainder receive their salaries from projects. On average, over 90% of the total remuneration (basic salary and salary supplements) of the staff is funded through research grants. RDI activities are, therefore, of exceptional importance.
The department offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD degrees, in addition to providing adult education. The indicators of the past five years are shown in the table overleaf.
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