This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 5 2026.
Persistent drought and high temperatures are increasingly threatening freshwater aquaculture across Europe, as falling water levels, warmer water, and reduced oxygen availability place additional pressure on pond and flow-through farms. In early August 2026, around 37% of the area covered by the European Environment Agency’s member and cooperating countries was experiencing drought conditions, affecting 37 countries. Climate projections indicate that droughts are likely to become more frequent, prolonged, and severe in many parts of Europe.
The impact is already visible in freshwater production. In Hungary, around 1,588 hectares of fish ponds have dried out, while nearly 280 tonnes of fish have been lost, with estimated revenue losses of over EUR 3 million. Producers elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe are responding by reducing feeding, increasing aeration, transferring fish, or using additional oxygenation. Such measures can limit immediate mortality but also raise production costs and slow growth. Longer-term resilience will increasingly depend on improved water storage and retention, adapted stocking densities, monitoring systems, and clearer rules for allocating scarce water resources.
