The 47th HAKI Days, a Scientific Consultation on Fish Production was organized on 7-8 June 2023 in Szarvas, in the Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The conference focused on defining strategic directions for the development of Hungarian aquaculture and generated a high degree of interest as shown by the 154 participants from higher education, research, industry, nature protection and from government ministries who participated in the event.
The conference was opened by Bela Halasi-Kovacs, the director of HAKI, and participants were welcomed by Istvan Nemeth, the president of MA-HAL and Mihaly Babak, the mayor of Szarvas. Based on the main topic, plenary sessions targeted subjects like freshwater aquaculture in Europe, directions for innovation in Hungarian fish production, main challenges and possible solutions in pond fish production from the perspective of fish producers, and the complexities of aquaculture and fish production in natural waters. During the panel discussions following the plenary sessions the audience contributed to finding solutions to different challenges of aquaculture development. Conclusions from the discussion shaped the Hungarian position at the International Carp Conference also held in Szarvas a couple of months later.
In the final stage of the event scientific results were presented in person and as posters by national and international researchers from a variety of fields including aquaculture technology and fish management in natural waters. The width and depth of discussions at HAKI Days showed once again that it is a useful and informative event for freshwater aquaculture stakeholders in Hungary and beyond.