Carp-e diem for Serbian aquaculture
The Faculty of Agriculture (FA) at the University of Belgrade is the leading institution promoting research in aquaculture in Serbia. The EU-funded 'Reinforcement of sustainable aquaculture' (ROSA) project was set up to contribute to the development of Serbian and western Balkan aquaculture by reinforcing this existing expertise. Project members built on complementary collaboration in several existing international and national projects. With the assistance of project partners, the Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation Hungary, (HAKI) and the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (NOFIMA), ROSA aimed to increase human and research potential to improve production results in carp culture. Research, experiments and training were carried out in the fields of fish nutrition, genetics and selective breeding, product quality and welfare, and stress physiology. Ten seminar works and five graduation theses were completed and defended. The research team also participated in 18 symposiums and conferences. Several protocols and one manual for carp producers were also completed. Reinforcing the human and material resources at FA created a basis for improved quality and an increased number of experiments, thus improving results in fish feeding. Another important impact constituted the transfer of new knowledge and its direct integration in the production of fish feed and on fish farms. This resulted in two years of the highest ever increase of carp production in Serbia. The project is likely to increase employability in rural areas in the sector of fish production and processing, as well as improve on cost effectiveness. Furthermore, ROSA outcomes stand to boost the export and consumption of fish at a local level.
