Abstract
AbstractFreshwater fish ponds, besides producing fish, function as valuable aquatic habitats, contribute to the maintenance and enrichment of the quality of the ecosystem, play an important role in water and landscape management, provide services for various recreational activities and contribute to the preservation of the cultural heritage. The multifunctional character of pond fish farming has been recognized for long time; however, recently it has also been realized that the deliberate multidirectional use of fish ponds (production, angling, recreation, education, etc.) offers additional economic benefits. Experience with the operation of multifunctional fish farms in Hungary has clearly shown that the diversification of activities is a promising alternative during the development of sustainable pond fish farming. However, further efforts are required to investigate the specificities and applicability of the various factors and also the optimal ratio between them to utilize the opportunities offered by multifunctional use of freshwater fish ponds. Research on multifunctional pond fish farming has mainly been limited to descriptions of the various functions of fish ponds, for example environmental services. However, the attitude of farm managers towards the possible multifunctional use of their farming system has never been investigated. In this study, the importance of the various existing or potential functions of a pond fish farm and their role in the future development of multifunctional pond fish farms have been investigated through the analysis of the appraisal of experienced farm managers by analytic hierarchy process. The results of the research provide empirical evidence that can be used for the elaboration of policies, development strategies, R&D and the legal frameworks needed for the sustainable development of multifunctional pond fish farming.
Highlights
Aquaculture is the world’s most diverse farming system in terms of the number of species, methods and environments where farms are located (Hishamunda & Ridler 2002; Harvey et al 2007; FAO, 2009)
Farm managers obviously assess the preference order of the individual pond farm functions based on the concrete pond farm incomes instead of the results of theoretical calculations, even if they are aware of the role of ecosystem services and their environmental and social value
It is worth noting that farm managers assign special importance to the production of products complying with animal welfare and ethical functions (Wpn = 0.23), which indicates the intention to meet consumer demands at the highest possible level
Summary
Aquaculture is the world’s most diverse farming system in terms of the number of species, methods and environments where farms are located (Hishamunda & Ridler 2002; Harvey et al 2007; FAO, 2009). Global fish production increased by 24% between 2006 and 2015 and rose to 167 million tonnes (on average over 2013–2015), as claimed by (OECD/FAO, 2017a). The total fish production for human consumption was 147 million tonnes 88% of the total), and aquaculture accounted for nearly 50% of the fish consumed. Fish originating from aquaculture are expected to represent 57% of the fish consumed by 2025. The continued growth in fish consumption will mainly derive from aquaculture production. The expected average annual growth rate of aquaculture will slow from 5.4% to 3.0% per annum between 2015 and 2025 (OECD/ FAO, 2017a,b). Aquaculture has great potential to expand and intensify sustainably in order to meet the demand for fish in 2050, as the human population is predicted to
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