Czarci Jar State Hatchery, Olsztyn District, North-Eastern Poland
Background and education
I became interested in fisheries at grammar school, as I was a keen angler, as very many kids are at that age. I graduated from the State Fisheries College in Kock, South-Eastern Poland. I had been active for some time in the PZW, the Polish Anglers Association. Following this I began my term of study at Olsztyn University, in the Faculty of Water Protection and Fisheries. During my studies I was employed in Czarczi Jar State Hatchery as a Manager. Before starting this work I had cause to visit many other fish farms. I graduated from my studies in 1991 with a MSc of Inland Fisheries. I believe people undertaking such study should pay particular attention to fish ecology, remembering at all times (especially while working in fish farms) that fish are not only the "aim of production" but rather an integral and most important part of the aquatic environment.
Knowledge of genetics and biotechnology is still developing. For this reason, the people working as geneticists in fisheries and aquaculture must participate in special courses or meetings, in order to be kept aware of the emergent developments in these fields. In Poland there are annual meetings, where scientists and fish farmers meet to exchange information. The information presented and gathered at the meeting is made available in print format.
I get up at about 6 am. First, I check the farm: especially the hatchery and the ponds. I check water flow and overnight fish survival among other things. At 7 am I give orders to the workers with regard to fish feeding and the cleaning of tanks and ponds. How the rest of the day is spent depends on the season. During spawning time, I have most work. In this farm they spawn several species of fish: Atlantic salmon, brown trout and sea trout in Autumn, burbot in Winter, and rainbow trout, pike, perch, asp, dace, ide, barbell and many other species in Spring to early Summer. The hardest time is when the brown trout, burbot and especially rainbow trout are reproducing. In this last case, about 3000 spawners must be checked (individual weight above 2 kg). In other times, there is much work to do with incubated eggs or with offspring. The end of the working day may be at 1 pm or at 9 pm. The best news for those considering such work is that Summer time is usually a more relaxing time with only limited amounts of work to be done.
The inland fisheries in Poland are becoming increasingly modern with the advance of technology. For this reason, many young people have gained an interest in studying fisheries related science with a focus on genetics or biotechnology. The numbers studying inland fisheries science has increased in the last number of years.
One of the most important aspects of my work is to do with the technology for the reproduction of burbot. Burbot is one of the endangered species in Europe. It is an important species from ecological and aquacultural points of view. The meat and liver of this species is delicious. A few years ago, the first artificial spawn of burbot in captivity was achieved through collaboration with Polish and Czech scientists. Now, Czarci Jar is the biggest producer of burbot fry in Poland, and possibly in Europe. Probably in the near future I will collaborate with other fish farms in Norway, Germany, Belgium and France.
I believe one of the most important things to be the transfer of technology/ knowledge. For this reason I participate in many meetings with scientists, take part in special courses, and collaborate with scientists from universities and research institutes. Developing the fisheries, and new techniques and technologies, are the main conditions necessary to advance the farm. These are also important from an economic point of view. The Polish market is still undergoing changes and experiencing periods of fluctuation. This is evident in the fisheries business. However, through good steady farm work and research we are able to offer new products to the market.
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