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The poacher caught a roadside inspection

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Employees of the Balatonfüred Police Department detained the resident of Várpalota for violation of regulations.

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Employees of the Balatonfüred Police Department detained the resident of Várpalota for violation of regulations. On March 23, 2023, at 11:05 p.m., the patrol officers checked a car and its driver in Balatonfüred. The police searched the passenger compartment of the car, during which they noticed that between the seats there were bream and carp in a plastic container with a lid, while there was a toothpick in a nylon bag.

Photo: Police

The 27-year-old man had a valid state fishing license and catch log, but on the day of the inspection, he had only caught one carp. He knew that there was a fishing ban on perch, so he did not document it, and in the case of the other two fish species, he tried to argue with a typo.

Photo: Police

The uniformed officers brought the man to the Balatonfüred Police Station, initiated a violation procedure against him, and informed the fish guards about the incident.

Source: Veszprém county police Facebook page

Fishing

Silver carps at “Hármas-Körös”

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Silver carps caught at Hármas-Körös

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Dávid Kovács was fishing with his friends at Gyomaendrőd, on Hármas-Körös. Last year, at the Békésszentandras Dam, he managed to catch several smaller silver carps weighing around one kilogram, but he never once caught a bigger one. Busa fishing – here in Békés County – mainly depends on the weather, – began his report, Dávid Kovács, who received an award in the “beautiful catches” nature conservation category announced by the Körösvidék Fishing Associations in 2022.

Photo: Agro Jager News

Together with his friends, they used the simplest equipment and bought the cheapest silver carps feed available in the store. A light color is important, as the water of Körös river has a darker shade. The dissolved feed material resembles plankton, which is the main food of this fish. In order to increase the intake, pig feed made for fattening was also mixed into the meal. On the shore, thanks to a little loess soil, it was possible to solidify the feed material. During the whole day’s fishing, approximately 6-7 kilograms were put into the water, which cost about two thousand forints.

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The fish food was delivered in a simple rib basket with a bib 10-15 centimeters long. A puff was placed on the hook, which was used to lift it from the bed. It is well known that silver carps come in swarms. The release grit attracts fish like a magnet. If several rods are placed not far from each other, several bites may occur at the same time. Getting the silver carps is clear and definite. It is worth always being next to the rod and using a suction brake.

A few years ago, a larger silver carps was also caught on Lake Balaton. Photo: Agro Jager News

If there is a hook, the silver carps will break out immediately, which is why it is worth choosing a place for fishing where we have a chance to tire them out. As soon as they started fishing, barely half an hour passed, and the first bite came. After a short struggle, we managed to help a 10.8 kilogram fish to the shore. While the fish was resting on the mattress, the second bite came immediately. The second fish was also caught, which weighed 12 kilograms. The three-meter feeder rods had no difficulty tiring the fish. Then there was a longer break, there were no more applicants due to the intensive feeding. By late afternoon, however, luck turned. Out of nowhere came a huge bite again. The suction brake went into action immediately. Interestingly, however, larger fish are less athletic than a 10-kilogram fish. The 23-kilogram fish was exhausted in approximately 15 minutes.

Photo: Agro Jager News

In recent years, this invasive species has been multiplying more and more in the water areas of Békés county. The silver carps is native to deep rivers and lakes with warm water in southern China, but not to our country. After reaching a certain size, it has no natural enemies. The rise of these plankton-eating fish is becoming increasingly apparent. They also appeared in places that had never been seen before. They swim up the channels close to the backwater, and also appear in smaller channels, such as the Kákafoki channel between Nagyszénás and Szarvas. Because of this, several people have been on the pore, because if capital fish swim into the line, it is impossible to stop them.

It is important to know that according to MOHOSZ rules, accidentally caught fish must be released back into the water, despite the fact that we are talking about an invasive species. It causes the greatest destruction to the fry by eating the plankton. If the cyanide pollution had not happened on January 30, 2000, the Hungarian fishing community would probably have faced much more serious consequences due to the rise of silver carps. In the vicinity of the settlement of Zazar near Nagybánya in Romania, the filling of a cyanide tailings reservoir of a mining company burst, causing the silver carps stock to collapse for a while. The hundred thousand cubic meters of toxic mixture accumulated there did not spare the buses either.

Considering the trend of the last four or five years, it would be worthwhile to step up the reduction of buses. Perhaps their selective fishing would also be a solution – Dávid Kovács concluded his report.

Written by Dr. Gergely Szilágyi

Photo: Dávid Kovács

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Fishing

The “new” fish species of Lake Hévíz is the sailfin catfish (Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus)

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A new species of fish was found in Lake Hévíz

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The members of the nature conservation guard service of the Balaton Upland National Park Directorate have been regularly fishing and scuba diving in Lake Hévíz since 2019 within the framework of the KEHOP project entitled “Implementation of the comprehensive lake protection program of Lake Hévíz”.

Photo: Balaton-felvidéki National Park Directorate

The Balaton Uplands, Southern Bakony, the Tapolcai Basin, the Keszthely Plateau and the southwestern Kis-Balaton Basin belong to the Balaton Uplands National Park, which was created in 1997, primarily by merging six landscape protection areas. Figure: BfNPI

The primary goal of these nature conservation interventions is to gain as much knowledge as possible about the animal and plant species found in the lake, as well as to reduce the number of non-native/invasive species that threaten native organisms.

On the morning of February 22, 2022, nature conservation guards Előd Búzás and Gábor Sinka carried out a diving dive along the shore of Lake Hévíz. The purpose of the dive is to create photo documentation of the fish found in the shallower region of the lake (2-5 meters). During the dive, on the clay slope on the western shore of the lake, at a depth of 4 meters, they noticed an individual of a fish species that had not been seen before.

The fish with a body length of nearly 60 cm, reminiscent of the “algae-eating catfish” known from tropical aquariums, was floating in front of a cavity carved into the clay. The fish did not leave the hole even when the divers approached, thus providing an opportunity to take photos.

After the dive, they began to analyze the images, but it was not yet possible to read enough information from the images to determine the species. Only the family was recognized: Loricariidae – panhead catfish. In addition to analyzing the images, they also began to review the available literature to see if anyone had ever encountered this species. Such a species was not mentioned anywhere in the articles found on the Internet, but a close-up catfish appeared on a video recorded in 2020 by diver József Katona. Of course, the species could not be determined based on the video recording either, so the decision was made: we must dive again.

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On March 1, 2022, two conservation divers from the BfNPI made another dive so that if they managed to find the nest discovered a week earlier, they would take as many photos as possible of the fish likely guarding the nest. During the dive, it was possible to photograph a fish with a much brighter color than the previously photographed specimen, but with the same appearance, on the western wall of the spring funnel of the lake, at a depth of about 7 meters, and then, during the ascent, photographs of small fish fry were taken on the clay bed, and finally the nest was also found. The catfish was still floating in front of the nest entrance, but hundreds of young individuals (1-2 cm long) were swimming around it. That’s when the young emerged from the nest. After taking a lot of photos, a numbered plastic marking stick was stuck next to the cavity.

Photo: Balaton-felvidéki National Park Directorate

During the analysis of the photos, it was also possible to determine the species: panther-patterned catfish ( Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus ) is the newly discovered species. Unfortunately, it was soon proved that there is a breeding population in the lake.

During the divings carried out on March 11, 18, and May 4, 2022, several adults of the species were recorded on video recordings at a depth of 8-14 meters in the cavities of the western rock wall of the spring, and a former nest cavity was also found.

During the dive carried out on June 15, 2022, it was possible to take photos and video recordings of the male panther warbler guarding its second “nest hole” of the year in front of a fresh cavity, and the nest cavity was marked again.

No more scuba diving took place in 2022. During each dive, the divers encountered the dwarf carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) , native only to Lake Hévíz, and the following non-native species: sunfish ( Lepomis gibbosus ), Yucatán toothed carp “Blackmolly” ( Poecilia sphenops ), rainbow perch ( Herotilapia multispinosa ).

Another diving dive took place on April 4, 2023, at which time 3 different individuals from the adult population of panther-patterned catfish were photographed.

During the past year, we tried to find literary sources about this newcomer. What effect does it have/will it have on the ecological system of the lake? Can it cause a problem and if so, what kind of problem? Do you have any experience with changes following installation/importing?

We tried to find answers to these questions, and what we found was not encouraging.

The panhead catfish family ( Loricariidae ) includes more than 700 species. They all come from Central and South America, their bodies are protected by strong bony shields, and they feed mostly on plants. Their habitats are mostly fast-flowing rivers and streams up to an altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level, but they also occur in almost all other wetlands, in brackish water estuaries, in low-pH “black waters”, and in cave streams.

The leopard catfish ( Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus ) is native to Brazil and Bolivia, in the Rio Madeira basin and its tributaries. Its temperature requirements are not too high, it feels good in water above 22°C. Although the water in its habitat is relatively soft, it also adapts well to medium-hard water.

It is one of the largest species within the family, its mature individuals can reach a body length of 60-70 cm. Several of the individuals seen in Lake Hévíz exceeded 50 cm in body length.

At a young age, they eat a lot of algae and kelp with the help of their sticky mouths, and when they are older, they also feed on plants and the carcasses of dead animals.

During their reproduction, they dig even meter-long passages into the banks of rivers (we also experienced this in Lake Hévíz). The females place their eggs in the flights, which the males carefully guard.

It has been introduced to many parts of the world: USA/Florida, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, wild populations also live in Bangladesh, Honduras, Turkey, Malaysia, Mexico and Puerto Rico. It acts as an invasive species in these countries.

During an investigation in Bangladesh, it was determined that in the water bodies where the panther-patterned catfish appears, it has a detrimental effect on the growth and survival rate of native carp (3 species were examined). In Panama, in Lake Gatun, a breeding stock of species hybrids of panther-patterned catfish ( Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus ) and giant algae-eating fish ( Pterygoplichthys pardalis ) was found. It has been observed in several places that they are changing the nutritional conditions in water bodies, to the detriment of native species. In areas where there were no close-up catfish, the native predators (fish, birds, mammals) are not prepared for the armor of these fish and their ossified, spiky pectoral fins, so they can easily be injured and drown.

After reading many articles in foreign languages, the only question is how to prevent the further reproduction of this fish. However, in order to answer this question, further dives are necessary to find out what happens to the hatchlings, how big the population in the lake can be, when and what they feed on…

Source: Gábor Sinka – Balaton-felvidéki National Park Directorate 

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Fishing

Outlook: Trout in Sweden

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Zoltán Kaczur caught trout in Sweden

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Zoltán Kaczur and his family decided five years ago to move from Miskolc to Sweden and start a new life. He settled with his family in a small town north of Gothenburg. Ever since he was a child, he has been spinning and fanning in Miskolc, on the Garadna stream. Here he gained a lot of experience, he even caught trout several times.

Photo: Zoltán Kaczur – Agro Jager News

The number of lakes and rivers in the Scandinavian country is significant, and fishing opportunities can be found almost everywhere. The fishing rules in Sweden are completely different than in Hungary. There is no need to take a fishing test. There is one important rule: always have permission. Some waters are very strict because of salmon.

For example, treble hooks cannot be used in salmon waters. This rule also applies to wobblers. Trout and salmon are also protected by a prohibition period that lasts from October 31 to April 1 of the following year. The stricter rules were adopted because this can guarantee a stable salmon population in the long term.

The ticket price on these waters is much more expensive than elsewhere. On the rivers where salmon can be caught, the price of the annual regional ticket is approximately HUF 50,000. The price of the daily ticket is around HUF 1,500.

In all other water areas where there are no salmon, the price of the regional ticket costs HUF 7,000. Compared to salaries in Sweden, these prices are very cheap. In Sweden, in addition to salmon, trout and silver pike are also considered noble fish. All other fish species can be taken without quantity and size restrictions. 60-70% of the entire population likes to fish. The second largest lake in Europe is also located in the region, which the locals call Lake Vänern. The size of the water area exceeds 5650 square kilometers! You don’t need a permit here or at sea! The fishing IT system is well structured. We can get any kind of permit online. If there are special rules, the system will inform us of them at the time of purchase.

Even though Zoli lives down south, there are still serious frosts in April. In this case, the winter snowmelt raises the rivers and streams. In the Bäveån (Beaver) stream, the general water depth is usually approximately one to one and a half meters deep. There are sections of the stream where you can walk across. Zoli, you can call yourself lucky, because you only have to walk 50 meters from their house to reach the water. In the majority of cases, due to children and work, he only has the opportunity to take a few hours’ nap. He spends two to three hours outside every morning. In most cases, he throws from the shore, but because of the cold, he also often puts on his boots. In Sweden, trout feel especially good in fast, oxygen-rich waters. With a little luck, we can also hang capital individuals. In Sweden, the lower size limit for trout is 45 centimeters.

Photo: Zoltán Kaczur – Agro Jager News

At this time in the spring, due to the cold water, the fish are still tickling, the very lively baits have an alarming effect on the fish. In early spring, it is worth choosing those that are more neutral in color. A trout caught a few days ago was hooked with a circle of various sizes. During his current fishing, the fisherman from Miskolc has tried almost everything. First came the waders in different colors and the wobblers, of which the smaller baits are ideal up to a maximum size of five centimeters. A size larger than this attracts the attention of the pike. As the weather warms up, fly anglers are also dusting off their gear. It is often easier to fool these fish, because with the artificial fly we provoke an instinctive behavior that is difficult to achieve with other baits.

Photo: Zoltán Kaczur – Agro Jager News

Since the first of April, he has fished twice on the Beaver stream. On both occasions, two smaller trout were pulled out of the water. As the weather warms up, I hope to hook bigger fish as well – Zoltán Kaczur concluded his report.

Written by Dr. Gergely Szilágyi

Photos: Zoltán Kaczur

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