FORECASTING FALL 2008 POND PRODUCTION BASED ON SURVEY DATA

Andrzej Lirski, Leszek Myszkowski

Zakład Rybactwa Stawowego IRS w Żabieńcu

ABSTRACT. Access to reliable statistical information is an essential element of planning and implementing further development in pond fish culture. Economic studies of inland fisheries under the auspices of the Program for Studying Public Statistics based on the RRW-22 questionnaire will be the principle source of this information, but as yet the sample size is too small to be representative. For this reason, fisheries production in Poland has been evaluated since 1993 by the Inland Fisheries Institute by extrapolating survey data to the entire pond surface area in Poland. Since 2004, questionnaires have been issued twice annually (in spring after stocking the ponds and in winter after the harvest and holiday sale), which permits verifying the data obtained. The studies conducted in 2008 permit forecasting production of consumer carp at about 15000 to 18000 tons. If the lower estimate of the forecast is confirmed, this would signal that the decreasing trend in carp consumption noted since the beginning of the decade continues. The studies form this year indicate that it is becoming more popular for fish to overwinter in grow out ponds without a fall harvest.

Keywords: carp, pond production, fisheries statistics