The Klatovské rybářství, which manages 390 ponds, will postpone the start of its autumn harvests by a month to mid-November 2026 because of drought. In normal years the harvests are already finishing by then. Fish for the Christmas table and for export will be harvested in December. The company nevertheless plans to harvest the same 130 water bodies as in previous years. This was stated by its director Václav Voráček [1][2].

Reasons for the postponement

There is little water in the holding tanks to which the fish from the harvests go and where they are to stay until Christmas, because they are not fed by large streams. The company is therefore monitoring and calculating its supplies so that the water will last. It will set the harvest dates ad hoc and for now postpones them as much as possible in the hope of rain. Voráček said that in 33 years in the field he does not remember such a shortage of water or a similar delay [1][2].

For now, mainly younger fish are being transferred, moved to ponds with water, while market-size fish are harvested only to order, with collection within a week. Flow-through ponds are at two thirds of their normal level; the situation is worst for ponds that depend on rainfall alone, which are estimated at a third. Fish did not die in larger numbers because of the drought and heat. Some ponds had to be harvested completely in order to save the fish [1][2].

Catches and prices

According to the director, the fish will be of good quality but smaller because of the hot summer and limited supplementary feeding. The main harvests will begin in mid-November, and the fish should keep in the holding tanks for a month even if it does not rain. The large ponds Myslívský, Merklínský, Mezholezský, Nezamyslický, Břežanský, Liščí and Pirkovský will be harvested. The company estimates that Christmas fish will become five to ten percent more expensive; it has not yet set prices. The reasons are higher personnel costs and greater fuel consumption in rescuing the fish [1][2].

Sources

  1. Plzeňská Drbna — 31 October 2026
  2. Ekolist.cz — 1 November 2026