The European Union meets only 35% of its carp demand from its own production, so this is an opportunity for Croatia, he said, adding that fish demand in the EU was big but production was insufficient.
There are about 20 carp breeders in Croatia, about 15,000 tonnes were produced before the war while today annual production is about 3,000, he said, adding that the whole industry was "at a stage of technological recovery."
Agriculture Ministry state secretary Marija Vuckovic said freshwater fish breeding in Croatia was a strategic industry as it was one of the fastest growing, with an average growth rate of 10%. Carp production is important as it encompasses 75% of all freshwater aquaculture production and is second to white fish production, she added.
Andrzej Lirski of the Polish Stanislaw Sakowicz Inland Fisheries said carp was the most important fish in European aquaculture with annual production at 3.8 million tonnes, or 5.7% of the world's fish production.
In 2015, 71,210 tonnes of the common carp were produced in Europe, with 17,260 tonnes exported and 19,110 tonnes imported, the conference heard. Breeding is on the rise and the EU market has been growing by 9% over the past 10 years. Hungary has the highest carp consumption, 1.16 kg per capita annually. Bulgaria and Romania are next. In Croatia, 400 grams of carp per capita are consumed on average.