This day is dedicated not only to the celebration of fishing, but also to its impact on our planet. The aim of this event is to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable fishing, the protection of marine ecosystems and fish stocks. Fishing plays a key role in the lifestyle and livelihood of a huge number of people around the world. Fish is not only an important source of food, but also a basic source of livelihood for millions of people, especially in developing countries.

Recreational fishing associated with staying in nature is very widespread in our country, but local fishing has a long tradition dating back to the 16th century thanks to the breeding of fish in artificially constructed ponds, which significantly shape the Czech landscape. Our most famous pond builders were Jakub Krčín from Jelčany and Sedlčany or his predecessor Štěpánek Netolický. Fish harvesting is also popular for the lay public, which takes place mainly in autumn from September to November and partly also in spring in March and April. Traditionally, the ponds are harvested on Hubert name day, which is November 3.

Today, on the occasion of World Fisheries Day, we commemorate this Czech tradition with a painting from the OGV collections, "Fish harvest" from 1957. Its author is the academic painter Pavel Kopáček (May 10, 1923 Nové Město na Moravě - May 2, 1996 ibid.), whose 100th birth anniversary we commemorated last year. Kopáček was above all a realistic landscape artist who connected his life and work with the Vysočina region and especially with the landscape of Horácko region.

Jana Bojanovská, June 2024