The next NACEE Congress will be held in Ukraine (Kherson) in May 2016.

For information: NACEE (Network of Aquaculture Centres in Central and Eastern Europe) is a voluntary association of aquaculture institutions in Central and Eastern Europe, in which all members retain full independence.
Currently, the Network includes about 30 organisations and individual members from more than 10 countries. The aim of such meetings is to exchange information, discuss joint research and education programmes, provide an opportunity to participate in European aquaculture development programmes, improve partnerships between science and practice, especially for representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises and producer associations, etc.
All institutes involved in research and technological development in the field of aquaculture can become members, regardless of their main focus (education, research or development) and their size. The coordinator of the activities is the Hungarian Institute of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation (HAKI). Each member institution appoints a liaison officer (if possible speaking both English and Russian) who will maintain regular contact with the HAKI coordinating institution. Communication between members is carried out mainly by e-mail and fax. The languages ​​of communication are English and Russian, which means that members can use either language, and the most important documents are translated into both languages. Members inform the coordinator of any events that may be of interest to other members, and the coordinator provides this information to NACEE members. The coordinator also disseminates the most important information received from European organizations and institutions (EU, FAO, EAS, FEAP) that may be relevant to the members of the Network. The Directors of the Network meet once a year in a different country. In the initial phase of the Network there are no membership fees, but the member institutions must cover all costs directly related to their participation. HAKI covers the costs incurred in connection with the task of coordination. The structure and functioning of the Network will subsequently be determined and regulated according to the decisions of the directors of the member institutions. Once NACEE has been established by the founding members, new members may join with the consent of the directors of the member institutions.

A little history…

The idea of ​​establishing a Network of Aquaculture Centres in Central and Eastern Europe (NACE) emerged during the work of the Central and Eastern European Committee of the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) in early 2003. The mission of the network is to promote the research and development sector in Central and Eastern Europe to become an organic part of the European Research Area.
After an initial assessment of needs and possibilities, the idea of ​​establishing NACEE was publicly announced during the International Symposium "Coldwater Aquaculture: Start in the 21st Century" held in St. Petersburg (Russia) on 7-15 September 2003. Aquaculture institutions from five Central and Eastern European countries (Belarus, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic) joined the initiative during the conference. This date is considered the beginning of NACEE.
At the same time, since October 2003, aquaculture institutions in the region were notified of NACEE. Within one year, by November 2004, twenty-three institutions and organizations had returned signed "Letters of Intent" expressing their desire to join the Network.
The Network was formally established during the First Meeting of NACEE Directors (Szarvas, Hungary, 21-24 November 2004), when directors and representatives of 23 institutions and organizations from 13 Central and Eastern European countries signed a formal Founding Act and agreed on the structure and framework for NACEE.
In response to a request to establish formal relations between the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Central and Eastern Europe (NACEE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), FAO decided on 7 June 2006 to grant NACEE a special status as a non-governmental organization cooperating with FAO.
Although the informal, club-like structure of NACEE facilitated the establishment of the Network and the flexibility of its functioning, after some time it became an obstacle, mainly because it did not allow NACEE to participate in project consortia and to gain access to project funds. NACEE could not participate in projects on its own, only through its members, and its participation was usually limited to disseminating project results. Recognizing these limitations, at the Sixth Meeting of NACEE Directors (Torun, Poland, 15-17 September 2009), the directors of the member institutions decided to begin the process of transforming NACEE into a registered non-profit organization. After a year of preparatory work, the Founding Congress of the new NACEE Association was held in Szarvas, Hungary, on 2 December 2010, after which the new association was officially registered on 26 January 2011. Membership in NACEE is open

yto for all research institutes, universities, associations of producers or individuals involved in fisheries or aquaculture in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

In 2015, the city of Gorki (Republic of Belarus) hosted the sixth NACEE Congress, which brought together representatives of research institutes, universities, associations of producers, individuals involved in fisheries and aquaculture in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
The purpose of such meetings is to exchange information, discuss joint research and education programs, the possibility of participating in European aquaculture development programs, improve partnerships between science and practice, especially for representatives of small and medium-sized businesses and associations of producers, etc.
Traditionally, a scientific and practical event is held together with the Congress. The meeting in Gorki was no exception. On May 19, the International Scientific and Practical Seminar on Innovative Methods of Fish Farming in Open and Recirculation Systems was held at the Department of Ichthyology and Fish Farming of the Faculty of Zooengineering of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy (BSAA). The seminar was organized by BSAA, the Republican Unitary Enterprise "Institute of Fisheries" and NACEE.
During the seminar, reports and practical research results were presented on the application of innovative technologies for growing aquatic organisms in open and recirculation systems, in combined systems; new promising growing objects; improvement of water purification systems in order to minimize the impact on the environment and waste disposal; introduction of integrated technologies that take into account environmental aspects of production. Among the speakers: specialists from leading institutes of Central and Eastern Europe in the field of RAS, members of NACEE. Based on the results of the seminar, a collection of abstracts of reports was prepared in two languages ​​(English and Russian) and a collection of reports in full was published in Russian. The NACEE Congress was held on May 20, organizational and administrative issues, budget issues, membership, the work program for 2015 and joint projects were considered. Re-elections of the President, Secretary General, Control Commission, Technical Advisory Committee were held.
After the congress, as part of the events, NACEE members got acquainted with aquaculture farms of the region and the academy.
The meeting of NACEE members, as always, was fruitful, interesting, areas of cooperation were developed aimed at developing effective innovative technologies in aquaculture, improving environmental performance of all market participants.
The next NACEE Congress will be held in May 2016 in Kherson.