History

The history of the FFPW USB in České Budějovice dates back to 1921, when the Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology (RIFCH/VÚRH) was established in Prague. Later, in 1953 the RIFCH was moved to Vodňany in South Bohemia. Here the institute began to build its own experimental base and profile itself as a facility focused mainly on the research in the field of fisheries and related fields such as hydrobiology, fish diseases, genetics and fish breeding, and open water management.

The RIFCH (VÚRH) was transferred as an independent university institute under the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice in 1996. The goal of the RIFCH (VÚRH) is a long-term developing and internationally recognized scientific, primarily applied research, co-creating a world trend in the fields of the biological, environmental, and breeding aspects of the fisheries while preserving the biodiversity of hydrocenoses. In particular, it concerns large international innovative research of a biological character (model species of fish and crayfish), protection of the aquatic environment (diagnostics of pollutant levels) or breeding research focused on the fisheries (important fish species) including research on food quality and safety.

Since the 2009, the RIFCH (VÚRH) has become, together with the Institute of Aquaculture, known today as the Institute of Aquaculture and Protection of Waters FFPW USB (former Department of Fisheries of the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology USB), a part of the newly established Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters USB (FFPW USB/FROV JU). This new faculty was established with the aim of complex education of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students in the field of Fisheries and Protection of Waters. Besides „classical“ scientific and research activities, the faculty increasingly focuses on the field of education. In addition to full-time and combined study programs, the faculty offers courses, programs, international conferences, and informational events of a lifelong education aimed at various target groups, which combines an interest in water management and protection. This aim led to the building of the IEEAIC (MEVPIS) Vodňany.