Small boats sit idle on cracked ground in a shriveled side channel of the Danube River in northern Serbia, where extreme drought and heat have reduced water levels to a couple of shrinking ponds. Fisherman Dusan Jovanovic warns that juvenile fish are in danger due to low water and temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

The persistent drought and scorching heat have devastated ecosystems and businesses across the region, from lakes in Slovenia to fish farms in Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary. The fish industry faces millions of euros in damages, compounding losses from disrupted energy and water supplies, ruined crops, and reduced river traffic.

In Hungary, around 99% of the country is under severe or extreme drought, with desertification threatening the Great Hungarian Plain. The national meteorological service reports that 1,588 hectares of fish ponds have dried out, killing nearly 280 metric tons of fish at 20 farms, causing an estimated revenue loss of 1.3 billion forints ($4.2 million).

Romania's fish farmers, particularly those cultivating carp, are still recovering from droughts in 2023 and 2024, with production cycles spanning three to four years. In the Czech Republic, farmers have resorted to emergency measures like reducing feeding and aerating ponds. Meanwhile, Bosnian trout breeder Veljko Budjen near Trebinje struggles to keep his cold-water fish alive during increasingly hot and dry summers.