A Collateral Victim of the Geopolitical Crisis, Croatian Fisheries Are in Enormous Problems. Is There a Chance for Salvation?

Croatian fisheries are already facing a crisis for the fourth year in a row, first due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown during which restaurants were closed, and the tourist seasons of 2020 and 2021 were not at the level of the previous ones, with reduced demand for exports, and since last year due to the enormous increase in fuel prices and all other costs As a result, many fishermen were brought to the brink of existence during the last year, but with the application of measures of the European Union and the Ministry of Agriculture for incentives to fishing, as well as some sort of stabilization of fuel prices recently, things have somewhat improved, although they are still far from good ones.

The EU will continue to implement incentive measures for the preservation of the fishing sector, and a new, long-term extremely important Regulation on the restoration of nature is being prepared, which would, among other things, should ensure a stable population of marine organisms, and thus long-term sustainable fishing, which is welcomed by a good number of fishermen, considering the good experiences so far The best example is the Jabučka basin, where fishing has been prohibited for years, but catches have increased in the surrounding areas, which shows that the decision to ban fishing was more than correct, despite the fierce opposition of some fishermen, especially those from Italy.

Help for fishermen Predrag Fred Matić, a Croatian MEP who in the current mandate worked on measures to help fisheries affected by the crisis, was recently elected as the vice-president of the Committee for Fisheries in the European Parliament, and he points out that he will fight for help for Croatian fishermen in this new position as well as well as for the protection of the marine ecosystem.

- Before us in the European Parliament are major reports that will have a huge impact on the future of fishing There are, for example, fisheries control and the Regulation on the restoration of nature, which I am working on and I hope that we will be able to vote them in the European Parliament by the end of the mandate.

The goal for the coming year is to complete the previously mentioned Regulation on the restoration of nature, which determines the measures and means by which the member states will begin the active restoration of their forests, agricultural goods, rivers, seas and other natural resources, says Matić Together with other members of the European Parliament, he fought last year for measures to help fishermen and farmers of marine organisms to receive financial compensation for increased costs, retroactively, for the period from February 24 last year, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

and with it the increase in fuel prices and other costs "Unfortunately, the situation we are still facing spills over onto the backs of those who are the collateral damage of the geopolitical crisis.

" Fishermen do not bear any responsibility, but they are greatly affected, as is the entire sector Due to the interruption of trade flows of products key to the fishing sector and endangerment of the supply chain, the prices of energy products, raw materials, and even agricultural products have increased sharply.

People are scared because of fuel prices, it's just not profitable for them to do fishing anymore because it's too expensive to go out on a boat So far, some of the compensatory measures have had positive results, but a good part of our people have not returned to fishing, and the question is whether they will at all.

The state should and could have done more, says Matić who had previously harshly criticized the insufficiently effective measures adopted by the Croatian government to help fisheries.

He still claims that the government's fisheries program from 2021 to 2027 is not good enough – That program is full of holes and deficient in all aspects.

The proposal did not include certain measures that would contribute to preserving the Adriatic Sea and dealing with the problem of overfishing In addition, there is no mention of any increase in financial resources for the preparation of expert documents for the declaration of protected areas, which is made possible by the new European fund, and is extremely important for our public institutions for the management and maintenance of protected parts of nature.

It is extremely important to manage these areas well, and especially to have effective surveillance at sea because without control there is no protection In addition, it is more difficult to convince stakeholders to establish new protected areas when even the existing protection and fishing restrictions are not implemented effectively.

There are still many omissions, but we have identified these as key at the moment, says Matić Restoration of nature One of the key regulations of the EU, he repeats, is about the restoration of nature, the creation of which, he points out, he was personally involved in.

– This is one of the main topics I deal with as part of the PECH Committee The loss of flora and fauna across Europe continues at an alarming rate, and the main reason is still the human factor with increasingly rapid climate change.

The new, ambitious Nature Restoration Regulation builds on the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, whose main goal is to protect 30 percent of forests and seas within the EU, and the set nature restoration goals will be legally binding for all member states As far as Croatia is concerned, I will continue to insist that the network of restricted fishing areas in the Adriatic Sea be expanded along the lines of the Jabučka basin area.

That area is proof that the measures affect the speed of recovery of the marine ecosystem if the will is shown - the number of hake, prawns and shrimps has grown two to three times compared to the previous state, says the MEP His position is that declaring the entire exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Croatia a protected marine area is a long-term sustainable and currently necessary idea.

- With this move, they would legally protect 30 percent or more of the sea area, which would satisfy the agreed obligations They would preserve and revitalize the marine ecosystem, considering that the largest spawning grounds of bottom populations of fish and other marine organisms of the open sea are precisely in that area, and anyway, the natural direction of movement of these marine organisms is towards the Croatian coast.

In addition, we would use financial resources from the new European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund destined for the expansion of marine protected areas, and fishermen would continue to fish unhindered in the places where they normally do, because 94 percent of our fleet consists of small boats that do not fish within exclusive economic zone because it is too far for them and therefore financially unprofitable, and at the same time prohibited by maritime regulations We must continue to work on achievable, tangible policies that will facilitate the restoration of the ecosystem, Matić believes.

President of the Fishermen's Guild in the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, fisherman from Lošinj, Stjepan Nedoklan, points out that the measures of the EU and the Ministry of Agriculture helped Croatian fishermen to a large extent to survive the crisis period, and agrees that new measures to protect the marine environment are needed to ensure the long-term survival of the fish stock, and with it the fisheries on the Croatian side of the Adriatic At the same time, he points out, Croatia's entry into the Schengen zone has further simplified the procedure for exporting fish, even though the practice has been established for a long time, so nothing drastic has changed in this regard.

- It is a bit early to talk about that part, because mainly bluefish are exported, and now there is a hunt for small bluefish For the rest of us, since the beginning of this year, bad weather has had the greatest impact, so we have fished very little, so it will take time to see what the effect of entering Schengen and switching to the euro as a means of payment will be.

As far as incentives and measures from the EU and the Ministry are concerned - they are never enough, but I believe that very good cooperation has been established in the implementation of measures with our Ministry of Agriculture, where, I must say, they are really trying to help us We expect payment due to the energy crisis, and fees will be paid according to established tables, with the largest fees going to large trawlers, which is logical, because they have the highest costs, followed by the rest of us.

There are those who are dissatisfied, I guess it's normal that there are always those who think they should have received more, but in general I think that the measures are good and that the Ministry is working very actively with us on their implementation, says Nedoklan Market regulation He says that the announced EU Regulation on nature restoration is an excellent idea that conscientious fishermen have been pushing for years.

As an example, he points out the Jabučka basin, as a place where a large part of commercial fish species spawn and grow up - That was a full hit.

In the surrounding area, colleagues who fish in the open sea are already fishing well, and I believe that similar zones where fishing will be prohibited should be introduced closer to the coast For years, part of us has been proposing the designation of smaller so-called no take zones, in which all types of fishing will be prohibited, because past experiences have shown that this way protects the fish stock and enables the long-term survival of fishing.

From such zones, fish will always exit to the surrounding areas where fishing is allowed It would be good for all of us because we could and would have something to hunt around such areas for many years to come, says Nedoklan.

When asked about regulating the fish market, he says that it is difficult to implement in Croatia in the way that cooperatives and fish exchanges are organized in, for example, Italy, due to the relatively small number of fishermen and the amount of fish caught on a very scattered area of ​​the coast and islands.

- Honestly, I don't know who in our country would be interested in doing that, although we would all be happy if the market were regulated We have few fishermen, at least those who are officially registered, and then a small amount of fish, in terms of traffic, in a very large area, so I don't know what the costs of such a market organization would be, says Nedoklan, pointing out the long-standing problem of unfair competition in the form of sport and recreational fishermen who permits are often misused for commercial fishing of marine organisms in quantities that many times exceed those prescribed by the permits, and then they sell the fish illegally.

- There are also those who do not have any license and hunt and sell fish, as well as sports and recreational fishermen who should not sell their catch We have been warning about this for years, but all that has been done is that the pressure on us has increased in the form of increasingly strict rules and records of catches, sales and so on, while they are still not monitored by anyone.

We asked that they at least try to determine the quantities of fish that reach the market from sport and recreational fishing, but without results Such sales should be put to an end, but not in a way that new papers and rules are constantly added to us, but that the competent authorities start seriously dealing with this serious problem, says Nedoklan.

By the way, one of the measures that the EU sees as crucial in protecting the fish stock, especially in closed and overfished seas like the Mediterranean, is the cultivation of fish and other marine organisms in order to reduce the pressure on "wild" fish Croatia's entry into Schengen and the transition to the euro should have a favorable effect on this branch of the fishing industry, which, upon our inquiry, was confirmed by the company Orada Adriatic, which has been engaged in fish farming in the Adriatic for several years, and exports a large part of its production.

- The entry of the Republic of Croatia into the Schengen zone had a positive effect on our business Since we sell most of our fresh fish to foreign markets, the abolition of border controls has accelerated and facilitated the delivery of fish to customers.

This will be especially important during the coming summer months, when the placement increases, and due to the high temperatures, it is essential that the fish reaches its final destination abroad as quickly as possible The introduction of the euro also had positive effects on business because it eliminated conversion costs.

All of the above has facilitated the export of goods, especially in the logistics part, according to Orada Adriatica Offshore Wind Power Predrag Matić points out that he is in favor of stronger use of renewable energy sources in the fishing industry and at sea in general, for which, he believes, there are prerequisites in Croatia, as well as sources of co-financing from EU funds.

Greater investments in renewable energy sources are important from several aspects, but certainly in the context of reducing dependence on the import of fossil fuels and achieving the set goals of zero pollution by 2050 The production of energy from local resources is essential for the development of the energy economy and the long-term reduction of energy imports.

There is a huge potential for harnessing energy in the Adriatic In offshore wind farms, clean electricity is produced, which is competitive, and the environment is not polluted during the conversion process itself.

Anyway, winds at sea are more frequent and faster than on land At this moment, we primarily need a national spatial plan for the marine area in accordance with our needs and capacities, and then a public consultation with other stakeholders; industry, representatives of local and regional self-government, non-governmental organizations and scientists.

It is an indispensable part of the planning of environmental and socioeconomic assessments and the spatial planning process of the marine area If everything is done properly, there will certainly be room for some EU support, says Matić.

It is an indispensable part of the planning of environmental and socioeconomic assessments and the spatial planning process of the marine area If everything is done properly, there will certainly be room for some EU support, says Matić.

It is an indispensable part of the planning of environmental and socioeconomic assessments and the spatial planning process of the marine area If everything is done properly, there will certainly be room for some EU support, says Matić.

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