LITHUANIA
A small-scale coastal fishing vessel with a fyke net. This activity could become history if a proposal to prohibit it is passed by the Lithuanian Parliament.
representatives of the coastal fishing association, scientists, economists, and others should study the issues and report their findings before amendments are made to the fisheries law—but he is doubtful that this will ever happen.
Fishers rely on own shops as markets shut down during pandemic The structural issues faced by the sector were compounded in 2020 by the pandemic, which caused volumes to drop by over 20%. At Lampetra losses were worth about 30% of turnover. Compensation offered by the EMFF was minimal, says Ms Jakubauskiene, just 10% of the last three years’ average income, so only 34
three companies applied. Fishers in the Curonian lagoon are responsible for four fifths of the wild catch placed on the Lithuanian market. This production is sold on the local market, but with logistics improving it is also delivered to the rest of the country as fishers, with EU support, have invested in refrigerators in their cars and can now supply Kaunas, Vilnius, and other areas. But last year sales of fresh fish were affected by the lack of orders from the retail and food service sectors, so the fish was frozen and stored. Fishermen’s own outlets did better because the smoked or otherwise processed fish could be sold to locals and tourists visiting the shops.
www.eurofishmagazine.com
Controversial proposal bitterly opposed by sector A new challenge has emerged in the form of a proposal in Parliament to amend the Fisheries Law that, if adopted, will essentially wipe out the fishery in the Curonian lagoon and the small-scale coastal fishery in the Baltic Sea. The proposal seeks to completely ban commercial fishing in the Curonian lagoon and in five bars (fishing areas) on the Baltic Sea coast. It will also prohibit fishing within 300 m of the shore in the remaining bars on the coast. Like his counterpart Mr Rimeikis, Alfonsas Bargaila, the chairman of Lithuanian Fishery Producers
Association representing both the open Baltic Sea fishery and coastal small-scale fishing vessels, is adamantly against the proposal which he says has less to do with science than with politics. Mr Bargaila points out that, according to scientific advice, the state of fish stocks is not poor enough to justify a complete ban on fishing. Certain restrictions are necessary during the spawning season, but prohibiting fishing altogether completely disregards the experience and suggestions of fishermen and scientists. According to Ms Jakubauskiene, the proposal was brought by the roughly 200,000-strong angling community and is backed by politicians eyeing their votes. There
