CROATIA
Croatia’s ďŹ sheries and aquaculture sector
Impact of measures to protect stocks become apparent With roughly 6,000 km of coastline along the Adriatic Sea Croatia has the basic prerequisite for a ďŹ sheries industry. Fishing, processing, and farming of marine ďŹ sh and shellďŹ sh, as well as fattening of tuna are some of the activities that the sector is involved in. In addition, there is a freshwater aquaculture industry, a modest freshwater capture sector, and an active export and import trade in ďŹ sh and seafood.
T
he diversity of the Croatian fisheries sector is reflected in the species that are fished. The Mediterranean is well known for the variety, if not the volume, of species that can be caught. The Croatian fishing sector catches pelagics large and small, several demersal finfish species as well as crustaceans, cephalopods, and bivalves.
Sardines and anchovies dominate landings However, of the approximately 69,500 tonnes of fish caught in 2017, just two species, sardines and anchovies, accounted for 85, while catches of the remaining 100 odd species contributed the rest. Catches have been declining since 2014, but in 2017 were still above their 10-year average. Fishers generally agree that catches of some species are declining but are not sure of the underlying cause. Zdenko Jakus, who has been a small-scale fisherman for many years takes the example of octopus, a species that was abundant some years ago. Today, however, it is difficult to catch, a development he feels that could be attributed to changes in the sea, the presence of invasive species, or some other factor, rather than over-fishing. He acknowledges however that demand for octopus has skyrocketed over the last two or three 34
decades and that its price has doubled over the last five years. Kastela, close to Split, is home to four or five offshore fishing vessels, according to Antun Francic, a long-time purse-seine fisherman who targets amberjack, bonito, and mullet most of the year and the small pelagics, anchovy and sardines, the rest of the time. The number of vessels has fallen significantly since before the war in Yugoslavia. Part of the reason is the decline in the number of small pelagics processing facilities which numbered 30-40 after the second World War and today are less than a dozen. Bigger vessels were less affected as they could catch enough fish to export to Italy or elsewhere, says Marin Mihanovic from the Ministry of Agriculture, and then plough the proceedings back in to upgrading the vessels. Smaller fishermen on the other hand could only sell locally and were hit by the closure of the factories. The lack of interest shown by young people in joining the fishing sector has also contributed to a reduction in the fleet. Fishing is a demanding job with a lot of time spent away from the family. To be successful calls for a sold commitment, which young people may find difficult as there are far more alternatives available, particularly when the tourism industry is booming as it is.
Antun Francic, a purse-seine ďŹ sherman, targets seriola, bonito, and mullet as well as the small pelagics, anchovy and sardines.
Marin Mihanovic, Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate of Fisheries.
Polyvalent vessels can ďŹ sh around the year Mr Francic and his sons own three vessels, one 12 m and two 14 m in length, and employ 6-7 people on each during the season. The vessels are polyvalent using multiple
gears during the year, and each is equipped with a hold that can store 4-5 tonnes of fish. This means that they can go out further and stay at sea for longer periods, up to a month at time. He attributes his success as a fisherman to the fact that his vessels can use different
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