Better Prices For Croatian Fishermen In EU, Says Ministry

There was large interest in a symposium organised by the Ministry of Agriculture entitled “Croatian Fisheries in the EU”, held in the northern Adriatic town of Porec recently, as fishermen in Croatia aimed to get their head around new laws that will come into effect on 1 July.

With EU entry around the corner, the head of the Fisheries Department Josip Markovic explained how Croatia had received a temporary exemption to the minimum distance from the coast for trawl fishing, which refers to a trawling ban inside 1.5 nautrical miles from the coast.

Markovic expects that Croatian fishermen will get a better price for their fish once Croatia enters the EU, as fishermen will be able to access the market without intermediaries such as freight forwarders and resellers. Representatives from the Croatian fishing industry at the symposium was also warned that new EU rules would have to be strictly followed, as harsh penalties would be handed out to law breakers.