Black Sea: fishermen report catches halved and call for state aid
Large fishing vessels are staying in port for fear of mines and drones. The sector speaks of force majeure and expects fish prices to rise.
Symbolic image · Photo: Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Tensions in the Black Sea are hitting Bulgaria's fishing industry hard. The largest fishing companies with their own processing reported catches as of 14 October at only half of last year's level, Yordan Gospodinov, executive director of the BG Fish association and chair of the Black Sea Advisory Council, said in Varna on Thursday. Large vessels are reluctant to sail, some crews refuse to go out at all, and others fish only close to the shore.
The main concern is mines or explosive-laden drones that may have ended up in the water, rather than deliberate attacks, Gospodinov said. No Bulgarian fishing vessel has been involved in an incident so far, but crews have reported suspicious objects to the authorities. Processors expect higher market prices because of reduced supply, and in Romania, too, boats are staying in port. Bulgaria's fishing fleet has 1,740 vessels, 100 of them large ships fishing beyond the 12-mile zone.
According to Gospodinov, the sector is facing force majeure and needs state aid under the de minimis scheme. The Advisory Council is preparing an appeal to the governments of Bulgaria and Romania. He said around half of Black Sea fishing takes place in the grey economy, and that the harshest penalties will target undeclared and unregulated fishing. In his view, Sozopol, Nessebar, Varna and Balchik should have had proper fishing ports years ago.