FISHERY, 2020 – Provisional Data

According to the provisional data, the total number of fishermen engaged in maritime fishing decreased by 0.4% and the total number of vessels by 0.8% in 2020, as compared to 2019.

The total catches and production of sea fish and other sea organisms increased by 7 310 tonnes, that is, by 9.0%, in 2020, as compared to the previous year.

The quantity of pelagic fish increased by 11.4% and the quantity of other fish by 5.4%.

Out of the total number of pelagic fish catches, the largest share, 77.1%, was related to the catches of pilchard.

The catches of crustaceans decreased by 93 tonnes (9.1%) and the catches and production of shellfish by 587 tonnes (46.5%). The catches of molluscs increased by 142 tonnes (18.0%).

The total production of freshwater fish in 2020 decreased by 456 tonnes, that is, by 14.7%.

The production of consumer fish in carp fishponds decreased by 341 tonnes (12.5%) and the production in trout fishponds by 115 tonnes (30.9%), as compared to the previous year.

The total value of fishery in 2020 increased by 10.4% compared to 2019. This was due to an increase in the value of maritime fishing (of 11.6%), which included an increase in the quantities sold (of 10.3%).

The total value of freshwater fishing in 2020 decreased by 17.9% compared to 2019. It was caused by a decrease in the quantities sold (of 14.7%).

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Source and methods of data collection

Data on catches and production of sea and freshwater fish and other sea organisms as well as the data on fishermen, vessels and equipment and the data on values and quantities of sold goods were taken over from the Directory of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, in line with the Cooperation Agreement, which enables the surveying of basic indicators in the area of freshwater and maritime fishing and the collection of data on personnel, basic fishing means, vessels, fishing equipment, surface areas of carp and trout fishponds, catches and production of sea and freshwater fish, crustaceans, oysters and other molluscs and shellfish and the production of milt.

The Directorate of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, as the producer of official statistics on fisheries, collects the necessary data and then processes and forwards them to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics according to the previously arranged deadline and in the form suitable for further processing.

The Croatian Bureau of Statistics is responsible for releasing statistical data on fisheries at the national level, in accordance with strategic documents of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.

Data on fisheries are collected on the basis of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 on the establishment of a Union framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the common fisheries policy and repealing the Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008.

Coverage and comparability

Reporting units are legal entities and parts thereof as well as individual fishermen who are engaged in commercial maritime and freshwater fishing, small coastal fishing or in the production of sea fish and other sea organisms according to the records of the Directory of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture on issued licences.

Definitions

Commercial fishing is an activity of catches of sea fish and other sea organisms for making profit.

Ship, with the exception of warship, is any waterborne craft intended for navigation at sea, exceeding 15 m in length, or one authorised to carry more than 12 passengers. A ship may be a passenger, cargo or technical waterborne craft, or a fishing, public or a scientific research ship.

Fishing boat is intended and equipped for catching fish and other organisms in the sea or on the seabed.

Boat is a waterborne craft intended for navigation at sea, which is authorised to carry no more than 12 passengers, the length of which is more than 2.5 metres and less than or equal to 15 metres, or the total power of its propulsion engines is greater than 5 kW (Maritime Code, NN, No. 17/19).

According to the Act on Maritime Fishing (NN, No. 62/17) and related legislature, the most important groups of fishing gears are trawl nets, purse seine nets, drift nets and (single and triple) gillnets.

Trawl nets are benthic trawl net, pelagic trawl net, coastal trawl net, dredges for Noah’s ark and dredges.

Purse seine nets are purse seine for small pelagic fish, purse seine for great pelagic fish, purse seine for mullets, purse seine for needlefish and purse seine for smelt.

Drift nets are drift net for sardines, drift net for picarels, motion drift net, drift net for needlefish, drift net for amberjack, drift net for smelt, drift net with trap and drift net with frightening rope.

Single gillnets are gillnet for sandsmelt, gillnet for smelt, gillnet for picarel (Spicara smaris), gillnet for sardines, gillnet for picarel (Spicara flexuosa), gillnet for cacckarel, gillnet for bogue, gillnet for various fish, gillnet for Atlantic bonito, gillnet for sharks, gillnet for lobsters, gillnet for angle shark and gillnet for sea spider. Triple gillnets are gillnet for salema, triple gillnet for various fish, gillnet for solea and gillnet for cuttlefish.

Abbreviations

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80
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Persons responsible:
Edita Omerzo, Director of Spatial Statistics Directorate and Suzana Šamec, Director of Macroeconomic Statistics Directorate
Lidija Brković, Director General

Prepared by:
Mario Valentić, Delfa Ćališ and Ivan Dujman

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