How Is Fisheries Management Perceived by Croatian Small-Scale Fishers: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Abstract

Small-scale fisheries make an important contribution to the food supply and economies of Croatian coastal communities and yet are poorly documented in official catch statistics. Consequently, Croatian fisheries policies and management are mainly focused on the short-term interests of industrial fleets, particularly purse seiners rather than the long-term maintenance of coastal fisheries. Small-scale fisheries are characterised by their varied fleet size (lengths ranging from 6–12 m), use of passive fishing gears and shore seines, fishing multi-species (>150 species) and using extremely heterogeneous landing sites. This chapter assesses how perceptions of fisheries policy and the economic crisis have affected the ability of Croatian, commercial small-scale fishers to remain in this sector. Fishers were surveyed as to how they perceive and interpret (i) the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform and national fisheries laws and regulations (ii) their level of involvement in decision-making processes on fisheries policy. A negative perception of national and European Union (EU) fisheries policy prevails, which adversely influences the behaviour, emotional response and resilience of fishers. They feel estranged from decision-making processes, and confidence in the outcomes of fisheries policy-making is low. In their minds, policy-makers fail to recognise regional and local natural and geographical characteristics. Fishers also considered that the Croatian Fisheries Department must find a way to involve fishers more in decision-making processes to achieve a more positive policy perception and enhance the resilience of the sector. This approach would support the development of better national fisheries management strategies, since fishers’ knowledge can provide invaluable, practical information.