FISHERY COUNTRY PROFILE: THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

GENERAL ECONOMIC DATA

FISHERIES DATA

Commodity Balance (2001):

*Estimate based on trading partners exports

STRUCTURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDUSTRY

Overall fishery sector

The state union of Serbia and Montenegro is made up of two member states, the state of Montenegro and the state of Serbia.

The Republic of Serbia covers an area of 88 361 km². The main rivers – the Danube, Sava, Drina and Morava - represent the Serbia’s main water resources. The Danube river basin covers 87% of the country’s territory. Total length of all rivers and streams in Serbia is 65 980 km. There are about 50-60 natural lakes of the total surface of 5 000 ha, and about 150 reservoirs and ponds. Inland fishery in Serbia includes warmwater aquaculture (mainly common carp), cold water aquaculture (mainly rainbow trout), and commercial fishing in large rivers. Recreational fishery is also very popular.

The Republic of Montenegro has an area of 13 812 km², with a coastline of 293.5 km. Fishery production in Montenegro is derived from marine fisheries, and marine and inland aquaculture.

Fish consumption in Serbia and Montenegro does not exceed 2 kg per capita.

Marine subsector

Fishery areas

The main fishing areas are:

Bay of Boka Kotorska, where trawling is forbidden, and the catch is taken by small artisanal fisheries using small purse seines and beach seines with artificial light for small pelagics (mainly immature sardine and anchovy). Trammel nets, gillnets, beach seines for bonito (Sarda sarda), bottom longlines, various gears with hooks, harpoons with artificial light, and traps are also used. The main catch in the Bay is sardine and anchovy, and about 95% of the total annual catch of these two species in Montenegrin waters comes from this area.

The rocky part of the coastal zone exposed to the open sea, extending 2 to 3 n.mi. off the coast, to a depth of about 80 m. In this zone, the main gear is that of the small artisanal fisheries, such as trammel nets, gillnets, beach seines and gillnets for bonito (Sarda sarda), bottom longlines, various gear with hooks (with or without rods), harpoons with artificial light, and traps. Dominant species in this zone are hake (Merluccius merluccius), conger eel (Conger conger), Sparidae, Moronidae, Scorpenidae, Mugilidae, red mullets (Mullus barbatus and Mullus surmuletus), Centracanthidae, sharks of the Triakidae, Squalidae and Squatinidae families, rays from the Rhinobatidae and Rajidae families, stingrays from Dasyatidae, Gymnuridae, Myliobatidae and Rhinopteridae families, and lobster (Palinurus elephas).

The area around Bojana estuary, with sandy bottom and beaches. The main gear is gillnets and traps for eels and mullets (Chelon, Liza, Mugil and Oedalechilus species). These species are the main catch in this zone. Other gear (nets and hooks) are used, mainly for catching fishes from Carangidae (Lichia amia), Sciaenidae (Argyrosomus regius), Moronidae (Dicentrarchus labrax), Citharidae, Scophthalmidae, Pleuronectidae and Soleidae families.

The continental shelf zone, from ca 1.5 n.mi. off the coast to the shelf boundary – about 200 m depth. In this zone, only bottom trawlers operate. The best catches are in the areas between Budva and Bar and off the entrance of Boka Kotorska Bay.

Main resources

It is believed that marine demersal resources are at the level maximum of sustainable exploitation, or even overfished. Demersal resources targeted by trawl fisheries are overfished. Estimate of the mean biomass for 1998 to 2001 was 2 370 tonnes, but the demersal biomass is constantly decreasing, having fallen from 2 641 tonnes in 1998 to 1 672 tonnes in 2001. As the MSY is 600 tonnes/year, the biomass will continue to decline if fished at the current level.

At the same time, industrial fishery of both small and large pelagics is minimal. A recent echosurvey showed that, in 2002, biomass of small pelagic fish was 123 427 tonnes. The estimated MSY for anchovy was 23 624 tonnes/year, and for sardine it was 6 245 tonnes/year.

Thus, the only marine capture fisheries resources available for further development are pelagic ones.

Vessels and gear

The structure of catch by main groups was: Cartilaginous fish – 20.37%; Teleost fish – 66.06%; Cephalopods – 10.38%; and Crustaceans – 3.17%.

Registered fishing vessels in 2002 were:

• 16 trawlers (9.5 to 25 m LOA, 419.64 total GRT, total engine power 2 748.3 kW);

• 11 boats for coastal purse seining and beach seining with artificial light (7.36 m LOA on average, 21.19 total GRT, total engine power 73.04 kW); and

• 169 boats fishing with artisanal gears (gillnets, trammel nets, short bottom longlines, traps, etc.), (4.5 m LOA on average, 279.89 total GRT, total engine power 1 389.25 kW).

Fishing gear in 2002 (excluding bottom trawls) was:

• 11 small purse seines for small pelagic fish (sardine (Sardina pilchardus), and anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), Scomber scombrus, Scomber japonicus, Sarda sarda);

• 8 beach seines for small pelagic fish (sardine and anchovy);

• 62 beach seines, for Sparidae, Mullidae, Centracanthidae, Trachinidae, Mugilidae, Scorpaenidae, squid (Loligo vulgaris), etc.;

• 1 068 trammel nets and gillnets;

• bottom longlines with 75 400 hooks (200 hooks per longline on average); and

• 214 traps for various purposes (eels, other fish species, crustaceans, etc.).

The approximate structure of catch by gear in 2002 was 17.3% from trawlers; 33.08% from purse seines and beach seines for small pelagic fish; and 49.62% from artisanal gears.

Stakeholders are organized in the Association of Professional Marine Fishermen (trawler owners only), with its main office in Herceg Novi. Hired fishermen have neither association nor trade union.

Inland subsector

Inland fishery resources in Serbia include large water systems (such as Danube watershed), artificial lakes and reservoirs (reservoirs “Djerdap I” and “Djerdap II”, total 25,000 ha, Vlasinsko reservoir 1 200 ha and others), variety of other micro accumulations, flooded areas, swamps and large irrigation channels (mainly in northern lowlands). Although available resources “feed” much more people, in the Serbian part of the Danube river basin. Commercial fishing is mainly spread in larger rivers in Serbian plains and ponds (mainly carp, pike-perch, catfish, sterlet, pike and other species of s.c. “white fish”). In the lower course of the Danube, below the dam for Djerdap II Electric Power Plant, minor quantities of beluga and stellate sturgeon were caught for production of famous Kladovo black caviar. Recently, the catching of Acipenseridae was officially almost stopped on the Serbian side of the river.

In Montenegero, inland fishing is concentrated in Lake Skadar. Fishing gear used are purse seines, gillnets, traps and rod-and-line. There are 135 professional fishermen fishing Skadar Lake. In 2001, the production totalled 245 tonnes, comprising rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), 185 tonnes; carp (Cyprinus carpio), 2 tonnes; bleak (Alburnus albidus), 3 tonnes; and other fish species, 55 tonnes.

Recreational sub-sector

Recreational fishery is very popular in Serbia and Montenegro and its popularity is growing in the last 10 years.

In 2003, Serbia had about 104 000 legal sports anglers and it is estimated that this activity affects regularly or occasionally even about 100 000 unregistrated anglers.

In Montenegrin inland waters, the annual catch by the registered sport fishermen is estimated to be about 50 t, mostly salmonid species and chubs.

In the marine recreational sector, there are 1 500 registered sport fishermen, organized in 12 clubs. The national umbrella associations of marine sport fishermen are the Association for Underwater Activities and Sport Fishing, with its main office in Podgorica, and the Association of Marine Sport Fishermen, with its main office in Baosici.

Freshwater aquaculture

Carp ponds in Serbia cover an area of about 11 000 ha, but in 2001 was exploatated only 4 303 ha. Carp ponds are mainly located in the region of Vojvodina. Compared to the potentials of the soil, water supply and fodder availability, total carp pond surface in Serbia is very small. In addition, the production of carp at fish farms is mainly extensive and semi-intensive (800kg/ha of yields). Carp ponds are supplied with water from the Danube and its tributaries, so that the degree of water pollution might influence the production to a great extent.

Trout fish farms existing in the Danube river basin are located in the hilly-mountainous regions of Serbia, mainly in the spring area of small rivers with high water quality. They cover the area of 7.77 ha (in 2001), rearing mainly rainbow trout and its fry. Trout ponds in Serbia usually have relatively high projected output per ha (over 200 tonnes/ha). However, being highly dependable on the imported food, during the period of international sanctions and even now, the average production was insufficient. Total production capacity (projected) of trout ponds in Serbia is about 2 510 tonnes.

The aquaculture production in Serbia reached 1 140 tonnes in 2001.

In Montenegro, there are 21 freshwater fish farms; 20 rear rainbow trout, and one rears carp. Annual production of rainbow trout was about 450 tonnes in 2001 and about 430 tonnes in 2002. Production of carp in the same years was 3 and 5 tonnes, respectively.

Marine culture

Aquaculture along the Montenegrin coast is still undeveloped, although natural conditions, particularly in Boka Kotorska Bay, are favourable. Currently, 14 shellfish farms in Boka Kotorska Bay produce about 100 tonnes of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) per year, and insignificant quantity of oysters (Ostrea edulis). There is also one fish farm using a cage system in Boka Kotorska Bay. This farm produces about 20 tonnes of sea bream (Sparus aurata) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) annually. Fingerlings, as well as the feed for both fingerlings and adults, are imported from Italy.

Post-harvest use

In Serbia and Montenegro fish is sold mainly fresh or frozen.
In Serbia, the largest processing units are located near the largest fishponds (Novi Sad for cyprinid fish) and one of them is located by the trout farm in Novi Pazar.

In Montenegro, there is only one fish processing factory, on lake Skadar, with old, semi-automatic processing technology. Annual capacity of the factory is 7 800 000 cans of sardine. Since quantities of sardines caught in national waters are negligible, the raw material is imported from Croatia and Greece.

Economic role of fisheries in the national economy

The contribution of fisheries to the national economy is rather small and in 2000 and 2001 did not exceed 0.07%.

Approximate consumption of animal protein was 23.9 kg per capita, while fish consumption was 1.8 kg.

In 2002, a total of 3 000 persons were employed in the fishery sector.

Development prospects

Prospect of fresh water fishery in Serbia is in improvement of both fishfarming and local food production, especialy those for rainbow trout production. Transfer and application of new technologies are necessary to follow the reconstruction and oppening of new carp and rainbow trout fish farms. Increasing of local fish processing by activation of the existing processing facilities is essential to stimulate the production and to justify the activation of existing and building of new spawning facilities. An amending of the regulations on quality to meet requrement of the EU and other foreign markets, and particularly harmonizing of regulations in resource management, are necessary to provide possibility for export.

In Montenegro, the fisheries of small pelagic fish (sardine and anchovy) at the open sea, as well as of tunas and swordfish is being promoted. The same situation is for Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus.

Research

The Serbian Ministry for Science and Development is presently sponsoring two research projects in aquaculture and fisheries. The projects are realized by the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies and the Faculty of Agriculture (University of Belgrade (unconventional animal production).

In Montenegro, marine research is conducted by the Institute of Marine Biology, Kotor. The ongoing research projects are:

• Biological potentials of costal Montenegrin waters (phytobenthos, zoobenthos, and juveniles of most important fish species);

• Seawater quality and trophic relations in plankton community as influenced by progressive eutrophication of the Montengrin coastal sea area;

• Fisheries biology investigations of the shelf and continental slope off the Montenegrin coast.

Education

Education, in the fisheries sector, exists only at an academic level at the Universities of Belgrade and of Novi Sad.

Foreign aid

Norway is presently financing two aquaculture projects in Serbia:

• Establishment of cooperation in the field of aquaculture and fisheries; Institute Aquaforsk (Norge) and Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Belgrade;

• Management of freshwater fisheries on bordering rivers – pilot study with a holistic regional approach; Institute Aquaplan-niva (Norge), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Croatia) and Ministry of Science and Development (Serbia).

Montenegro is benefiting from FAO’s regional project GCP/RER/010/ITA “Scientific Cooperation to Support Responsible Fisheries in the Adriatic Sea” (US$ 3 136 760) FAO-AdriaMed. The project started in September 1999 and will run for five years. A one year extension of the Project is being considered for 2005 for an additional amount of US$ 860 000. The participating countries to the AdriaMed project are Albania, Croatia, Italy, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovenia. The Project through its activities will provide technical assistance to the Montenegrin Fisheries Directorate, support to the Montenegrin fishery information system, a social survey of Montenegrin fisheries and scientific support on small pelagic and demersal fishery resources.