N. DIMULESCU
ROMPESCARIA, Str. Dr. Marcovici nr. 2, oficiul postal 1, cp 813, sectorul 1, RO Bucarest, Romania
Historical background
Recreational fishing in the inter-war period was carried out in Romania by societies which concentrated on salmonid in mountain streams.
After the Second World War and the setting-up of the communist regime, Decree No. 211/24 August 1948 abolished the hunting societies and set up the Romanian General Association of Hunters.
In October 1953 the old fishing societies were abolished and through Decree No. 3126 the anglers joined the hunters and the Romanian General Association of Hunters and Anglers (AGVPS) was set up. This carries out its activity through local associations of anglers and hunters.
This organizational structure has been maintained until the present. However, after the Revolution of December 1989 anglers in many areas of the country have requested to be split from hunters and to re-establish recreational fishing societies.
Anglers from six areas of the country have already separated recreational fishing from hunting and have established local associations specifically for recreational fishing.
Very good results have been achieved by these anglers' associations proving the efficiency of a management-led approach to recreational fisheries. Angling is now no more subordinated to hunting management which was a source of conflict between heads of hunting and angling associations.
Romanian aquatic patrimony and fishing practice
The inland water resources of Romania on which are located capture fisheries, aquaculture and recreational fisheries are shown in Table 1.
The river network from the mountain areas (8 630 km) is mainly used for recreational fisheries through the AGVPS, and consists of rivers with very different flows and the potential for fish culture is generally low.
In recent years the construction of mini hydro-electric plants on the rivers, as well as deforestation, has reduced the areas suitable for salmonids, while the range of Chondrostoma nasus was extended.
Of the 11 950 km of lowland rivers which are exploited by the AGVPS, about 3 200 km cannot be used for recreational fishing because of pollution.
In recent years the pollution of inland rivers has been considerably reduced as some industrial units reduced or stopped production. Furthermore many of the big livestock farms which used to be sources of pollution have also been closed.
The lowland rivers from Romania are used exclusively for recreational fishing except for the Danube and its Delta where both industrial and recreational fishing is practised.
There are three types of fishery on the Black Sea:
The status of anglers - past, present and future
There are three types of anglers in Romania:
From 10 000 anglers in 1953, the total rose to 200 000 anglers in 1989 (Table 2) of which:
The number of licensed anglers represents only 8% of the population of Romania. Of the total number of anglers, 14.8% were youngsters under 18 years of age.
1989 is used as a reference year with the number of licensed anglers who were members of an association within AGVPS being the highest on record.
According to our assessments, the real number of anglers in Romania is much higher, about 600 000, representing 2.5% of the population.
Of these only 20% are holders of a recreational fishing licence and are members of one of the recreational fishing associations.
After 1989, the combination of a lack of proper legislation, the crisis in authorities, the problems generated by the transitional period, financial problems and an overly rigid management of recreational fishing, resulted in the number of licensed anglers being reduced to 121 300.
As a result of the previous reasons and of and overly rigid management of recreational fishing, illegal fishing has expanded considerably.
There is, however, an urgent need for new legislation regulating fish farming and fishing. This should provide a basis for recreational fishing at national level, introduce modern and efficient management to meet the requirements of free market economy, and provide proper exploitation of the aquatic resources in accordance with the conservation of the fish fauna and aquatic environment.
The licence fee will be reduced in the interest of increasing the number of anglers. It will be easier to get a fishing licence and the total licence revenue will increase and be available for improved fishing conditions as well as to increase the state revenue.
As a result it is estimated that in three years' time, the number of licensed anglers will rise to 600 000, and by the year 2000 to more than 1.2 million.
The interaction between recreational and industrial fishing
Interactions between anglers and professional fishermen occur on the Danube because some reaches of the river have been granted to professional fishermen and, at the same time, recreational fishing on the same reaches have not been regulated.
Because anglers are fishing from the shore by rod and professional fishermen are fishing by nets from boats, conflicts are minor. Even so from 1996 rigorous conditions must be established regularly with the leasing of industrial fishing rights in the Danube, as well as recreational fishing.
The solution to this problem lies with the Romanian Government which should decide who is to administer the fish fauna from public sector natural waters, including the Danube.
This future institution will lease fishing areas in the Danube, establish conditions for fishing, decide who will be responsible for fish stocking, as well as give priority to either industrial or recreational fishing when conditions do not allow for both activities to be pursued in the same area.
It is very important that where the economic situation is equal, preference be given to recreational fishing.
Where economic factors together with conservation interests are to the advantage of the industrial fishery, conditions should be sought whereby recreational fishing is also made possible.
In this way the interaction between the industrial and recreational fisheries has a positive role and can contribute to the protection of valuable fish stocks which are nowadays in decline.
At the same time, the best interest of conservation can only be served if all countries of the Danube basin collaborate for the efficient management of industrial recreational fishing.
The Mixed Danube Commission has an important role in harmonization of fish exploitation, on conservation of fish stocks and on stocking policy in the Danube.
In the Danube Delta, a law setting-up the Danube Delta Biosphere Reservation sets aside areas for recreational fishing which are used by AGVPS.
The problems of the industrial fishery will be addressed this year as part of the overall measures for the conservation of the Danube Delta and to better the living conditions of the disadvantaged people of this region.
Problems will arise with the uncertain status of the Black Sea fishermen as at present they are classified under the mixed category. The status of these fishermen with regard to such issues as access to fishing licenses, payment of state taxes, quality control of catch offered for sale and conservation of the marine fauna. The lack of definition of these issues at present provokes conflict between industrial fishermen and anglers. A clarification is needed of the allocation of catch by tonnage and species between the two sectors.
The interaction between recreational fishing and aquaculture
Aquaculture in Romania has not had a significant impact on the environment either as a source of genetic change, an agent for shifts in the composition of natural fish faunas or a source of disease. Escapes from aquaculture ponds acted only as a minor stocking programme and did not affect the wild fish stocks.
Aquaculture now represents the basis of the recreational fisheries in that it is the major source material for stocking the ponds, lakes and rivers used by the sports fishermen. Furthermore some fish ponds have been made available to anglers' clubs which, together with the recreational fishing association within the AGVPS, will form the nucleus of a General Union of Anglers' Associations and Clubs.
There is therefore a positive interaction between modern aquaculture and the recreational fishery.
The contribution of recreational fishing to food supply
All fish species are eaten by Romanians, however the traditional mass food fish is the carp. The most appreciated species are the white meat species - zander, pike and perch with wels and crucian carp being also in demand. Sturgeon and salmonids are considered luxury fish.
Recreational fishing has always been associated with hunting and the ability of the fisherman or hunter to be successful in his sport is a matter of social prestige. Because of the tendency to maximize catch it has been necessary to establish a legal limit of 3kg/day for lowland fisheries and 10 pieces a day for salmonids. There is also a legal size limit for each species below which fish are returned live to the water.
In 1989, the year with the maximum number of registered anglers, the minimum catch was 9 035 t, distributed as follows:
| Lowland rivers | 178 000 anglers × 15 days × 3 kg/day | = | 8 010 t |
| Mountain rivers | 18 000 fishermen × 5 days × 10 fish × 250 g | = | 225 t |
| Marine | 4 000 fishermen × 20 days × 10 kg/day | = | 800 t |
Recreational fishing management
The interests of the recreational fishery should be subordinate to the conservation of the aquatic environment and the fish fauna.
A well defined management policy is needed for the sustainable use of aquatic resources and the conservation of the aquatic environment.
The strategy for recreational fishery management contains:
the conception, approval and implementation of a new legislative framework for fish farming and fisheries aimed at the removal of monopolies
the setting-up of an infrastructure taking into account the existing structure, regional conditions, and the wishes of the anglers. This infrastructure will be compatible with the legislative framework
providing fishing waters for each fishing club or association. Commercial societies must support restocking of their waters
establishing regulations for natural waters subject to both industrial and recreational fishing including the Danube, the Delta and the territorial waters of the Black Sea in order to harmonize management between the two sectors
developing and extending the fish culture research programme which started in 1995 and was financed by the Academy of Forest and Agricultural Sciences and which has as its main objective the stocking of waters of aquaculture importance
formulating the policy for restocking natural waters for each species on the basis of research
allocating the recreational fishing effort in natural waters taking into account the existing fish stock and restocking policy
developing eco-tourism based on the recreational fishery
setting-up specialist groups able to train technicians and bailiffs of the anglers' associations in the principles of management of sports fishery waters.
promoting recreational fishing clubs through the mass media
Conclusions
Future directions for the management of inland resources should be:
Short-term
The definition of a general strategy for Central and Eastern Europe with the aim of upgrading the organization of recreational fisheries to an international standard. This could provide a framework within which individual national strategies could be developed.
Elaboration of specific national strategies through a process of consultation between governmental and non-governmental institutions.
Medium-term
Implementation of national strategies adapted to the specific conditions of the member countries and monitoring the achievement of goals for the economics and management of the recreational fishery, and for the protection of the fish fauna.
Harmonization of recreational fishing and aquaculture taking into account the need for an economically sound aquaculture, the needs of the fishermen as well as the conservation of the aquatic habitat.
Long-term
Development of aquaculture to respond to the needs of the recreational fishery
Improvement of management and marketing of specific recreational fishing activities.
Improvement of measures to protect the aquatic environment.
Table 1 The Aquatic Patrimony of Romania
Nowadays the aquatic area of Romania consists of 500 000 ha, of which:
To this should be added:
The inland rivers network is about 115 000 km, of which 26 500 km having special importance for recreational fishing.
From this aquatic patrimony the AGVPS uses:
Table 2 Statistical Status of Anglers
| Year | Total number | Game Anglers | Coarse Anglers | Sea Anglers |
| 1953 | 10 000 | 10 000 | - | - |
| 1954 | 32 000 | 10 000 | 21 000 | 1 000 |
| 1961 | 45 800 | 11 000 | 32 800 | 2 000 |
| 1962 | 50 000 | 12 000 | 35 800 | 2 200 |
| 1964 | 65 000 | 12 000 | 50 900 | 2 100 |
| 1965 | 80 000 | 12 500 | 65 300 | 2 200 |
| 1968 | 100 000 | 13 000 | 84 600 | 2 400 |
| 1971 | 128 000 | 14 000 | 128 000 | 2 800 |
| 1972 | 132 000 | 14 500 | 114 500 | 3 000 |
| 1989 | 200 000 | 18 000 | 178 000 | 4 000 |
| 1993 | 146 800 | 12 000 | 133 399 | 1 500 |
| 1994 | 121 300 | 12 000 | 108 100 | 1 200 |
