4. Country examples: Croatia 3
4.6 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND CONFLICTS WITH OTHER WATER USES Management plans prepared for sport fishing stakeholders must be in accordance with
the Nature Protection and Water Acts (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy). The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy recently started to collaborate and their requests are incorporated into the Freshwater Fishery Act and sub-acts. Also, in management plans for recreational fishery, all restrictions and conservation measures prescribed in nature protection Acts and sub-acts must be included.
Particular conflict of interest exists between the inland fisheries in Croatia, the Croatian Waters company and energy production. Several hydropower plants (HPP) are currently under construction in Croatia, while the building of 124 more are
TABLE 14
Fish species strictly protected by the Natural Protection Act
Species THREATENED CATEGORY International
Anguilla anguilla CR (European Union) Populations from
Vransko lake and from Krka River (upstream of Skradinski buk)
Alosa fallax EN Only from Natura
2000 HR5000031 and Delta Neretva Alosa immaculata (= Alosa pontica) DD, precautionary principle
Alburnus arborella
Barbus plebejus EN Krupa and Zrmanja
Rivers inside of Velebit Nature Park
Carassius carassius VU Only in protected
areas Lonjsko polje,
Phoxinellus alepidotus DD, precautionary principle
Phoxinellus dalmaticus VU DA
Romanogobio benacensis precautionary principle
Romanogobio kesslerii
(= Gobio kesslerii) precautionary principle
Romanogobio uranoscopus
(= Gobio uranoscopus) precautionary principle
Romanogobio vladykovi
(= Gobio albipinnatus) DD, precautionary principle
Rutilus aula NT
Species THREATENED CATEGORY International
agreement ENDEM Remark
Squalius microlepis CR
Squalius zrmanjae VU DA Krupa and Zrmanja
Rivers inside of Velebit Nature Park
Telestes ukliva CR DA
Telestes croaticus
(= Phoxinellus croaticus) EN DA
Telestes fontinalis
(= Phoxinellus fontinalis) EN DA
Telestes karsticus DA
Telestes metohiensis
(= Phoxinellus metohiensis) RE
Telestes polylepis CR DA
Telestes souffia (= Leuciscus souffia) VU
Telestes turskyi CR DA
Cobitis bilineata (= Cobitis taenia) načelo predostrožnosti
Cobitis dalmatina (= Cobitis taenia) VU DA
Cobitis elongata VU
Cobitis illyrica (= Cobitis taenia) VU DA
Cobitis jadovensis (= Cobitis taenia) DA
Cobitis narentana (= Cobitis taenia) VU
Misgurnus fossilis VU
Sabanejewia balcanica
(= Sabanejewia aurata) VU
Aphanius fasciatus EN BE2
Salaria fluviatilis VU
Gymnocephalus baloni VU
Gymnocephalus schraetzer CR
Zingel streber VU
Zingel zingel VU
Knipowitschia croatica CR DA
Knipowitschia mrakovcici EN DA
Knipowitschia panizzae precautionary principle
Knipowitschia radovici DD DA
Padogobius bonelli EN
Pomatoschistus canestrinii EN BE2
Salmo dentex CR
Salmo farioides EN
Salmo marmoratus CR
Salmo visovacensis EN DA
Salmothymus obtusirostris
(= Salmo obtusirostris) CR Krka, Jadro Vrljika
Rivers and Delta Neretva
Cottus gobio VU Only from Zrmanja
River
planned soon https://www.balkanrivers.net/en/vmap. Recently, a paper on these topics was released and concluded that disturbances in the fish assemblage pattern in the Sava riverbed have coincided with the presence of multiple stressors of human origin (Piria et al., 2019). The authors cited the example of Bregana Stream, a typical salmonid stream with confluence to the Sava River and the only known spawning site for blageon (Telestes souffia) in Croatia. Several years ago, construction work by the Croatian Water Company began along the entire lower course of the Bregana stream to channelize and cement parts of the riverbed, which completely altered the mouth of the stream into the Sava. Plans are also in place to construct a small hydroelectric plant at Bregana, which will laterally block the river course and alter the flow regime (http://zagrebnasavi.hr/item/mhe-brdovec/). These activities will directly alter the flow regime of this stream, affect salmonid recreational fishery and further threaten the blageon population.
Moreover, several campaigns against HPP construction have taken place. One was for the protection of the biggest salmonid in Europe – hutchen (Hucho hucho). The study by Freyhof et al. (2015) concluded that the only threat for hutchen are dams and barriers. If all HPP construction plans are realized, Europe could lose one very attractive sport fishing fish species from the wild. Furthermore, a few migratory sturgeon species from the Danube River basin have already been lost from the wild because of the same reason (Danube Iron Gate dam) (Mrakovčić et al., 2006). Even though Water Acts establish that for all intervention to riverbeds or for each water body, an ichthyological technical study should be done, this is not enough to stop the plans for hydropower construction to go ahead. What is more, fish passes should be constructed for each new HPP barrier, but in practice, there are only a few functional fish passes.
Fisheries also have conflict of interests with actions to protect from flooding, industrial and community wastewater, and agriculture pollution. Sand digging from large rivers are prohibited in Croatia but are not prohibited in bordering countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina). There is no valid international regulation between Croatia and other bordering countries to address this problem.
4.7 COMMERCIAL FISHING IN INLAND WATERS
Commercial fishing is permitted only at the Sava River and Danube River fishing areas according to the Freshwater Fisheries Act and sub-act. The Sava River fishing area is divided into four fishing zones (Figure 17) and the Danube River into three sections.
Licenses for commercial fishing are issued by the Ministry of Agriculture which prescribes the type and quantity of permitted fishing gear and equipment, and the annual catch quotas. The licenses can be granted to a person or company. A limited number of licenses can be issued annually: (1) a total of 20 licenses at the Sava River and (2) a total of 50 licenses at the Danube River. Annual catch quotas of commercially-important fish species are regulated and limited for each fishing area (Table 15). Catch of non-native fish species is not limited but should be reported to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy by licensees.
Statistical data from commercial fishers exists from 2005 but data collection includes only the most common fish species in commercial fishers’ catch. In total, 28 licenses for the Danube and 17 for the Sava River were granted for commercial fishers in 2017.
The most common fish species caught by commercial fishers is bream in both the Danube and Sava rivers. Common carp and European catfish are more significant for the Danube than for the Sava River (Figures 18 and 19). The biggest proportion of the catch in the Sava River belongs to other indigenous fish species. It is expected that with the implementation new Freshwater fisheries act and data collection will improve and include these in catch reports.
Consumption of fish is very low in Croatia (6 kg per capita) and this is mostly marine fish species. Freshwater fish is traditionally consumed only in some parts of Croatia (Slavonija and Baranja County). It is not easy to find freshwater fish caught by commercial fishers in markets, with Croats preferring to buy wild fish. Hopefully, with the new Freshwater Fisheries Act, wild fish will be recognized and available on the market.
FIGURE 17
The Sava River fishing zones (S1–S4 fishing zones indicated by different colours)
TABLE 15
Permitted annual catch quota (kg) of commercially-important fish species for the Sava and Danube River fishing areas
Fish species Catch quota (kg)
Sava Danube
Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) 1 160 5 400
European catfish (Silurus glanis) 2 320 12 000
Zander (Sander lucioperca) 1 388 3 700
Northern pike (Esox lucius) 990 4 200
Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) 123 800
Other indigenous species* 33 797 104 400
TOTAL 42 814 130 500
*Asp (Leuciscus aspius), freshwater bream (Abramis brama), white bream (Blicca bjoerkna), ide (Leuciscus idus), barbel (Barbus barbus), common nase (Chondrostoma nasus) and other indigenous species inhabiting Croatian fishing zones.
FIGURE 19
Total catch of commercial fishers for the Sava River in Croatia in 2017
FIGURE 18
Total catch of commercial fishers for the Danube River in Croatia in 2017
4.8 RECREATIONAL FISHING IN INLAND WATERS
Recreational fisheries data exist from 1997, but data collection with current methods (described in the data collection chapter) started from 2004. The number of recreational fishers in Croatian inland waters in 2018 was 36 471 with a catch of 459 349 kg of fish.
During last few years, the total number of fishers and total catch has slightly decreased (Figure 20).
FIGURE 21
Catches (kg) of most common species of fish in 2018
The most common fish species caught by recreational fishers are cyprinids:
common carp, grass carp, European catfish, gibel carp, zander, Northern pike and bream (Figure 21). The total weight of each species caught exceeded 20 000 kg.
There are other attractive fish species caught by anglers but the weight of each species is lower than 8 000 kg per year. Fly fishing tourism is popular particularly for the regions of Lika and Gorski Kotar, (e.g. Gacka and Kupa Rivers) but does not have a major role in comparison with other species in the catch (Figure 22).
FIGURE 20
The total number of fishers and total catch from 2015–2018 in Croatia
Fishing tourism in Croatia was devastated during the transitional time (1991–1995).
The particularly popular destination was Gacka River with its known big salmonid fishes. Until today, fishing tourism has not recovered in Croatia, even if there are many places with untouched landscape and diverse ichthyofauna. This form of tourism in rural areas possesses huge potential and should be developed.