Tourism a Potential Lifeline for Balkan Fishing

Fortunately for Raljevic, he now has something else, a pioneering project conducted by the World Wildlife Fund and FishMPABlue2, a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund to improve the sustainability of small-scale fishing in the chronically over-fished waters of the Mediterranean.

Raljevic is one of the project's three 'champion' fishermen in Croatia who, under the programme, now devote part of their working week to teaching tourists how to fish.

Fluent in five languages, Raljevic no longer needs 10 nets per day but just two. "I make 10 euros per day fishing and 40 euros doing tourism," he told BIRN. "With tourists I don't need to catch 100 kilos of fish. For me it's enough to catch five kilos for lunch."

Involving fishermen in management

A seaview. Photo: WWFAdria

By most measures, the Mediterranean is the most overfished sea in the world.

FishMPABlue 2 aims to protect the sea's biodiversity and ecosystems while improving the sustainability of small-scale fisheries, focusing on protected marine areas.

Fishing tourism is just one of a number of measures being implemented; others include 'no-take' zones, the use of more selective nets and better cooperation between fishermen and the Marine Protected Areas, MPAs.

"The fishermen's hands-on experience of the sea and of fishing, combined with scientific knowledge and a good legal framework, is fundamental for the fate of the Mediterranean Sea," said Milena Ramov, manager of the Telascica Nature Park.

"The full involvement of fishermen in fisheries management in protected areas will ensure the sustainability of marine resources in the long term. Only by working together can we make the right decisions and see positive...