The National Association of Fish Producers and a number of fishermen are planning a blockade of the Bay of Kotor because they do not have sufficient support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, nor ports for docking and mooring ships, loading and storing heavy equipment...
As "Vijesti" has learned, the bay will likely be blocked in the coming days near the Verige Strait or the Herceg Novi settlement of Kumbor, with fishermen anchoring their boats (trawlers) between the shores of Boka Bay and tying them up with smaller vessels.
On the other hand, the Director of the Fisheries Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture Katarina Burzanović told "Vijesti" that they are not responsible for some of the Association's requests and that they believe that a blockade would be a bad move - for the economy, tourism and everyday life in Boka, and that it would complicate the possibility of constructive dialogue. They called on the Association to reconsider the announced measures and engage in a dialogue, in which the responsibilities, priorities and deadlines will be known...
Fishermen claim that the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management has leased every meter of the beach, so they cannot reach their boats, that they cannot preserve their property and perform difficult work due to the conditions at sea, and that they still do not have even the basic rights for this activity. They added that no one is listening to their problems, so they will also address the Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and the president of the state Jakov Milatović, in order to get the long-awaited fishing port on the Montenegrin coast.
"We are rebuilding the bay by anchoring trawlers and tying small vessels to each other. Passage will be allowed for the police and in emergencies, a large number of fishermen will come not only from Boka, but also from Bigova, Budva and Bar, and some will come by car. We will express our dissatisfaction with this blockade and demand a lot from the state, and for a start, that the Directorate of Fisheries has people from this profession working so that we can talk on a serious level. We are denied access to the coast in the entire bay, we cannot dock, tie up ships, bring in equipment that we have to bring in by car because we have nowhere to keep it and the parts often weigh 50 kilograms. Everyone is chasing us and harassing us from piers, beaches, institutions, ports, markets... These are not problems from yesterday. If we have a port, it means that they give us our space that was taken away from the state and us in Meljine," the Association told "Vijesti" and pointed out that they collected 119 signatures for this initiative.
They want resources and a stronger fleet.
Local fishermen in Herceg Novi have been seeking permits to moor ships in Meljine for years and claim that the investor "Imperio Holding Limited" in the local marina "Lazure" did not honor the contract with Morski dobro and built a fishing port and provided them with moorings, which is why they handed the case over to the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) in 2021.
The Association claims that for the first time, the fishermen are in agreement, but that the dialogue is currently not moving forward because the Directorate and various associations are "at war" over how to reach a solution. That is why, as they say, they want a serious meeting for all fishermen in Montenegro, and not those who only represent their own interests. They want, as they say, the fulfillment of what is written in the Fisheries Development Strategy, that is, that they pay and work legally - and that the Directorate does not assign them landing sites on the streets and at home scales...
"There is a lot of detail that the state needs to do, and they want us to confirm with a minimum that it is okay, but we always stay on that scale. It is about the resources and capacity of the fleet, that needs to be strengthened in order to get the economy going in the fishing industry. But there is neither the ear nor the time for that, the minister (Vladimir Jokovic) is on vacation. The port in Meljine is a fishing port and after the contract on construction and expansion, it became a port for nautical tourism and fishing. The fishing port, to our knowledge and belief, has not received the approval of the institutions to this day. Morsko dobro should terminate the contract due to non-fulfillment of obligations towards the fishing port, according to the documentation it should have all the conditions, it does not have them and we do not have access to state property. If fishing needs to be shut down, let them say so," the Association emphasized.
Burzanović said that the fishermen submitted their requests at the end of July and that they concern subsidizing "blue" diesel, that is, they want the introduction of the price of blue diesel as an official petroleum product modeled after the EU standard, permanent berths in marinas, the arrangement of space for the first landing of fish, a space for pulling out vessels for repairs and servicing...
She added that they are seeking financial assistance for fleet renewal, a lower VAT rate of seven percent on imports of equipment and vessels, the establishment of a guarantee fund, along with financial compensation of at least 10 percent of revenue from fees collected from cruisers and speedboats, as compensation for the damage they suffer due to their presence in the bay.
"Regarding the announcement of the blockade of the Bay of Kotor, we emphasize that we support every democratic right to express dissatisfaction, but we believe that part of the request that the Association recently submitted is not based on the actual jurisdiction of this ministry, nor does it reflect the complexity of the institutional division of responsibilities. The ministry is an important factor, but it is not the key to most infrastructure and fiscal requests. Some of the fishermen's requests, although they concern real problems in the sector, are addressed exclusively to the Ministry of Agriculture, while the Ministry of Finance (excise duties, VAT, blue diesel), the Ministry of Maritime Affairs (fishing ports, cruise ships), and local governments (locations and permits for infrastructure projects) are directly responsible for resolving them," she emphasized.
Blocking a harmful move
Burzanović stressed that they are calling for the formation of an interdepartmental working group consisting of representatives of the Government, municipalities and fishermen, in order to plan steps, delimit competencies and select requests, i.e. so that the public knows what can be resolved immediately and what requires changes to the law and interdepartmental cooperation.
She also claims that a small group of fishermen are expressing dissatisfaction, while a large part of the sector supports the Ministry's efforts to address the challenges, and that they will renew their boats this year thanks to support provided through a World Bank loan. Burzanović stated that investments of up to 200.000 euros are supported, with a support value of 80 percent, and that there are also fishermen who will be supported with 130.000 euros (state cost), while they participate with 30 euros.
"This is a huge amount of state assistance, so the statement that the state does not care about its fishermen is completely unfounded, but can be considered serious politicking. We emphasize that the announced blockade of the bay would be a very bad move that, in addition to being harmful to the economy, tourism and everyday life in Boka Bay, would further complicate the possibility of constructive dialogue. Institutions have an obligation to listen to representatives of the fishing sector, but also a responsibility to act within the law and their powers. Abuse of protests and misdirected demands do not lead to solutions, but further deepen the gap between real needs and the ability of institutions to respond adequately. We call on the association, in the interest of the sector they represent, to review the announced measures and engage in the process of institutional dialogue - with clearly defined competencies, priorities and deadlines," she emphasized.
Burzanović added that harmonization with EU laws in fisheries brings opportunities and challenges for small domestic fleets, but that it will offer legal fishermen an advantage, suppress gray zones and unfair competition.
Chapter 13 is closing?
Burzanović emphasized that Montenegro is on the verge of closing negotiation chapter 13 (fisheries), because it has fulfilled all the activities from the final benchmarks, i.e. the legislative framework has been changed, four key laws have been adopted, a fisheries strategy...
However, he claims that the key problems of marine fisheries still remain - an old and inefficient fleet and a lack of infrastructure.
"Montenegro recently ratified an agreement on the protection of tuna, which opens up a new market and opportunity for Montenegrin fishermen through the fishing of this important economic species. Among the key infrastructure investments, we emphasize that Montenegro will receive ten equipped landing sites, and that the first fishing port in Ulcinj will be built in the first quarter. The project documentation is in the final phase of preparation, so it is realistic to expect that the construction permit will be obtained by the end of this year," Burzanović said.
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