The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management expects that by the end of the year, they will be able to connect fish weighing devices, ice makers and electronic record-keeping devices worth 586.850 euros to the electricity and water supply networks in ten locations along the Montenegrin coast.
It is planned that three scales will be installed in Herceg Novi, two each in Budva and Ulcinj, and one each in Bar, Kotor and Tivat.
This was officially told to "Vijesti" by the Ministry.
Montenegro has 46 planned locations for the first landing of fish (ports with ship control) along its coast that have yet to be brought into use, while the Ministry of Agriculture has so far contracted the construction and delivery of ten scales for them through an international tender and a World Bank loan. Although the scales have been purchased, ten locations are currently without electrical and water connections, because several institutions that the Government obliged in July last year have not yet submitted approvals and completed the preparatory work.
"The institutions have not fulfilled their obligations, and to date, no electricity and water connections have been provided at the locations, which is in accordance with the Government's conclusion on the obligations of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG), the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System (CEDIS) and local water supply companies. We must emphasize that CEDIS inspected the situation on site during July and August of this year, and we expect that by the end of this year, the conditions will be created for connecting the devices in question to the electricity and water supply network. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Directorate of Fisheries, in cooperation with fishermen and the expert team of the 'MIDAS 2' project, have foreseen shortcomings along the coast when it comes to supply, and the electronic device has been designed in such a way that it can function 24/7 using renewable energy sources, in this case solar panels with storage batteries," they stated.
"MIDAS 2" is the second project of Institutional Development and Strengthening of Agriculture in Montenegro, and is being implemented through financial assistance from the World Bank.
SCALES IN RAFAILOVIĆI, KALIMANJI, BIGOVI...
The Ministry emphasized that they had selected a company in an international tender to produce ten electronic devices for weighing fish, producing ice and keeping electronic records of fishing activities, and that the tender was completed in August 2023, and that it was worth 586.850 euros. They emphasized that according to the World Bank's public procurement rules, ten percent of the work is paid on the day the contract is signed, 70 percent after the production, loading and transport of the equipment to Montenegro, and the rest after installation and user training.
"The completion of the contract in question, i.e. the completion of all contracted activities, is expected by mid-December 2025. The devices will be installed in Herceg Novi in the city port of Škver, Zelenica and Kumbor, in Budva in the Port of Budva and Rafailovići, in Ulcinj in the port of Kacem and the Bojana River, in Kotor in Bigova and in Tivat in the city port of Kalimanj. In cooperation with the expert team of the 'MIDAS 2' project, among other things, in 2019, activities were initiated to determine the technical equipment for the needs of equipping the identified locations with the necessary technical equipment for weighing and recording fishing activities. In cooperation with the holders of commercial fishing permits and with the support of the expert team of the MIDAS 2 project, the ten most frequented locations along the Montenegrin coast were determined for the first phase of equipping," they stated.
On July 4 last year, the government obliged EPCG, CEDIS, the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management and local water utilities to provide approvals and connections, but this has not yet happened. Then, in early November this year, the government adopted information on the need to strengthen control mechanisms and the implementation of the new fisheries policy, which states that the passage of machinery for the installation of a fabricated concrete base is not allowed in the Budva Marina, so the implementation at that location is questionable, although the location is recognized by all national documents and has the consent of the Coastal Zone.
THEY ARE PLANNING THE SURVEILLANCE FROM BAR
The same document states that in preparation for the European fishing market, Montenegro must provide land infrastructure, inspections, stronger control and a system for monitoring fish from the moment of catch to sale, as well as establish a Fisheries Monitoring Center. This center is a key element of the European Union's (EU) Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) for the fight against illegal fishing, control and surveillance.
According to the information, it will be partially equipped from the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) for Fisheries.
"Since the Fisheries Monitoring Center is an extremely important mechanism for implementing the new legislative framework and controlling fishing activities, and given the fact that the existing business premises of the Ministry do not have the capacity to accommodate and equip such a center, the Ministry, in cooperation with the expert team of the IPA III project, has reviewed the most efficient solutions and concluded that it is best to use the business premises of the Government of Montenegro, located in Bar, on Maršala Tita Street, for these purposes. The Ministry proposes to the Government to transfer for use and bring into use the business premises registered in the real estate list of the cadastral municipality of Novi Bar, and for the Ministry to adapt and equip the premises using financial resources from the 'MIDAS 2' and 'IPA III' projects and other donor projects," the document states.
Among the sector's problems is the fact that only 11 employees currently work in the administrative part of the fisheries sector, of which three are marine fisheries inspectors, which represents a burden on workers and a lack of administrative and technical capacity for implementing policies and activities. The information states that Montenegro must therefore strengthen its fisheries staff as soon as possible, and provide the missing space and equipment.
These and other problems were pointed out by 119 fishermen in a letter to the Government and several institutions this spring, in which they announced that they planned to block sea traffic through the Bay of Kotor because their business was threatened. The blockade did not occur because the fishermen's representatives and the Minister of Agriculture Vladimir Jokovic had a meeting in early September, when they were promised that a working group would be formed from the Ministries of Maritime Affairs, Finance, Economic Development, and the Coastal Zone, to resolve their problems.
Fishermen have also asked for tax breaks and financial assistance, but the president of the National Association of Fish Producers Marko Kise "Vijesti" confirmed that the working group has not yet been formed, so they contacted the EU Delegation in Montenegro - not to close the negotiation chapter 13 - Fisheries, until the state resolves all the problems.
Fishing brings in up to 12 million
The Ministry of Agriculture plans to close the negotiation chapter related to fisheries by the end of this year, although the average age of fishing vessels in Montenegro is 32 years, they do not have a sufficient level of safety, the coasts do not have infrastructure for landing or processing fish, the market is disorganized, the crews and workforce are untrained...
The Fisheries Sector Development Strategy for 2024-2029, which the Government adopted last year, also highlights that fish prices are high, that there is a decline in demand outside the tourist season, and that the quality of the aquatic environment is at risk.
For the implementation of this document, 26.515.000 euros have been planned over the next five years.
It also states that there is no comprehensive supervision and control, so in addition to domestic poaching, foreign fishing vessels are also recorded entering the country's territorial waters. It is emphasized that fishing is not large in terms of the number of vessels, fishermen, fish farmers or processors, nor in terms of the number of employees, while the share of this sector in total GDP is less than 0,5 percent, or up to 12 million euros per year.
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