THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE - WWF

REPORTDECEMBERThe Polish Fisheries RoundtableReport 2012December 2012WWF Poland

The Polish Fisheries RoundtableReport 2012The content of reports from the meetings of the Polish FisheriesRoundtable has been agreed upon by the Steering Committee andthe members of the Polish Fisheries Roundtable.Cover:KLEXGraphic design / DTP:EkoPress AgencyPublished by:WWF Poland38, Wiśniowa Str.02-520 Warsawphone: +48 22 849 84 69fax: +48 22 646 36 72© WWF PolskaWWF Poland would like to express its gratitude to the NationalMarine Fisheries Research Institute in Gdynia for acceptingthe idea and the goals of the Roundtable and for providingthe meeting promises.The publication is available at:www.wwf.pl/rybolowstwoPrinted on ecological paper.WWF Poland is solely responsible for the content of this publication.

6 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012Reformof the CommonFisheries Policy.Presentationof the pilot project“Collecting ghost netsin the Baltic Sea”6 March 2012Kołobrzeg42 representatives of the fisheries sector, scientists,non-governmental organisations, regional fisheriesinspectorates and the Fisheries Department of theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development,Marine Offices, local fishermen’s groups, and representativesof self-governments participated in themeeting of the Roundtable on the reform of the CommonFisheries Policy.The results of the pilot project “Collecting ghost netsin the Baltic Sea”, funded by Baltic Sea 2020 and conductedby WWF were also presented at the meeting.The ghost net presentation included the projectplanned for 2012, a continuation of the pilot project.In the course of discussion, issues put forward by participantswere also discussed.In the name of the Temporary Steering Committee,Ewa Milewska opened the meeting and underlinedthat, following an invitation from fishermen ofKołobrzeg, it is the first meeting held in the westernpart of the Polish Baltic coast. She stressed that a newformulae of meetings held in different ports wouldenable a wider group of stakeholders to participate inthe meetings of the Roundtable.The meeting was moderated by Ewa Milewska.Presentation:Collecting ghost netsin the Baltic SeaPiotr Prędki, WWF PolandPiotr Prędki, WWF Poland, presented the results of thepilot project “Collecting ghost nets in the Baltic Sea”,carried out in 2011 by WWF and financed by Baltic Sea2002.Ghost nets have been left or lost in the sea by fishermen.These nets or their parts continue to fish. Scientificresearch indicates that the fishing capacity ofghost nets amounts to 20% of their usual net capacityin the first three months to 6% after 20 months. Thisadditional catch of the ghost nets is not taken intoaccount in the modelling of fish population dynamicsand may negatively influence the assessment of particularpopulations. In addition, ghost nets negativelyinfluence the marine ecosystem by causing by-catchof birds and marine mammals as well as by unfavourableage structure of fish caught in these nets.

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE7© O. Sarna / WWFPiotr Prędki underlined that the problem of ghost netsis highlighted in many international documents suchas the FAO Code of Responsible Fisheries, internationalrecommendations on by-catch and discardsestablished by FAO in 2010, resolution of the GeneralAssembly of the United Nations of 2010 or the RecoveryPlan for Baltic Harbour Porpoise (Jastarnia Plan ofASCOBANS). All these documents draw attention tothe negative impact of ghost nets on marine ecosystemsand to the need to undertake measures aimed atmitigating this impact. Unfortunately, such measureshave been undertaken so-far on small scale.With reference to national documents, Piotr Prędkipointed to the provisions of the Regulation of theMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development of4 March 2008 on minimum landing sizes and closedseasons for marine organisms and detailed conditionsfor conducting marine fisheries, Act on Fisheries, andthe Polish Code of Responsible Fisheries which highlightthe issue of ghost nets and on the basis of whichthe actions at sea aimed at removing ghost nets werecarried out in 2011.In 2011, in the framework of the pilot project “Collectingghost nets in the Baltic Sea”, carried out in cooperationwith fishermen, 6095 kg of nets wereretrieved. 4.2 tonnes were collected from the sea bedusing a device called the “searcher”, designed by theexpert group and fishermen in the framework of theproject and consisting of hooks mounted on a rope,1.8 tonnes of nets were retrieved from 2 shipwreckslocated near Kołobrzeg. In total, the actions at seawere conducted during 24 days.© WWFApart from actions at sea, information leaflets wereproduced in the framework of the project to raise theawareness on ghost nets among tourists, sea users andschool children. Concluding report “Ecological effectsof ghost net retrieval in the Baltic Sea. Pilot Project:Collecting ghost nets” is available at www.wwf.pl.

8 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012© WWFIn summing up the pilot project carried out in 2011,Piotr Prędki presented the concluding remarks formulatedby the seminar held in December 2011. Heunderlined that all participants of the seminar agreedthat the impact of ghost nets on commercial fish speciesis considerable both form economic and biologicalpoint of view. He drew the attention to the need toundertake further, large scale measures aimed at mitigatingthe impact of ghost nets. Thus, the projectaimed at continuing measures undertaken in theframework of the pilot project, is planned to start inApril 2012. The actions at sea will be carried out inPoland and in Lithuania.In presenting the main assumptions of the new projectfinanced by Baltic Sea 2020, Piotr Prędki drew theattention that the project will also be conducted inLithuania. He underlined the will to co-operate with allproducers organisations in Poland in order to carryout joint actions aimed at retrieving ghost nets fromthe sea. Among new activities planned in the frameworkof the project, he pointed to the creation of aninternet platform permitting fishermen to report lostnets and displaying an interactive, widely accessiblemap of existing “hooks” around which lost nets entangle.In concluding his presentation, P. Prędki stressed thatthrough activities undertaken in the framework of theproject WWF hopes to draw the attentions of politiciansto the problem of ghost nets and, in consequence,to establish mechanisms minimising thenumber of lost nets and enabling their recycling.DiscussionIn the course of discussion, participants agreed thatactions to retrieve ghost nets should be carried out ona wider scale in the future. Some participants pointedto the fact that in the future, producers organisations,with a financial support from the government, shouldcarry out actions aimed at cleaning the Baltic Sea fromghost nets, in implementing the provisions of the PolishCode of Responsible Fisheries. Diversification ofsources of fishermen’s income during closed seasonson fisheries would be an additional positive effect ofsuch actions. Attention was turned to the need toinclude the provisions allowing such actions in thenew European Marine and Fisheries Fund.In the course of discussion cleaning of ports from pollutionand debris was also discussed. P. Prędki askedwhether such action in the ports could be financed inthe framework of projects conducted by Local FisheriesGroups. Representatives of such groups repliedthat at present, due to the lack of relevant provisionsin local strategies which constitute the basis for fundingand closed character of their activities, actionsaimed at retrieving ghost nets cannot be financed byLocal Groups. However, taking into account positiveeffect of these actions, such actions should becomepart of local strategies in the next programmingperiod.Participants turned the attention to actions aimed atremoving ghost nets, carried out in the past. The first

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE9attempt was made by the Maritime Academy in 2000.In 2004, similar actions were carried out by theresearch vessel of the Sea Fisheries Institute and wereabandoned due to the excessive size of the vessel.In concluding the discussion, one participant presentedcalculations showing that approximately 7 millionPolish zlotys would be needed to remove all ghostnets from the Polish Zone of the Baltic. Taking intoaccount the amount of funds available in the frameworkof European Fisheries Fund and the impact ofghost nets on marine environment, such actionsshould be continued in the future.Among the main elements of the proposal of theCommon Fisheries Policy, presented on 13 July 2011by the European Commission which at present are discussedin different fora E. Milewska mentioned reachingMaximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) until 2015,implementation of a discard ban, implementation oftransferrable fishing concessions and regionalisationof fisheries management.It was decided that after a short presentation of eachof the mentioned elements of the new CFP, there willbe time for a discussion.Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)Presentation:Reform of the Common FisheriesPolicy of the European UnionEwa Milewska, WWF PolandIn opening the part of the meeting devoted to thereform of the Common Fisheries Policy, Ewa Milewskapointed out that the discussion on the new CFP entersinto the final phase. At present, discussions on theEuropean Commission’s draft proposal are carried outin the European Parliament and in the working groupsof the European Council. Key decisions with regard tothe regulation on new fisheries policy should be takenin 2012. However, there is still a possibility to influencethe final content of the new policy.Ewa Milewska presented the definition of MSY: maximumsustainable yield for a given fish stock is thehighest possible annual catch that can be sustainedover time, by keeping the stock at the level producingmaximum growth. The MSY refers to a hypotheticalequilibrium state between the exploited populationand the fishing activity.E. Milewska pointed out that member states of theEuropean Union are obliged to attain MSY as widelyaccepted, international objectives of fisheries management,such as the United Nations Convention onthe Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982) and the WorldSummit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg,2002).E. Milewska also pointed out that when discussing“MSY”, it is essential to distinguish three closely relatedconcepts: MSY, B MSYand F MSY. Reaching MSY (maxi-© P. Prędki / WWF

12 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012© P. Prędki / WWFand the Ministry makes all efforts to improve the consultationprocess of all documents.DiscardsIn opening the discussion on discards, Ewa Milewskapresented the latest proposal of the European Commissionwhich puts forward a step wise approach tothe problem by introducing the ban in three stagescovering pelagic species in 2014, valuable demersalspecies (cod, hake and sole) in 2015, and other speciesin 2016. Discard ban will cover a list of species if thefisheries are managed by a quota system or by fishingeffort.Ewa Milewska indicated that a ban on all fisheries in allregions of the European Union is a controversial decision.In moderator’s view, taking into account the differencesin environmental, economic and social conditionsdecisions on the ban of discards should betaken at regional level by all stakeholders involved infisheries management.In the first part of discussion, participants agreed thatthe present proposal of the discard ban is too general.Attention was turned that many valuable fish speciesshould not be wasted on land as a result of a discardban and prohibition on marketing. These speciesshould rather be protected by minimising their bycatch.It was proposed to make a comparison of discardsin different regions of Europe and indifferentfisheries and on the basis of this data implement decisionsaimed at minimising the by-catch.There were several technical questions pertaining tothe possible discard ban: whether discards would beincluded in the catch quota, would fishermen receiveadditional quota, what is the view of the sanitaryinspection on the problem?Representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment noted that the new European Marineand Fisheries Fund will most probably include fundsfor the Member States to adapt the new conditionsimposed by the implementation of a discard ban.Commenting on the fact that the Polish processingindustry is not adapted to the implementation of adiscard ban some participants, including representativesof the processing industry, stated that discardscould be used and processed only if they are not partof the catch quota. According to some speakers, inclusionof discards into the quota would result in noncompliancewith the rules.Attention was also turned that the problem of discardsstarts at sea, e.g. during trawling. Researchresults indicate that 25% of cod escape the nets duringtrawling, of which 90% survive. Another 30% offish escape when emptying the nets. The survival rateof these fish is significantly lower and amounts to10%. Taking into account above data, measures aimedat limiting by-catch at sea should be undertaken inthe first place. Precise technical solutions are neededin this case.

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE13Transferable fishing concessionsEwa Milewska presented the main assumptions of theCommission’s proposal with regard to transferablefishing concessions (TFCs). As of 2014, Member Stateswill be obliged to introduce TFCs under the followingstrict principles. TFCs cannot confer property rightsover marine resources, but only user rights to exploitthem for a limited time. Selling, leasing or swapping ofTFCs can only happen under strict conditions as onlyowners of registered and active vessels with the purposeto use them on a licensed and active vessel, canbuy TFCs. Relative stability must be respected. MemberStates have to withdraw TFCs in case of a seriousinfringement by the vessel owner and they have toreserve quotas and TFCs for new fishermen who arelooking to enter the fishery.In opening the discussion, one of the participants,Bogusław Marciniak stated that so far the concept oftransferable fishing concessions was regarded as themanagement system permitting to fulfil the mainprinciples of sustainable fisheries. He indicated thatthe Danish system was until recently presented as amodel for other Member States with the restrictionthat the only threat could be a bad construction andimplementation of the system. He referred to the Danishscientist, Professor Thomas Hojrup who conductedan analysis of ITQ systems in several European countries,in particular in Denmark. The main conclusion ofhis research is that introduction of transferable fishingconcessions in could lead to a “hidden” privatisationof resources. In referring the work of Professor ThomasHojrup he pointed out that local fishing communitiesshould be included in establishing management systemsfor coastal fisheries. As indicated by ProfessorHojrup, for many years the coastal regions had beentreated as a regions of lower productivity and thereforeless important. At present, due to the developmentof tourism based on natural resources (landscape,water resources) the importance of coastalregions has grown. The character of fisheries has alsochanged. In the past, it was free-lance profession. Atpresent it is being faced with the necessity to buy fishingconcessions. As a result of such approach, themain goal of fisheries is to maximise the profit withouttaking into account social interests of other membersof fishing communities. In this context, a new type offisherman, a vessel owner who is not engaged personallyin the fishing activities but only in making theprofit and in discussions on how to improve own business.Fishermen who are directly engaged in fisheriesbut not vessels owners become just employees whodo not take part in the discussion on future fisheriesmanagement. Danish fishery is an example of suchapproach. Ship owners and big enterprises impose theconditions. Crew members and small scale fishermenlack the possibility to participate in discussions.© P. Prędki / WWF

14 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012In referring the work of Professor Thomas Hojrup, B.Marciniak stated that the process of implementingtransferable fishing concessions in Denmark could besplit in several stages. In the first place, the pelagicdeep sea fleet increased in size and pelagic stocks indistant waters were exploited. In order to attain theplanned profits in the next stage, costal fishery groundwere exploited, historically reserved for small scalefishery. Small scale fleet was modernised and in consequencereached a much higher fishing capacity. Thisfact caused protests of environmentalists. This led tothe implementation of a programme aimed at fishingeffort reduction, in many cases badly co-ordinatedwhich resulted not only in a drastic decrease of thenumber of vessels but also to the waste of humanresources and a drastic decrease of employment.In concluding, B. Marciniak fully shared ProfessorHojrup’s view that the implementation of an ITQ systemcould lead to several negative consequences. Therights to fish (catch quota) have been taken away fromfishermen and given to the vessel owners. The value ofa fishing vessel with fishing concessions has gone upconsiderably. The market for concessions has developedand in consequence, the fleet has been modernisedin order reach fishing capacity that permits toutilise the allocated quota. Fishermen, who were quotaowners in the past, have become employees with civillaw contracts and fishing operations are conductedonly if they are profitable. However, the fact that thefishing rights are in the hands of vessel owners whoare not part of local communities seems the most disturbing.Therefore, the profits are gathered outside ofthis community. An alternative preventing all thesenegative effects could be a system based on organisationsor groups established by fishermen, as a result ofa bottom-up initiative, responsible for the managementof catch quota of particular fishermen and withoutthe right to sell them outside of such organisation.B. Marciniak gave some examples of negative consequencesrelated to the implementation of ITQ systemsin Canadian fisheries both in the eastern and westerncoast, as well as among fishermen of the Atlantic coastof Portugal. He made an appeal to the representativesof the administration and scientific institutions toassess the social consequences of proposed changesbefore taking any binding decisions and formulatingscientific opinions. He recalled that in many countries,since many years such assessments are treated asinevitable part of any analysis related to fisheries inestablishing new management systems.Another participant drew the attention to the fact thatthis is not the first time transferable fishing concessionsare discussed during the Roundtable meeting.The example of Iceland shows that the implementationof an ITQ system is an irreversible process, supportedonly by vessel owners because they are theones who benefit from it.Other management systems were also mentioned asthey could effectively contribute to fulfilling the objectivesof the fisheries policy e.g. systems based ondays-at-sea, or the “Olympic” system for different fleetsegments.It was also stated that with regard to catch quota allocationthe Commission also discussed different issuesrelated to fisheries management. During these discussions,nobody stated that the ITQ system is the bestsolution. Other management systems were discussed,among them the “Olympic” system. It was stated thatthe “Olympic” system is related to many economicthreats, especially for processors who may not be ableto face a sudden, but short increase in supply. At present,the Commission is working on detailed conditionsfor the implementation of a system of transferablefishing concessions.© A.M. Biniecka / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE15The representative of Espersen addressed producersand processors and asked to come to an agreement.He indicated that at present the difference betweenthe demand and the supply is constantly growing.Choosing the management system is one thing. Inorder to fully utilise the Polish quota, close co-operationbetween producers and processors is essentialbecause processors need stable supply. Participantsput forward a proposal to discuss this issue at the nextmeeting of the Roundtable. This proposal was supportedunanimously.Issues brought forwardby participantsPoaching – Artur FurdynaArtur Furdyna turned the attention to the problem ofpoaching that occurs in the zone of limited sea troutcatches (4 miles zone). According to him, at presentthere is a lack of will as well as human resources tosolve this problem effectively. A. Furdyna noted that incompliance with the amended Inland Fisheries Act,the State Fishing Guard is the authority responsible forimposing administrative fines for poaching offenses.However, due to limited human resources, the Guardis not effective in combating poaching.The speaker stated that in his opinion, in order to limitpoaching, amendments to the legal provisions needto be introduced with a view to impose high financialfines and implement the inevitability of these penalties.There is also a need to change the system of lossassessment. The value of poached fish should beassessed on the basis of their biological value and notthe market price.Utilisation of the Polish catch quota– Krzysztof StanuchKrzysztof Stanuch presented the current data on thevalue of the Polish catch quota underutilised in 2001––2011. The total value of underutilised catch quotaexceeds 515 million Polish zlotys.K. Stanuch underlined that the catch quota allocatedto Poland amount to 22% of the total catch quota inthe Baltic. At the same time, Poland has at present oneof the smallest (in numbers) fishing fleets in the Baltic.There is a need to assess the fishing capacity in thefirst place, in order to fully utilise the Polish quota.Such assessment will permit to answer the questionwhether the Polish fleet is big enough / too small / toobig to utilise the allocated TACs. The decision on theright management system for the Polish fishery shouldbe taken on the basis of such comparative study.In the discussion, participants turned the attention tothe bad state of the Polish fleet. The seakeeping abilityof many vessels does not permit to fish in bad weatherconditions. According to some participants there isa need to change the legal provisions in such a way asto permit co-funding of fishing vessel modernisationwithout increasing their fishing capacity.In the course of discussion on quota utilisation, participantsdecided to establish a working group witha view to assess the fishing capacity of the Polish fishingfleet.© P. Prędki / WWF

16 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012Draft proposal on the European Marineand Fisheries FundDecision on holding a Roundtable meeting to discussthe proposal on the new Marine and Fisheries Fundwas taken.During the meeting, the new proposal for the EuropeanMarine and Fisheries Fund, published by theEuropean Commission was also discussed. Amongissues which require further discussion, participantsmentioned:• The need for wider consultations of the newMarine and Fisheries Fund with sector representatives;• The need to integrate the programme with thenew budgetary provisions of the EuropeanUnion for the years 2014–2020;• The need to include the processing sector intothe beneficiaries of the new Fund;• The need to reformulate the wording whichresults from wrong translation from English intoPolish;• Provisions on coastal fisheries: at present theproposal contains the information that it is recommendedto increase the importance of coastalfisheries, but under the proposed provisions itwould be easier to leave the profession, that israther a minimization of this type of fisheries;• Several provisions need to be more precise. Theneed to respond to consumer’s needs is mentionedand at the same financing of fish salespoints is excluded.Public consultations on National ConservationProgrammes for the Grey Sea andHarbour Porpoise – Mediatorzy.plAgata Gójska from mediatorzy.pl presented the currentstate of the draft conservation programmes forthe grey seal and harbour porpoise. At present, workon these programmes is carried out in 4 workinggroups which discuss respectively the interactionswith fisheries; disturbances, noise, pollution; speciesmonitoring and scientific research; information andsocial communication.A. Gójska pointed to the fact that in the consultationgroups the fisheries sector from the eastern part ofthe Polish coast was much better represented andinvited the representatives of fishermens organisationsthan from the western coast to take part in theconsultation process of conservation programmes. Allinformation on the consultation process can be foundat: http://baltyk.mediatorzy.pl.© P. Prędki / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE17Terms of Reference (Statute) of the PolishFisheries Roundtable – Krzysztof StanuchKrzysztof Stanuch pointed out that the provisions ofthe Statute permit the Roundtable to take positionson different issues according to a defined mechanismof voting. He asked the Temporary Steering Committeeto follow these provisions and allow the Roundtableto formulate official opinions.Ewa Milewska stated that the discussion on the Statuteshould be held among the members of the Roundtable.It was then decided to continue the discussionon this issue at the next Roundtable meeting.© J. Włodarczyk / WWF

18 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012Utilisationof the Polishcatch quotas.Regionalisation.Discards.2 July 2012National Marine FisheriesResearch Institute, GdyniaThe meeting of the Polish Fisheries Roundtable wasattended by 47 participants, among them representativesof the fisheries sector, scientists, environmentalorganisations, regional fisheries inspectorates, andthe Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development represented by theUnder-Secretary of State, Kazimierz Plocke. The meetingwas devoted to the utilisation of the Polish catchquotas (TACs) by Polish fishermen, regionalisation ofthe decision-making process in the framework of thereform of the Common Fisheries Policy of the EuropeanUnion and discussion on the proposal on thediscard ban.Ewa Milewska opened the meeting on behalf of theTemporary Steering Committee. She expressed hopethat the 11 th meeting of the Roundtable would creategood opportunity for discussions on fisheries managementsystem of the Polish fisheries.Dr Zbigniew Karnicki moderated the meeting.Before starting the discussion, participants gave a oneminutetribute to the employee of the National MarineFisheries Research Institute in Gdynia, Professor AndrzejRyszard Ropelewski, deceased on 12 June 2012. ZbigniewKarnicki underlined that Professor Ropelewskiworked at the Institute for many years and played animportant role in its history as the Scientific Directorand then Director of the Institute. He was a layer butalso a passionate humanist, historian, who registeredthe history of the Polish fisheries and the Institute in anincredible way. He liked people and was very honest,stable in his beliefs. Such attitude was not easy to keepin some periods of our history and had significant consequences.He also co-operated with the WiadomościRybackie (Fisheries News) for many years and wrotearticles on many important facts of the Polish fisheriesin a special section called “Pages of history”. More informationon Professor Ropelewski can be found in theJune issue of Wiadomości Rybackie.© D. Bógdał / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE19© O. Sarna / WWFPresentation:Utilisation of the Polish catchquota (TACs) by Polish fishermenMarta Kaniewska-Królak –Head of Unit of Resource Management,Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agricultureand Rural DevelopmentMarta Kaniewska-Królak presented the data on thepresent utilisation of the quota (TACs) allocated toPoland for 2012 as well as data on historical utilisationof these quota in 2009–2011.Referring to the catches as of 29 June 2012,M. Kaniewska-Królak stated that the utilisation of codTAC amounted to 30%, of salmon 39%, of sprat 59%,of plaice 1%, of herring in sub-divisions 22–24 34%,for herring in the Main Basin 33%. In the case of herringin the Main Basin she underlined that the catchesin Vistula Lagoon have been closed due to the utilisationof quota at the level of 130%. In describing thetable M. Kaniewska-Królak drew the attention to thefleet segmentation according to vessel length. At present,vessels from 18.5 meters up to 30.49 meters areclassified in one segment. In the table, a segmentationused in the past has been applied in order to permita more detailed analysis of quota utilisation.Referring to the table on cod quota utilisation,M. Kaniewska-Królak stated that as of 29 June 2012the quota was utilised by 28%. She drew the attentionto the fact that the Minister disposes of a quota foreastern cod amounting to 10% of the last year’s quotathe which will be distributed in the nearest future.In presenting the table showing the utilisation of theeastern cod quota in 2011 by EU Member States shestated that average utilisation of eastern cod quota issimilar in the Baltic countries. However, lower utilisationof the western cod quota as compared to othercountries is of concern.When presenting data on the catches in 2009–2012M. Kaniewska-Królak indicated that 2012 data hasbeen collected in the first 5 months. She also notedthat in 2012 the utilisation of the cod quota may bedifferent due to the fact that the management systemof the cod fishery called “trójpolówka” (based on theprinciple that only 1/3 of the fleet was allowed to fishfor cod during one year while the rest stayed in portand received compensations stay. Vessels are selectedon a random basis in a lottery each year). She underlinedthat there is a possibility to obtain additional quotafor herring in the Central Basin as well as for sprat.In summing up the presentation, the moderatorexpressed his satisfaction with regard to the fact thatPoland has implemented a good monitoring systemwhich permits to constantly trace the utilisation of thequota.

20 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012Presentation:Utilisation of the catch quota(TACs) in the Baltic in 2001–2011Krzysztof StanuchKrzysztof Stanuch presented the data on the utilisationof catch quota in the Baltic in 2001–2011 as wellas the reasons for underutilisation of some limits.In presenting the data on quota utilisation, K. Stanuchindicated that the data comes from the Sea FisheriesInstitute and the publication entitled “Morska GospodarkaRybna” (eng. Fishing Industry). Stanuch underlinedthat the presented data are the same as datapresented by the Ministry. The only difference lied inthe fact in his simulation. K. Stanuch concentrated onthe market value of underutilised quota, therefore themoney lost by fishermen and the economy.K. Stanuch pointed to the fact that the penalty quotathat Poland was obliged to give back to the EuropeanCommission for the overfishing of the cod quota in2007 was subtracted from data presented by the Ministry.According to the speaker this is wrong becausethe analysis should include the total available Polishcatch quota.Referring to the graph comparing the size of quotaavailable for Polish fishermen and its utilisation K. Stanuchpointed out that since 2004 the Polish fleet hasnot been able to fully utilise its quota.Stanuch pointed in particular to the estimations of thevalue of underutilised catch quota, calculated on thebasis of the market value of products in the Fist Pointof Sale. According to the analysis, the value of thecatch quota underutilised by Polish fishermen in2001–2011 amounted to 515 187 000 PLN.© O. Sarna / WWFTurning to the possible causes of this underutilisationof the Polish catch quota K. Stanuch concentrated onthe analysis of the reduction of the fishing capacity.K. Stanuch noted that in 2004–2011 the number offishing vessels was reduced by 44%. The reductionexpressed in GT amounted to 57%, and in kW 50%.K. Stanuch underlined that in the trawl fishery kWseemed to a better indicator that the GT.In his presentation K. Stanuch also pointed to the factthat when speaking about the fishing effort we shouldnot omit the fishing days. In this case there wasa reduction by 53%. At present, fishery is banned during205 days per year.K. Stanuch noted that taking into account all thesefactors it should be concluded that the total reductionof the fishing capacity in 2004–2010 amounted to asmuch as 76%.In conclusion, K. Stanuch asked whether such importantreduction of the fishing capacity could be the reasonfor underutilisation of the fishing quota allocatedto Poland?DiscussionThe measures that should be undertaken to permitthe Polish fleet to better utilise the allocated catchquota were discussed in the first place. One of suchmeasures consists of assessing the fishing effort andcapacity of the Polish fleet. Such assessment wouldpermit to adapt the size of the fleet and its fishingcapacity to the available resources. Attention wasturned that the administration has been already askedseveral times to carry out an assessment of the size ofthe fleet and its fishing capacity in order to find outwhether Poland disposes of a sufficient fleet to fullyutilise its quota allocations.Referring to the presentation by K. Stanuch, the moderatorasked about the number of days used by differentvessels. The moderator pointed to the data on theunderutilisation of the days at sea available to the Polishfleet. According to the moderator, most of the vesselsfishing for cod do not use 163 days at sea andtherefore the existing fishing capacity is not fully used.This is a significant problem which should further bediscussed.In answering the question posed by the moderator,K. Stanuch stated that he has been authorised by theRoundtable to conduct an analysis of the fishingcapacity of the Polish fleet. In addition, he stated thathe sent a letter on behalf of the Roundtable to the

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE21© O. Sarna / WWFMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development askingfor help in finding the data needed to conduct suchanalysis.The representative of the Ministry answered that suchdata will be transferred to K. Stanuch in accordancewith the agreed scope, that is the information on GT,kW, days at sea, length of vessels and catches. Inaccordance with the legal provisions in force, thesedata will be made available without the identificationnumber assigned to particular vessels.In answering the question if the quota can be betterutilised, attention was drawn to the fact that also inthe past there was a problem with the utilisation ofpelagic catch quota. Now the same situation haschanged. The utilisation of the pelagic catch quota hasgrown. Further measures are needed to increase theiruse. One of the factors hampering quota utilisation isthe fact that every vessel owner manages his ownquota. The possibility to transfer the quota betweenthe members of a fishermen’s organisation wouldimprove quota utilisation. It was stated that theincrease of pelagic catches would not be possiblewithout the investments executed on shore in order toincrease the processing potential, in particular measuresto increase the freezing capacity. Undoubtedly,fish pumping systems improve the landing effectiveness.In addition, the fleet that had not taken part inpelagic catches is now active in this type of fishery.Attention was turned to the fact that the value ofcatches per vessel has increased. This is a positivetrend which should be preserved.In the course of the discussion, participants noted thatin order to ensure full utilisation of catch quota byparticular vessel segments, also weather as well asmarket conditions should be taken into account(excess of fish on the market will cause a decrease inprices). It was stated that the management systemrefers not only to the management of the fishingactivities but also the market.In answering the question whether the fishing capacityof the Polish fleet is too big or too small, someparticipants stated that the capacity is sufficient.Measures should rather be directed at improving theuse of the present potential. During the meeting ofthe Group on Quota Allocation it was discussed howto prevent an overutilization rather than underutilisationof the quota. It was underlined that there is aneed to modernise vessels in order to improve thesituation and fully utilise the quota. The Polish fisherysector will fully use the quota if the fleet is modernisedand the organisation of the fishery market improved.The Minister was asked to make funds from Axis 1 ofthe Operational Programme available for vessel modernisation.Referring to the presentation by M. Kaniewska-Królak,attention was turned to the utilisation of the westerncod quota. In analysing low utilisation of the quota forthis stock, the period of voluntary suspension of fishingactivities in January and February and restriction inthe catches of the western cod in April should be takeninto account. Therefore, low utilisation of catch quota,

22 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012in particular in the first six months of 2012 should notsurprise anyone.Referring to the number of days at sea allocated toone vessel, it was stated that the statistics with thisrespect may be false, if only the time of exit-entry tothe port is taken into account and not the real fishinggear operation time.The representative of Espersen from Koszalin, a companywhich buys cod, pointed to the unfavourabletendency noted on the market. The scissors betweenthe supply and the demand are too big, due to thefact that all vessels fish at the same time. He remindedthe participants that his company proposed a minimumprice of 5 PLN to fishermen and underlined thatbig producers prevent the prices from falling downdrastically.The representative of Espersen stated that he hasbeen fully authorised to declare that in order toimprove the cod quota utilisation Espersen shall createa demand for fish and shall buy Polish cod. Henoted, however, that so far the Polish fisheries has notundertaken adequate measures aimed at improvingquota utilisation. If the situation remains unchangedand there is no increased supply of cod, Espersen willbe obliged to buy fish from fishermen in other countries.The participants requested the Minister to takeinto account the position of processors in allocatingthe catch quota in subsequent years and to work outmeasures aimed at balancing the demand and thesupply.The representative of Stanpol, a processing companynoted that instead of discussing the number of days atsea proportional to the seaworthiness of vesselsinstead of discussing on how much fish we are able tosell. Poland has two fleets in the Baltic: big vesselsfishing for herring and sprat which together with theprocessors decide on the amount of fish caught andother vessels, mainly fishing for cod, which fish independentlyof market demand. On behalf of processors,he asked these vessels to co-operate and jointlyplan the catches in such a way as to maximise thevalue of fish.Referring to the presentation by the representative ofthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,a participant turned the attention to the fact that individualutilisation of catch quota has been growing. Henoted, however, that absolute values should be takeninto account in the analysis to permit to get the realpicture of, for example, a decrease in the catches.He noted that next year Poland will most probably geta higher quota and therefore a lower utilisation rateshould be expected. Therefore, in the analyses, it isessential to take into account how much a given vesselcan actually fish, as well as other factors such as GT,kW and days at sea.The representative of the Ministry stated that verificationof quota utilisation is carried out individually foreach vessel in a long-term perspective. Vessels whichdo not use 90% of the quota in two subsequent years(quota for cod, herring or salmon) may get lowerquota in the following years.© O. Sarna / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE23© T. Zbiec / WWFIt was also stated that the effectiveness of catchesdepends to a large extent on the crew.The sprat fishery was also discussed. Fishermenreminded that last year they submitted to the Commissiona request to assess the sprat resources inthree stocks and to allocate the catch quota on thebasis of such division. They appealed to the Ministerto introduce a ban on industrial catches (for fish mealpurposes) in the Polish Economic Zone.The moderator underlined that there is neither thefirst nor the last meeting to discuss catch quota utilisation.He underlined that in 2013 the new CommonFisheries Policy will enter into force. The fishing sectorwill have to adapt to this new policy. There is a need todiscuss how, also in the framework of the Roundtable.The moderator noted that the fishing activities shouldbe closely co-related with the requirements of theprocessing sector. He reminded the participants thatproducers organisations were established to create amarket for fish and it seems that they are not activeenough. He also indicated that the present system ofquota allocation is not perfect and in not flexibleenough. In a given year, the Fisheries Department cannottake away quota from particular vessels. This systemneeds to be changed. He also informed the participantsthat fishermen’s organisations play animportant role in quota management in other countries.This should also be the case in Poland in order totake internal decisions related to quota utilisation byparticular members of the organisation. He alsoturned the attention to the issue of investments infishing ports in order to improve the landings andprocessing of fish. The Port in Hel is a good exampleof an effective modernisation which has permitted toincrease the amount of processed sprat.The Under-Secretary of State Kazimierz Plocke thankedthe participants for taking up a discussion on the mostcrucial issue, namely the future of the Polish fisheryunder the new Common Fisheries Policy. He informedeveryone that the two most important documents,that is the Basic Regulation and the Regulation on theOrganisation of the Markets of Fishery and AquacultureProducts have been submitted by the EU Councilto the European Parliament and are now subject tofurther discussion. The Under-Secretary of Stateunderlined that at present the members of the EuropeanParliament shall decide on the new policy andtherefore efforts should be made to ensure their supportfor the Council proposal. He also informed theparticipants that the CFP reform will be one of theissues discussed by the next meeting of the VisegradGroup.

24 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012should react. In order to make this possible, there isa need to assess social consequences of decisions.The ecological standards will not be complied with iffishermen do not have the possibility to make a decentliving. And fishermen are crucial partners in environmentalprotection.© O. Sarna / WWFThe Under-Secretary of State noted that neither theEuropean Commission nor the Council are satisfiedwith the results of the present policy. According tohim, the multi-annual plans will help to fulfil some ofthe challenging objectives, but not all. The organisationof the market of fishery products is equally important.It determines the future of the fisheries sector. Ifconditions for the co-operation between fishermenand processors are worked out, we could then assumethere is a mutual understanding. The Under-Secretaryof State noted that Polish processors handle 40 thousandton of Polish fish. The question is: how to increasethe supply of Polish fish? We have a few months left tofind the right answer and implement adequate mechanisms.In conclusion, the Under Secretary of State underlinedthat at present the greatest challenge is to work outthe best fleet and resource management system andimplement measures aimed at “greening” the fisheriespolicy.The discussion on quota utilisation was continued andattention was drawn to the threat resulting from theactivity of large vessels fishing for industrial purposesin the Baltic. The caches of these vessels are used toproduce animal fodder. It was stated that the Polishgovernment does not co-operate with fishermen towork out measures aimed at solving this problem.It was also stated that industrial fishery has a negativeimpact on the state of the resources and the marineenvironment. A request was made to present the opinionof Polish fisheries experts on this type of fisheries.Non-governmental organisations were requested tohelp in raising awareness on this problem.The need to negotiate the minimum price as well as toinclude the vessel owners and fishermen into the discussionwas also mentioned. Fishermen should havethe guarantee of employment. According to someparticipants leaving the decision to market mechanismsis wrong. In critical situations, the governmentIn relation to the level of the catch quota for 2013,a question was asked on the ICES advice recommendinga 11% decrease of the eastern cod quota in 2013.Such proposal could hardly be accepted in the view ofsome participants. Attention was drawn to the factthat last year ICES had recommended an increase ofthe eastern cod TAC by over 40%.In answering this question, Professor Jan Horbowyconfirmed that ICES advice contains a recommendationto decrease the TAC for the eastern cod by 11% in2013. This decision results from taking different individualweights of fish in the assessment than last year.The stock still shows an increasing tendency. However,individual weight decreases. Professor Horbowy underlinedthat this is only an advice of ICES. The decisionon the catch quota will be taken by the Council ofMinisters of the European Union in October.In the course of the discussion, participants statedthat taking into account the differences in the scientificadvice in particular years (last year’s advicerecommending a 44% increase of the catches anda fishing mortality of 0.3 and the current advice recommendinga 11% decrease of the catches under thesame fishing mortality) the sector can hardly believein the assessment and advice presented by ICES.In reply, Professor Horbowy stated that the fishingmortality has remained at the same level. ICES adviceis compliant with the multi-annual plan for cod agreedupon by the EU. The catch quota may differ under thesame fishing mortality and depends on the individualbiomass which can increase as a result of a decrease inthe stock density to increase the individual weight orby increasing the fishing mortality of cod to increasethe survival of clupeidae. Professor Horbowy informedparticipants that a research project is carried witha view to analyse food source of cod and explain thedecrease in individual weights.Referring to the statement made by professor Horbowy,one participant stated that it is crucial to conducta research on how the prevent the decrease ofthe individual weight of cod. It was also stated that thenext meeting of the Roundtable should take placerather soon to discuss the factors that could contributeto reversing the tendency in the state of the fishresources.

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE25© O. Sarna / WWFIn the course of the discussion, it was noted that scientistsconsider establishing a multi-species managementplan for the Baltic. It was also noted that theconsensus permitting to satisfy the requirements of allstakeholders will be difficult to reach in such multispeciesplan.Regionalisation of the decision makingprocess in the reformed CFPIn opening the discussion on regionalisation, themoderator stated that regional approach to fisheriesmanagement is one of the important mechanisms ofthe reformed CFP. The main goal of regionalisation isto permit a micro-management of fisheries at regionallevel. In the current CFP proposal, the main decisionsregarding the Common Fisheries Policy are taken inthe framework of co-decisions of the European Parliamentand the Council. At regional level, managementis to be based on multi-annual plans for one or morespecies in a given fishery. The moderator remindedthat a multi-species plan which was to enter into forcein the Baltic in 2013 is currently under preparation.Unfortunately the knowledge on relations betweendifferent species is still inadequate in order to preparesuch a plan in a short period of time and ensure itsefficient functioning.The moderator underlined that individual actionsaddressed to the European Commission will not beeffective under the new policy. Regional advisorycouncils and fisheries administrations will most probablybecome the main bodies through which the sectorwill be able to influence the decisions taken. Hereminded everyone that the Polish participation in theBaltic Regional Advisory Council (BS RAC) is far fromsatisfactory. In the BS RAC the Polish fisheries sector isrepresented by 2 members of which only one is activeat the moment. Our voice should be well heard, notwithstandingthe fact that the BS RAC is only an advisorybody and has a limited influence on the decisionstaken by the European Commission. With reference to“greening” of the fisheries management policy mentionedby the Under-Secretary of State K. Plocke, themoderator mentioned that the proposal to changethe balance of different interest groups in the RegionalAdvisory Councils from 70% for the fisheries sectorand 30% for other interest groups to a 50%/50% mixhas been rejected.The moderator mentioned the BALTFISH, a formestablished in 2010 which meets in two groups. Thefirst one, called the high level group is composed ofhigh-ranking officials representing fisheries administration,including directors of fisheries departmentsfrom all Baltic countries, and the second is composedboth of high-ranking officials, as well as other stakeholderssuch as the BS RAC and NGOs. BS RAC proposedto co-operate closely under the future managementsystem and therefore to include therepresentatives of the BS RAC in the high-level groupof BALTFISH with a view to more effective discussionand presentation of the proposals and positions of thesector and NGOs.He underlined that the discussion on the new CFP hasnot been finished yet. At present, the Council proposalis discussed in the European Parliament. This discussionwill be followed by “trilogues“ or the very lastnegotiations on the new policy between the EuropeanCommission and the European Parliament.Ewa Milewska who represents the NGOs in the BalticRegional Advisory Council, stated that regionalisationis the most constructive proposal in the reform of theCommon Fisheries Policy because it permits to adaptthe management to the needs of a particular region.Shortening the time needed for decision making processin the regions will permit a more effective managementof the resources. In relation to the change of

26 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012the composition of the Regional Advisory CouncilsE. Milewska stated that the proposal to change thebalance between different interest groups has not beenapproved by politicians. She underlined that it is importantto remember that we all act in the same interest,to guarantee the stability of resources and in consequenceto reach also economic and social stability.Another participant drew the attention to the fact thatduring many year Ryszard Malik had represented fishermenin the BS RAC the chair of the pelagic group.He reminded that proposal to nominate one representativeof the Polish fisheries sector in the BS RACwith a few substitutes from different fishermen’sorganisations has never been realised. The participantunderlined that other organisations should be persuadedto participate in the work of the BS RAC. Itshould however be remembered that according to thestatute only 2 representatives of the Polish fisheriessector may be members of the Executive Committee.He appealed to the Ministry to secure funds to coverthe travel costs of Polish representatives to the BS RAC.The moderator underlined the importance of participatingin the Working Groups of the BS RAC wherepositions later accepted by the Executive Committeeare formulated. He noted that the BS RAC looks forwardto active participation of Polish fishermen andcould even cover the costs of interpretation in somecases. Fishermen approved this fact.Basing on his experience, Ryszard Malik stated thatactive participation in the BS RAC requires not onlythe knowledge on fisheries but also on marine biologyand data. He indicated that the Roundtable meetingsare held among others also to discuss the same issuesat as in the BS RAC meetings at national level. There isa group which dominates the BS RAC and influencesthe decisions. The Roundtable should become a bodyto formulate positions which could be presented atthe BS RAC meetings.In the course of the discussion it was stated that fishermen’sorganisations could decide to take part in theBS RAC after examining the costs of such participation.It was also noted that Polish scientists do nottake part in the BS RAC meetings.In relation to regionalisation attention was also turnedto the fact that at present ICES meetings are composedof delegated scientists who decide on the scientificadvice.Participants asked whether a working group to assessthe Baltic fish resources could be created in the frameworkof regionalisation? The knowledge from ICES isthe best available one but not all stakeholders acceptit. It was also underlined that environmental conditionschange quickly and scientific advice shouldinclude this fact. It was proposed to establish a BalticInstitute to constantly monitor the state of theresources and ecosystem since ICES does not complywith the expectations.The moderator informed all participants that scientistsfrom Baltic scientific institutions and experts fromother regions are part of ICES Working Groups andthe data which is the basis for scientific advice comefrom the institutes specialised in marine research.© O. Sarna / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE27With reference to regionalisation, attention was turnedto the multi-annual plan for cod which is currentlyunder revision and discussed among others in the BSRAC. Participants drew the attention that the Commissionshould not be allowed to adopt an easier solutionto revise the plan every 5 years. The plans should beflexible and should be revised at maximum every 3years.In response, Ewa Milewska stated that there is still apossibility to include a short position into the final BSRAC recommendation with reference to the multiannualplan for cod. This recommendation shouldreflect the need for a more flexible revision of longtermmanagement plans, adopted to the state ofresources.In the course of the discussion attention was the needto differentiate the source of analyses used in theresource management. In Poland, there a few institutesspecialised in marine research which should betaken into account when formulating the Polish positions.© J. Włodarczyk / WWFProposal to implement the discard ban forBaltic fish species under the reformed CFPIn opening the discussion, the moderator stated thatthe discard ban will be an important pillar in thereformed CFP. The proposal raised a lot of controversies,not particularly in the Baltic but in other regions.The implementation of the ban is a political commitmentfrom which the Commission will not withdraw.There is however a certain change in the Commission’sapproach: at present the proposal contains astatement on a considerable minimisation of unwantedcatches and not elimination of discards. The final versionof this provision will be decided at the EuropeanParliament and Council level.The moderator stated that in the current draft regulationthe discard ban in the Baltic cod fishery is to enterinto force on the 1 st January 2015. This is a proposalwhich will be further discussed by the Council of Ministers.Discards are included in the catch quota (thequota will be increased by a percentage rate of theby-catch of a given species).One of the participants pointed to the fact that correctsorting of fish during catches is one of the mostimportant elements of the cod fishery. He underlinedthat whereas the T90 cod end is more selective, manyfishermen hesitate to use it due to the fact that fishescaping through the mesh sizes are too big as comparedto the BACOMA cod end.Another participant stated that discards can be eliminatedby the minimum landing size is replaced by theminimum market size set at the level of e.g. 35 cm.Participants discussed how to use non-target fishtaken as by-catches. Some participants suggested touse these fish for animal fodder or give to charitablepurposes. This last proposal caused a lot of controversies.Questions were asked who would cover the costsof giving the fish for charitable purposes. Fishermenwere concerned that would have to cover these costs.Processors pointed out that the Polish law imposesseveral costly sanitary and control requirements onproducts for human consumption. According to them,the use of non-target, undersized fish for charitablepurposes is too costly and could be done only by processors.Processors underlined that almost all companiesgive products for charitable purposes to applysome tax deductions.The moderator pointed out that the use of undersizedfish was a matter of vivid discussions in the Committeeof the Regions. In the position of this Committee,it is said that undersized fish should be utilised freeof-charge,without any additional costs for fishermen.

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE29© T. Zbiec / WWFProposals for issues to be discussed at thenext meeting, planned for the autumn• European Marine and Fisheries Fund (afterreceiving some new information on the fund. Atpresent work on this fund have been suspendeduntil the final CFP voting).• Fish market organisation. Discussion andexchange of information.• Transferable fishing concessions (proposed afterthe meeting).• Problems of coastal fishery and the draft EuropeanMarine and Fisheries Fund (proposed afterthe meeting)It was also proposed to organise Roundtable meetingsbefore BS RAC meetings in order to prepare adequatepositions.

30 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012European Marineand Fisheries Fund.Coastal fisheries.Wind energyThe following issues were discussed in the frameworkof the 12 th meeting of the Roundtable meeting:• Draft proposal for the European Marine andFisheries Fund;• Coastal fisheries;• Development of wind energy and its possibleimpact on fisheries.90 participants attended the meeting. Dr. ZbigniewKarnicki acted as moderator.29 October 2012,National Marine FisheriesResearch Institute, GdyniaOn behalf of the temporary Steering Committee EwaMilewska and Zbigniew Karnicki welcomed all participantsto the meeting. They underlined that the issuesunder discussion are of great importance. ZbigniewKarnicki reminded the participants that the new EuropeanMarine and Fisheries Fund has already been discussedfor some time. The progress on the preparationof the draft fund is based on the decisions takenat the Committee of the Regions and during Agricultureand Fisheries Council in October. Ewa Milewskaunderlined the issue of wind energy as a new way ofusing marine space. Its development will have a considerableimpact on other sea users.© A. Bógdał / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE31© P. Prędki / WWFPresentation:Proposal for the EuropeanMarine and Fisheries FundMarta Szulfer, Fisheries Department, Ministryof Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentIn opening her presentation, Marta Szulfer stated thatunder the current proposal for the new fund (EFMF) forthe years 2014–2020 the budget will amount to approx.6.567 billion Euro as compared to the 3.8 billion Euroof the European Fisheries Fund for 2007–2013.An increase of the budget is explained by inclusion ofnew components into the fund that had not been partof the EFF in 2007–2013, that is integrated maritimepolicy, control and enforcement as well as data collection.Apart from the already mentioned new componentsthe EMFF will be provide funding for marine fisheries,inland fisheries, aquaculture, market, development offisheries-dependent communities.The fund will be managed under direct and sharedmanagement. The European Commission will have thecompetence over direct management whereas sharedmanagement will be carried out in the framework ofOperational Programmes. The inclusion of differentcomponents into direct or shared management arestill under discussion. At the last Council meeting, itwas decided to partly include integrated maritimepolicy into the shared management, that is to includethis component into the national operational programmes.Marta Szulfer noted that the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development has undertaken several measuresaimed at:• Highlighting the processing industry in the EMFFproposal. M. Szulfer stated that data on the fisheriessector presented by the European Commissionhad not reflected the actual scale of employmentin the fisheries sector in Poland. Therefore,the Ministry submitted updated data on theentire fisheries sector in order to improve theimage;• Securing the support of several big Europeancountries with regard to the financial aid on vesselmodernisation;• Differentiating between marine and inland fisheries.To this end Poland proposed a new definitionof inland fisheries and submitted it to theSecretariat of the EU Council, together withsome other European member states. M. Szulferunderlined that Poland has undertaken measuresaimed at including funds for vessel modernisationand vessel purchase for inland fisheries.It is a sector which functions on differentprinciples and has different needs than marinefisheries. There are no investment restrictionsforeseen in the Fund with respect to the inlandfisheries fleet. Boats (cutters are not used in

32 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012inland fisheries) are not registered in the fishingvessel register and are only used in inland waterswhich are managed solely by member states.Under such management of inland fisheries,state of resources and water quality are strictlycontrolled by national authorities. Such parametersas the fishing capacity or number of boats(used with regard to marine fisheries vessels) arenot taken into account.In referring the work on the EMFF proposal M. Szulferstated that in July and August 2012 the European Parliamentdiscussed the EMFF proposal. At present, thedraft regulation has gone through the first reading inthe Working Group on Internal and External FisheriesPolicy. The EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council UE atthe meeting on 22–23 October 2012 adopted the socalledpartial general approach on the draft regulation.The compromise reached at the Council meetingcovered among others:• Aid intensity on replacement / modernisation ofengines will amount to 30% of eligible costs (thefirst draft regulation proposed 20%);• Setting two thresholds on replacement / modernisationof engines: 1.5 billion Euro or 3% offinancial aid allocated by a Member State to Priority1 and 2 of the EMFF. Priority 1 and 2 of theEMFF;• Setting two thresholds for scrapping of fishingvessels, temporary suspension of fishing activitiesand modernisation / replacement of engines:6 million Euro or 15% of the financial aid allocatedby a Member State Priority 1 and 2 of theEMFF. Priority 1 and 2 of the EMFF.In concluding her presentation, M. Szulfer underlinedthat discussion on the new fund is still on-going andthe presented information may be subject to amendments.The Ministry will inform on the progress of thework on the new regulation which should finish untilthe end of 2013 with an adoption of the new EMFFRegulation.In commencing the discussion, Zbigniew Karnickiunderlined that the EMFF Regulation is still under discussionand the key issues are how to allocate thefinancial resources among the Member States. Karnickinoted that not all acceptable proposals withregard to indicators which are the basis for the allocationhave received support among other MemberStates. Among these indicators is employment in theprocessing sector and the area used for aquaculture.© P. Prędki / WWFThe partial general approach on the new Fundadopted in Luxemburg includes all proposals put forwardby Member States. They have been placed insidesquared brackets which means that the discussion onfinancial resource allocation is still open and shall becontinued.Z. Karnicki stated that the Minister met the EU FisheriesCommissioner Maria Damanaki and presented theposition of Poland with respect to the allocation. Heunderlined that there is a low probability that Polandshall receive an equally high share in the new Fund asin the present programming period. The fight goes onto get the highest possible allocation for Poland.Karnicki also underlined that the engine replacementraises a lot of controversies. In his opinion, co-financingof vessel replacement at the level of 20 or 30% ofeligible costs is unsatisfactory. Poland’s position in thisrespect is that following a considerable reduction ofthe fishing potential of the Polish fleet as a result ofscrapping, time has come to modernise the vesselsthat have remained in fisheries. Member States witha lower proportion of kW in relation to GT should havethe possibility to modernise their vessels while keepingthe same engine power.Member of the European Parliament, Jaroslaw Wałęsatook part in the discussion. He informed the participantsthat Alain Cadec(France) from the EuropeanPeople’s Party is the rapporteur for the European

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE33Marine and Fisheries Fund. According to J. Wałęsa thereport of Cadec looks good but he will submit someamendments to the report until 7 December. Amongthe key issues which require further discussion, Wałęsamentioned vessel modernisation. According to theMEP, there is a need to support higher financing forvessel modernisation without increasing the pressureon the living marine resources, that is without increasingthe fishing capacity of fishing vessels. Under certainconditions, modernisation permits to maintain abalance between the real needs of the sector and thecommitment not to increase the fishing capacity ofthe EU fleet. The MEP added that restrictions withregard to investments on fishing vessels contained inthe Commission’s proposal seem to be too radical.J. Wałęsa also pointed to the allocation of financial aid.He informed that the Commission presented concreteprinciples, including also the processing sector. Henoted that in the case of insufficient resources fromthe EMFF in a given region the Commission proposedto us other funds, including the Regional DevelopmentFunds.J. Wałęsa underlined that he came to the Roundtablemeeting mainly to listen and get to know the opinionsof different stakeholders. On the basis of these opinionshe will continue to work on the amendments tothe EMFF proposal.In concluding his intervention, Jarosław Wałęsa underlinedthat information presented by the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development on the EMFF proposalreflects the preliminary decision of the EU Councilof Ministers. The final version of the new fund willbe shaped in a co-decision process, as a compromisebetween the European Commission, the EuropeanParliament and the Council. The MEP underlined thathe takes active part in the discussion in the EuropeanParliament and the main reason for his presence at theRoundtable meeting was to learn the opinions of allstakeholders.In the course of discussion attention was turned to thelow competences of the European Commission’s officersin relation to fisheries. In order to change this situationit is essential to use more widely the knowledgeof fishermen and processors. It was stated that theCommission should act on the basis of advisory bodies,including the Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council.Some participants asked about the nature of thisproblem – whether the Commission does not consultthese bodies or these bodies provide wrong data.With regard to wrong data on employment in the Polishprocessing sector provided by the European Commissionattention was turned to the fact that Polandhas placed 9 th in the turnover attributed to fish products.© P. Prędki / WWF

34 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012Refering to discards, attention was turned to the factthat, if implemented, an obligation to land all fishwould require quick decisions with respect to the useof undersized fish.The issue of possible co-financing of the obligation toland undersized fish caught under the discard ban wasalso raised. According to some participants the valueof such fish is low and the obligation to land them willdiminish the possibility to store the catch of a highervalue. In response, Z. Karnicki stated that there are nosuch provisions in the current proposal. Implementationof a discard ban will be related to an increase ofcatch quota and additional funds for the developmentof the infrastructure needed to utilise these fish.One participant stated that discards might increase invalue if the fish are adequately handled and used. Heturned the attention to the need to find solutions tothese problems instead of constantly looking for subsidiesand compensations.With relation to control and monitoring, participantsexpressed their concern with the fact that such highallocations have been attributed to these measures, inparticular taking into account the obligation to uselogbooks by vessels over 12 meters. Attention wasturned that under the present technical possibilitiescontrol and monitoring should not generate suchhigh costs.A proposal was made to include the activities of theFirst Point of Sales into the monitoring and scientificdata collection component. At present, fishermen areobliged to sell fish through these points and in consequencethey have to bear additional costs. At presentthe First Points of Sale are more a registration of fishthan sale points.In response, one participant stated that in the case ofthe First Points of Sale the problem lies in wrong legislation.Both the Fish Market Law and the FisheriesLaw need to be amended. The participants suggestedto stop looking for subsidies and compensations andconcentrate on changing the law in order to makefisheries more cost-effective.Referring to the component of the EMFF proposal onfunds for scientific research, control and monitoringthe moderator reminded that these funds will not onlybe allocated to the inspection of fishing vessels butalso to fisheries data collection programmes carriedout by scientific institutions. He indicated that theMinistry is responsible for collecting catch data. In theframework of multiannual research programmes, scientificinstitutions collect biological, economic andhydrological data.With reference to control and monitoring attentionwas also turned that if the fleet size were adjusted tothe available resources, fishermen would have economicallyviable quota and would not break the rules.Such solution would be beneficial both for fishermenand the budget of the European Union which couldthen use the funds for control and monitoring elsewhere.Attention was turned to the need to implement wellfoundedmeasures with respect to vessel scrapping.In the past many mistakes had been made in Poland in© P. Prędki / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE35© A. Bógdał / WWFimplementing the scrapping programme. The programmewas not well planned and resulted in decommissioningof vessels from segments in which therewas no overcapacity.One participant stated that from the point of view ofcoastal fishery it is essential to adapt the closed seasonsto other seasons significant to a given species,such as for example the spawning season. The budgetof the new fund should take into account both theresearch on population behaviour of different speciesand the compensations for fishermen for suspensionof fishing activities during closed seasons. He alsonoted that through such measures we will be able tomaintain populations at stable levels. Financing ofmeasures related to diversification of employment is asecondary issue.As to the diversification of employment, attention wasturned to the need to set the principles related tocompensations for fishermen leaving the professionas well as incentives for those who want to becomefishermen. At present, according to several participantsthese measures are contradictory and excludeeach other.One participant pointed out that the EU regulationsimpose new and new restrictions on fishermen. Theseregulations are set on the basis of scientific data submittedalso by Polish scientists. More and more severecontrol regime, frequent necessity to change the meshsize and decreasing catch quota stand behind the factthat the profession of fisherman has become unprofitable.Z. Karnicki agreed that there is a problem to completethe staff. It is also reflected among the participants ofthis meeting. The profession of fisherman is disappearingand there is a need to create adequate incentivesfor young people to become fishermen.Attention was also turned to the problem of industrialfishery in the Baltic. According to some participantsthere is a clear incoherence between reductions of thecod quota and at the same time permission to conductindustrial fishery with a mesh size of 5 mm.There was an appeal to finance control and enforcementmeasures in inland waters with regard to migra-

36 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012tory fish. According to one participants it is wrong todirect all the control efforts on marine fishermen.Poaching and illegal fish market are growing problemin inland fishery.In reply, Zbigniew Karnicki stated that Poland askedfor the inclusion of this aspect into the new fund, inparticular with regard to new investments in inlandinspections. Unfortunately, this request has not beenaccepted.One participant noted that the main goal of the fundshould be to create conditions for the utilisation of theallocated catch quota by a given Member State. Therefore,the fund should provide funding for measuresaimed at assessing the fishing capacity of the fleet andits adjustment to the available resources. He turnedthe attention that in many cases such adjustment didnot mean a reduction but an increase of the fishingcapacity. This could be the case of Poland because theexisting fleet is not in a position to utilise the catchquota. This participant noted that the problem wasalready discussed in meetings with the EuropeanCommission, however the Commission’s position isthat the use of the available fleet should be improved.Taking into account the state of the Polish fleet andespecially its seakeeping properties, such improvementseems rather unrealistic.Another participant noted that under the presentmanagement system, based on the allocation of individualcatch quota additional measures aimed atkeeping the engine power under control seem invalid.The current system does not guarantee a higher catchquota for a vessel after increasing the engine power.The vessel owner should decide on the engine powerfor his vessel. The Commission should only controlif he does not exceed his catch quota.This statement opened the discussion on transferablefishing concessions. Zbigniew Karnicki informed theparticipants that the Commission has clearly definedthat if transferable fishing concessions (TFC) enter intoforce all restrictions related to the GT and kW will beabolished. The vessel owner will decide what is thebest type of vessel and engine to conduct fishery.Under the current proposal, the TFC are one of themanagement options. The decision on whether toimplement them will probably lie on Member States.One participant reminded that transferable fishingconcessions were several times discussed in theframework of the Roundtable. He recalled the Icelandicsystem presented in one of the meetings. This systemhas led to negative changes in the Icelandic fisherysector.© A. Bógdał / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE37The Member of the European Parliament, JarosławWałęsa informed the participants that in his capacityof rapporteur of the adjustment of the multi-annualplan for cod stocks in the Baltic to the provisions ofthe Lisbon Treaty he proposed some additionalamendments aimed and making the managementsystem for the Baltic cod stocks more flexible. TheMEP proposed among others a derogation for thevessels below 12 m within 12 nautical miles zone. Thisderogation would allow these vessels to fish duringthe summer ban which is aimed at protecting spawnersduring spawning which takes place near the BornholmDeep. The voting on his report will be carriedout in the PECH Commission of the European Parliamentin the end of November. A question was raisedwith regard to the taxation of transferable fishing concessions.It was stated that the principal provisionsregarding such system, if it is implemented in Poland,will depend on the concrete legal provisions definedby the law.In reference to bad state of resources, one participantreminded that this problem appeared after the SecondWorld War, after the introduction of pelagic trawland in consequence more intensive exploitation ofpelagic species. The results of such exploitation can beseen today. There is a lack of food for cod and codgets thinner and thinner. An appeal to ICES was madeto prepare a report on the reasons for the currentstate of cod stocks in the Baltic.In reference to the bad state of cod stocks it was statedthat wrong decisions on catch quota had been takenby the Fisheries Council in Luxemburg. Several participantsdid not understand why sprat and herring TACshad been raised in the light of the current state of codstocks since pelagic species are the main food for cod.Participants agreed that further scientific research isneeded to assess the relation between different species.The example of the cod shows that our currentknowledge is insufficient, in particular in the light ofthe implementation of a multi-species managementplan in the future.Attention was also turned that decisions cannot betaken as a result of wrong assessments. Mistakesmade in the assessment by ICES in the past were highlighted.Participants also noted that such mistakesshould not happen and people who stand behind itshould be made responsible for them.Refering to cod, one participant noted that there arethree factors influencing the state of the stock: size,biomass and fishing mortality. He stated that at presentwe are “filtering” the entire Baltic with the fishingnets and this has an impact on all species, not onlyfish. He indicated that the present technique hasincreased considerably the fishing mortality and theindustrial fishery constitutes the main problem.In summing up the discussion on the new EuropeanMarine and Fisheries Fund one participant stated thatwe should concentrate on preparing the nationalOperational Programme in order to effectively use theFund. According to him, we have little influence on theEuropean Fund. He also noted that this will be thethird Polish Operational Programme and not necessarilyeasier to implement. Therefore work on the programmeshould be undertaken as soon as possible.The Monitoring Committee for the new Fund shouldalso be established without delay.Another participant pointed to the need to guaranteefunds for new initiatives such as the project carriedout by WWF and fishermen, aimed at collecting ghostnets in the Baltic or initiatives aimed at reconstructingthe education system for fishermen. He asked J. Wałęsafor support.In relation to the project aimed at collecting ghostnets in the Baltic, carried out by WWF together withfishermen the MEP expressed his full support. He statedthat he will actively get engaged in promoting theproblem of ghost nets and establishing measures tomitigate the negative impact of ghost nets at sea.Another participant stated that in the near futurea branch of the Maritime Academy in Szczecin will beopened in Kołobrzeg. This school will train amongothers also the future fishermen.

38 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012Coastal fisheryMirosław Daniluk presented the letter submitted bythe members of the Marine Fishermen Association –Producers Organisation to the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development:Members of Marine Fishermen Association from KrynicaMorska, owners of vessel under 12 meters request a banon fishing marine organisms with trawls in the 6 mileszone to be implemented in the area extending from theVistula River mouth to the Russian border. Since 2008,coastal vessel owners appeal to the Fisheries Departmentto help them resolve the problem of destruction ofset gill nets by trawling vessels. Making anyone responsiblefor destroyed fishing gears is impossible becauseof technical difficulties in locating a vessel whichdestroyed the set gill nets. Until today the problem hasnot been solved. At present, the Gdańsk Bay is evenmore intensively exploited by trawlers from the entirecoast, among others form Hel, Jastarnia, Świnoujście,Ustka, Władysławowo, Gdynia, Gdańsk, Kołobrzeg andother ports. At present, not only the gill nets but alsothe ecosystem of the coastal zone is destroyed. We askto carry out research on Saduria entomon, the mainfood source of cod, which has completely disappeared.This is a sign that immediate steps should be taken torestrict trawling in the 6 miles zone. The disappearanceof Saduria entomon has a negative impact on thetrophic balance of the coastal zone of the Baltic. Fishermencall for immediate actions! We do not agree to thefishing techniques which constitute a threat to sustainablefisheries in the Baltic. Trawling has a negativeimpact on many living organisms and are the cause ofoverfishing. The Gdańsk Bay is relatively deep, with richbiodiversity and should therefore e protected and notdestroyed.Fishermen from the Vistula Split have observed a decreasein sprat and herring stocks in the coastal zone of theGdańsk Bay. A decrease of pelagic stocks results inlower catches of predatory fish such as cod, pike perch,sea trout and salmon. We propose to establish a protectionzone for juvenile fish of different species in order toprotect them from negative impact of trawling. Trawlerscan fish in other parts of the Baltic.© T. Zbiec / WWF

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE39The speech made by Mirosław Daniluk opened a discussionon the conflict between coastal fishermen andcutter fishermen. Attention was turned to the pastdecisions allowing trawling in different zones, and thedifficulties in avoiding gill nets by trawlers. Gill netsare often set in double rows and are not adequatelymarked.Participants noted the mobility of cutters which, contraryto small coastal boats have the technical capacitiesto conduct fishery beyond the 6 miles. Accordingto coastal fishermen, as a result of changes that haveoccurred with regard to the cod stocks, they have nopossibility to fish for cod. They turned the attention tothe fact that small scale fishery cannot move to otherfishery grounds for technical reasons. According tocoastal fishermen, everybody should have equalchances. Coastal fishermen indicated that fisheriesmanagement must change. According to them, themulti-annual plan for cod has not brought expectedresults. The cod is thin and has nothing to eat. Coastalfishermen appealed for resolving these problems ina way that is satisfactory to all stakeholders.Cutter fishermen indicated that in the past small scalefishermen set their nets within maximum 3 miles fromthe coast. They asked why small scale fishermen nowask to have the exclusive use of the 6 mile zone.According to some fishermen, the reason lies in wrongdecisions on the protection of such species as the greyseal and the cormorant.The discussion was ended by one participants whostated that such discussion is impossible between peoplewho do not know how to communicate. He statedthat conflict situations which occur since a few yearsare strange and the main reason behind is the managementsystem in force in the last 3 years, the socalled“trójpolówka” which has splitted the fishermen.In reference to the above statement, Zbigniew Karnickiindicated that the Roundtable is the forum todiscuss problems and possible solutions. Final decisionsare, however not taken by the Roundtable butby the Ministry and the stakeholders.In his presentation entitled “Why is the cod so slim?”Zbigniew Gajewski stated that fishermen have lost theeconomic interest in fishing. The bones account nowfor the 50% of the cod weight. As a result of excessiveindustrial catches, cod are short of food. Thus, coddisappear from coastal zones. According to Gajewski,the problem lies in big industrial vessels which fisheverything.The following intervention pointed to the procedureof “cloning” of vessels in the

40 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012lised quota should be transferred to other vesselswhich fully utilise their quota. He appealed to havemore discussion on this issue to find the best way toadjust the fleet to the resources.Another participant stated that according to the datafrom FAO the profit generated by landed fish is fivetimes higher than their previous value. We should notallow for quota underutilisation. In referring to thecondition of cod, he stated that we should not look forthe reasons for such situation among different fleetsegments. Wrong decision taken by the administrationare the main reason for the bad condition of cod.He indicated that ICES advice were followed last year,cod quota would have increased considerably. Thiswould have permitted to rebuild the sprat resources.He noted that the revision of the multi-annual plan forcod in the Baltic has been taking years.With reference to the draft grey seal conservationprogramme which is still under preparation, StefanRichert informed the participants that consultationmeetings started in the beginning of 2012. He alsonoted that contrary to the Roundtable meetings,these meetings were dominated by environmentalistsor people engaged in environmental protection. Hepointed that a grey seal can dive down to 60 metersand eat fish from the fishing nets. He also pointed tothe increase of the number of grey seals in the VistulaRiver mouth. He noted that if this trend continuesthan the seal, similarly to the cormorant will becomea species negatively impacting fisheries.One participant asked WWF, as the co-ordinator of theconservation programme to assess the social impactof particular measures proposed in the programme.According to him, if we want to preserve fishery, thereshould be no seals in the Vistula River mouth.In response, Ewa Milewska stated that the grey seal isa species protected under Polish and international law.The conservation programme is prepared in theframework of the project conducted by WWF, aimedat protecting marine mammals and is required underthe existing legal acts. An independent company,Mediatorzy.pl. is responsible for preparing this programme.WWF has had the intention to prepare theprogramme with a wide participation of all interestedparties in order to work out measures acceptable to allstakeholders.Robert Boch, Mediatorzy.pl, added that a wide representationof stakeholders has been engaged in theconsultation, both by participating in the meeting andby submitting written comments. He noted that thedraft version of the programme is now presented toall stakeholders for comments. Comments have beenincluded into the programme and those outside thescope of the programme collected. He indicated thatMediatorzy.pl are open to proposals and comments tothe document from all stakeholders. It is important,© A. Kassolik / WWF

42 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012covered with cables has to be taken into account. Possibly,cables can be put in the same places as the existinginvestments in order to minimise the impact onother sea users. This example shows that severalmeetings to discuss the most effective use of themarine space should be organised in the near future.With reference to marine space requirements of windfarms, J. Gajewski presented the following calculations:• Wind power plants with foundations – approximately1 hectare per tower;• Cables – corridors of 50–100 meters width;• Transfer stations – from 1 to 5 hectares;• Cables – inside sand bed or protected by concreteor rocks in the area of bottom trawling –corridor width 500 meters;• Space needed for construction and service companies– to be determined.With regard to legal aspects related to the constructionand exploitation of wind farms J. Gajewski statedthat:• Construction is allowed only in the EEZ and thestate has a limited governance;• Navigation (including fishing) cannot just berestricted without justification;• Some countries choose the easy option and askIMO to establish exclusion zones (applicationcan only be submitted by the State authorities);• If such application is not submitted, there is aneed to establish the principles for the use ofthis space;• It is possible to establish navigation corridorsover 150 meters in width when the distancebetween the turbines is approx. 1 km;• Use of some fishing gears in some areas insidethe wind farms could be allowed (Scotland).In the second part of this presentation, Dr. EugeniuszAndrulewicz referred to the presentation held in Bergenduring a thematic session on the scientific adviceregarding the use of marine space. The presentationreflected the development of wind energy in PolishMarine Areas and its impact on fisheries (authors: E.Andrulewicz, W. Pelczarski, E. Kuzebski, L. Szymanek,W. Grygiel).The following conclusions can be drawn on the basisof available information on the fishing intensity withactive fishing gears, exploitation mineral resourcesand proposed number and locations of wind farms:• The fishing grounds located south of the BornholmBasin are the most valuable fisheriesgrounds;• The Central Bank is the area of least importancefor fisheries;• In the case of implementation of a plannedundertaking the distance from ports to the mostproductive fishing grounds would increase forvessels above 12 meters approximately by 130%(Łeba), 100% (Ustka) and 36% (Kołobrzeg).• Additional cost of fuel resulting from a longerdistance to the fishing grounds could amount to200 thousand Euro per year.Dr. Andrulewicz pointed to the problems related toassessing the value of marine ecosystem which hadbeen encountered during research, both in economicas well as social and cultural aspects. What is the valueof the spawning grounds, hatchery grounds, migrationroutes etc.? What is the value of these areas forparticular social groups?In conclusion, the speakers stated that:• The Polish Marine Areas (surface of 30 thousandkm 2 )is intensively exploited by fisheries;• Up till now, there were no serious conflictsbetween fisheries and other sea users (otherthan wind farms) such as navigation, tourism,exploitation of mineral resources (gravel, oil) andscarce constructions;• In the light of the planned development of windfarms, Polish fisheries could lose some fishinggrounds and have a more difficult access to theremaining fishing grounds;• In order to assess the loss of fishing grounds, thevolume and value of the catch and the fishingcapacity have been used as economic indicators;• In the case of implementation of a planned windfarms, the estimated financial losses resultingfrom the exclusion of the fishing grounds fromexploitation would amount to 2.4 million EURper year (i.e. 7% of the value of total catches);• Exclusion of fisheries from areas planned forwind farms would make the distance to otherfishing grounds longer and therefore could havean impact on the distribution of fishing vessels indifferent ports and increase of the cost of fishing;• Location of wind farms south of the BornholmBasin is least beneficial for fisheries. This locationshould be revised. However, it should be under-

REPORT 2012 • THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE43lined that it is difficult to evaluate the location ofwind farms uniquely on the basis of commercialvalue of fish (in a given year);• There is a need to evaluate the environmentaland fishery value, including the importance ofa given area as a spawning ground, hatchery ormigration routes nature and fisheries with regardto the location of wind farms.The speakers also presented the main measuresplanned by National Marine Fisheries Research Instituteand Maritime Institute with regard the developmentof wind farms:• National Marine Fisheries Research Institute andMaritime Institute plan to participate in theresearch on the environmental and fishery valueof marine areas used for wind farms;• National Marine Fisheries Research Institute andMaritime Institute plan to participate in the elaborationof the principle for the co-existence offisheries and wind farms;• National Marine Fisheries Research Institute andMaritime Institute plan to participate in theestablishment of maritime spatial planning ofPolish Marine Areas;• National Marine Fisheries Research Institute andMaritime Institute will further develop scientificco-operation with Polish and EU institutes andICES with regard to wind farms, fisheries and theenvironment.In concluding the presentations, Z. Karnicki stated thatthe goal of the Roundtable was to start the discussionon this issue. So far, the development of wind energyhas never been consulted with fishermen. He notedthat this process has already started. It does not mean,however, that we should do nothing. It is necessary tocollect as much information as possible in the interestof Polish fisheries. Renewable energy is a high EuropeanUnion priority and there is a huge lobby behind.We should look for the best solutions to secure theinterests of all parties.During the discussion a question why the wind farmscannot be located in the 12 miles zone was asked.It was agreed that from the point of view of investorsit is a wrong approach, increasing the costs of constructionand exploitation. In response, the speakersunderlined that in the beginning of last year the Associationof Sea Towns and Municipalities asked toimplement a prohibition to construct wind farms inthe 12 miles zone. This proposal has been approved.But has the impact of such decision of fisheries beentaken into account? Attention was turned that fishermenshould take part in consultation meetings fromthe very beginning and not at the moment when allimportant decisions had already been taken.Another participant asked whether research on theimpact of wind farms on the ecosystem has been carriedout. In reply, the speakers informed that environmentalimpact assessments for all undertakings shallbe carried out before receiving a building permission.© A. Kassolik / WWF

44 THE POLISH FISHERIES ROUNDTABLE • REPORT 2012A participant stated that fishermen will be the mainlosers following the development of wind farms. However,he stated that this a distant perspective. He alsostate that he does not see the possibility to use trawlsin the area of wind farms.During the discussion participants expressed theirconcern with the number of activities carried out atsea. The location of wind farms, protected areas andarmy training areas does not leave much space forfishermen.One participant asked whether the wind farms can beconstructed in the Natura 2000 areas. He noted thatactivities which have a negative impact on the environmentare excluded from these areas. If there is nonegative impact on the environment shown in theassessments such location could become possible.Representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment informed that the Minister is alsoobliged, together with other Ministers to give opinionson the location of wind farms. This is part of thefirst stage of the procedure, the so-called planningpermission and not a building permission. In most ofthese cases, the Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment gave negative opinions.The speakers turned the attention that the number ofapplications is certainly higher than the actual numberof constructed wind farms in the future. In many casesseveral applications have been submitted for the samelocation and only one of them can be chosen. Manyapplications for the construction of wind farms havereceived negative opinions from the Ministry of Transportbecause of the lack of adequate scientificresearch. The construction process lasts up to 6 years.During this period, environmental impact assessmentneeds to be carried out and its results verified andapproved by the Minister of Environment.Conclusions of the meetingWork on the new European Marine and Fisheries Fundis ongoing. Principles for the allocation of the fundsamong Member States are now of crucial importancefor Poland. Flexibility in allocating funds for fleet modernisationis a positive aspect of the draft regulation.It was underlined that until the final approval of theRegulation on EMFF nothing can be taken for granted.Therefore, there is a need for Polish representatives toactively take part in the discussion on the final Fund.With reference to the conflict between the cutter andcoastal fisheries it was stated that further discussion isneeded on how to divide the fishing quota in order tomaximise their utilization. There is also a need to continuethe discussion on the fisheries policy in Polandand whether it has an economic or a social gaol.In relation to the grey seal conservation programme itwas stated that it is important to assess the impact ofconservation measures on fisheries and proposemeasures which mitigate this impact to a minimum.With reference to the development of wind energy inthe Baltic it was stated that the key element is to conductenvironmental impact assessments with regardto particular investments. According to legal requirements,all stakeholders should take part in consultations.© A. Bógdał / WWF

This publication was financed with the support of the“Sustainable Fisheries” ProjectFor further information about the Project please contactEwa Milewska: emilewska@wwf.plPiotr Prędki: ppredki@wwf.plTemporary Steering Committeeof the Polish Fisheries RoundtableEwa Milewska: emilewska@wwf.plZbigniew Karnicki: karnicki@mir.gdynia.plRyszard Malik: malik@seatrade.plISBN: 978-83-60757-30-7