Croatian fishermen exceeded their quota 10 days earlier than in 2014
Along with dried cod or bakalar, pilchards are traditional items on the menu in Croatia on Christmas Eve, but this year, because of EU regulations, households in Dalmatia will not be able to enjoy their daily dose of the most popular pelagic fish including mackerel, pilchards and anchovies.
Fishing for these types of pelagic fish has been halted 10 days earlier than in 2014 because Croatian fishermen have exceeded their EU fishing quota on December 12, 2015. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, fishing and export of pelagic fish will recommence on February 1, 2016 and until then we won’t be able to buy any fresh pelagic fish in our fish markets.
Since small and medium pelagic fish is the cheapest and very sought after in Dalmatia, many people are wondering what they will they replace them with. Of course, many will say there is always fresh Sea Bream or Sea Bass, but their prices are much higher, and most of them are farmed, so it seems that many families will opt for canned or frozen fish instead.
However, not everyone is complaining about the fishing ban. Fishermen are still going to receive incentives from the EU even though their boats are “sleeping”. Given that Croatian fishermen caught more than 65 000 tonnes of pelagic fish in 2015 (and back in 2001 those numbers were significantly lower, only about 9 000 tonnes), they believe closed fishing season will give the fish a chance to spawn and replenish stock for seasons to come.
The rest of us will just have to be a little more inventive when creating our Christmas Eve menu and a bit more flexible with our budget.
