A Climate for Change

Human Development Report - Croatia 2008 The Fishing and Mariculture Industries^163

The IPARD programme was developed to raise Croa-
tian fishery activity to the level of EU standards during
the pre-accession period. The plan includes the fol-
lowing objectives:^32

• To strengthen and expand marine and fresh wa-
  ter farming and secure the sustainable manage-
  ment of animal resources, while at the same time
  increasing the competitiveness of producers
  through marketing and structural mechanisms
  and the establishment of appropriate administra-
  tive institutions.


• To target investments to the modernisation of ex-
  isting farming facilities, the construction of new
  farming facilities and their environmental perfor-
  mance, in order to increase product quality and
  diversity.


• To pay special attention to meeting all EU require-
  ments concerning quality, environmental protec-
  tion and sanitary conditions in fish-processing
  companies and to diversify production both in
  farming and processing.

The IPARD programme and policies should help im-
prove the situation in the Croatian fishery and mari-
culture sector. This restructuring represents a good
entry-point in the industry for climate change adap-
tation issues. The policies and measures being devel-
oped should take into account the potential impacts
of climate change and should include the transfer of
knowledge from adjacent marine areas where such
changes have already occurred. It should also include
increasing the knowledge within the sector about the
fundamental biological and ecological changes that
will occur under new environmental conditions. For
example, it will probably be necessary to begin farm-
ing sea bream rather than sea bass, a species tolerant

of higher temperatures. Alternatively, the cages with

sea bass could be moved to colder zones or deeper

nets up to 10 metres in depth may need to be used.

This will undoubtedly increase the costs of sea bass

production such as: purchase of nets or the cost of

moving of cages, but the level of costs is difficult to

estimate due to the specificity of each location. As a

result of these activities adaptive fishery management

should become established, which will involve all fish-

ery sectors, from scientific institutions, governmental

organizations and bodies to the individuals in the fish-

ing community.

Additionally, in areas where new species negatively

impact the overall performance of the fishing indus-

try, compensation mechanisms or intervention strate-

gies should be proposed. The strategies could include

the following measures:

• Compensation for damaged nets caused by inva-
  sive species, such as bluefish,


• Purchase of new fishery tools for fishing new spe-
  cies,


• Eradication or population control of the most
  dangerous invasive species, and


• Education of the fishing community on the po-
  tentials and threats of new fish species.

In conclusion, the fisheries and mariculture sector is

likely to face some challenges due to climate change

and be provided with some opportunities to expand

production and increase competitiveness. It is critical

that adaptive management practices be implement-

ed, combined with an increased level of knowledge

about the likely impacts of climate change in the

short- and long-term, to ensure that opportunities are

taken advantage of and threats are minimized.

The policies

and measures

being developed

should take into

account the

potential impacts

of climate

change and

should include

the transfer of

knowledge from

adjacent marine

areas where such

changes have

already occurred