FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Fisheries and for a world without hunger Aquaculture Department Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profiles The Republic of Bulgaria Part I Overview and main indicators 1. Country brief 2. General geographic and economic indicators 3. FAO Fisheries statistics Part II Narrative (2017) 4. Production sector Marine sub-sector Inland sub-sector Aquaculture sub-sector - NASO Recreational sub-sector Source of information United Nations Geospatial Information Section http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/english/htmain.htm 5. Post-harvest sector Imagery for continents and oceans reproduced from GEBCO, www.gebco.net Fish markets 6. Socio-economic contribution of the fishery sector Role of fisheries in the national economy Trade Employment Rural development 7. Trends, issues and development Constraints and opportunities Government and non-government sector policies and development strategies Research, education and training 8. Institutional framework 9. Legal framework 10. References Additional information 11. FAO Thematic data bases 12. Publications 13. Meetings & News archive FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Part I Overview and main indicators Part I of the Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profile is compiled using the most up-to-date information available from the FAO Country briefs and Statistics programmes at the time of publication. The Country Brief and the FAO Fisheries Statistics provided in Part I may, however, have been prepared at different times, which would explain any inconsistencies. Country brief Prepared: 03-05-2018 Bulgaria encompasses a geographic area of 110 912 km2 with a population of approximately 7.1 million people in 2016. Its eastern region is bordered by the Black Sea and its northern region by the Danube River. The fisheries sector has three main sub-sectors, marine capture fisheries and mariculture, inland fisheries (freshwater aquaculture and fishing) and the Danube fisheries. Over 99 percent of capture fisheries production is from the Black Sea. The fishing industry in Bulgaria remains in a state of transition from a centralized to a market economy. In 2017, total 1 880 vessels were reported as Bulgarian fleet. A significant challenge for Bulgaria has been to align itself with the European Union’s requirements related to the fisheries sector. In 2017, 375 full-time and 1776 part-time fishers (all male) were reported.In 2016 the total catch from marine fisheries reached almost 8600tonnes, slightly decreasing from previous catch production around 10 000 tonnes. Marine fisheries in Bulgaria originate from the Black Sea. The species composition of catches during the period from 2001 to 2011 includes 36 species of fish, molluscs and crustaceans. The most important target pelagic fish species are European sprat, Mediterranean horse mackerel and anchovy. Demersal fish species with commercial importance are turbot, gobies and picked dogfish. Due to the increasing commercial value of molluscs in the last decade, rapa whelks can also be included in this list.Since August 2012, no commercial fishing has been executed in the inland waterbodies of the country, excluding the Danube River, due to an amendment in the national legislation. In 2016, the Danube River fishing fleet caught 52 tonnes of fish.Although production levels from inland fisheries are relatively low, they play an important role at the local level in less developed areas bordering the Danube River as a source of income and employment. Aquaculture in Bulgaria is reported to be 15 754 tonnes in 2016, which is 64.7 percent in the total fish production of 24 368 tonnes in the same year.Bulgaria is one of the lowest per capita consumers of fish and fishery products in the European Union. Consumption is increasing but continues to be comparatively low, reaching an amount of 7.0 kg per capita in 2013.Bulgaria is a net importer of fish and fishery products. Imports increased significantly during the last years and in 2017 reached more than USD 117 million.The majority of fish and fishery product imports are in frozen form, with the bulk being mackerel. Export values reached USD 88.2 million in 2017. Membership in Regional Fishery Bodies European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC) General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) International Whaling Commission (IWC) General geographic and economic indicators FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Table 1 - General Geographic and Economic Data – Bulgaria Source Shelf area 11,902 km2 http://www.seaaroundus.org Length of continental coastline 354 km2 http://world.bymap.org Fisheries GDP (year) USD xxx* Source Country area 111 000 km2 FAOSTAT. 2013 Land area 108 560 km2 FAOSTAT. 2013 Inland water area 2 440 km2 Computed. 2013 Population - Est. & Proj. 7.052 millions FAOSTAT. 2019 Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) area 34 685 km2 VLIZ GDP (current US$) 65 133 millions World Bank. 2018 GDP per capita (current US$) 9 273 US$ World Bank. 2018 Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.65 % of GDP World Bank. 2018 FAO Fisheries statistics Table 2 in this section is based on statistics prepared by the FAO Fishery Information, Data and Statistics Unit and disseminated in 2018. The charts are based on the same source but these are automatically updated every year with the most recent statistics. Table 2 — FAO fisheries statistics - Bulgaria 1980 1990 2000 2010 2015 2016 2017 EMPLOYMENT (thousands) 1.15 1.50 0.00 5.42 2.58 2.64 2.15 Aquaculture … … … 0.46 0.78 1.04 … Capture 1.15 1.50 0.00 4.96 1.80 1.60 2.15 Inland … … … 1.50 … … … Marine 1.15 1.50 … 3.46 1.80 1.60 2.15 FLEET(thousands boats) … … 7.64 7.02 1.97 1.91 1.88 Source: FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics 1) Due to roundings total may not sum up FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Part II Narrative Updated 2017 Part II of the Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profile provides supplementary information that is based on national and other sources and that is valid at the time of compilation (see update year above). References to these sources are provided as far as possible. Production sector The length of the Bulgarian coastline of the Black Sea is 378 km, and Varna Bay and Burgas Bay are among the largest bays. The territorial waters reach 12 nautical miles from the coast, the contiguous zone 24 nautical miles from the coast, and the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) 200 nautical miles from the coast. More than 1 million people live in coastal areas, mainly Burgas, Varna and Dobrich. The Bulgarian fisheries policy and sector management are subject to the rules and objectives of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (EU CFP). The main fish production in the country relies on commercial fishery in the Black Sea and the Danube as well as on fish and other aquatic organisms’ production in specialized aquacultures farms. The country’s fisheries can be placed into two categories. Based on data of the Executive Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA), in 2016 the total catch of fish and other aquatic organisms from commercial fishery in the country decreased by 3,28 % compared to 2015. In August 2012, the commercial fishing in inland waters was banned, leading to an increase in the number of actively registered aquaculture producers. Marine sub-sector Catch profile The majority of fishing activities are carried out in territorial waters (within the 12 nautical miles area). In general, the total catches by Bulgarian fishing vessels show a slight decrease compared to previous years, with a total of 8 614 tonnes in 2016, compared to 9 500 tonnes in 2012 and 2013. Traditionally, the European sprat fishery is one of the most important for the Bulgarian fishing sector, both for fresh and processed markets. In recent years catches of Rapana snail have overtaken those for sprat, due to high export demands. Since 2017, there has been growing economic interest in the white sand mussels (Chamelea gallina, Mya arenaria and Donax trunculus) catch due to the high market demands, mainly foreign.Compared to the previous year, there is an increase in catches and landings of some of the more economically important species, such a red mullet, gobies and migratory species like Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) and bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). Landing sites Landings from commercial fisheries in the Black Sea are carried out at 74 landing sites. Some of the most important landing ports in Bulgaria are Varna, Kavarna, Blachik, Byala, Burgas, Nesebar, Sozopol and Tsarevo, Pomorie and Shabla. The fishing vessels flying the flag of third countries are authorized to land only in the ports of Varna and Burgas. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Table 3 - Quantities landed on the main landing sites for 2016. Main landing sites TTL Landings[kg] Balchik BGBAL 583642.63 Burgas BGBOJ 133521.3 Byala BGBYA 121828.6 Varna BGVAR 1046766.77 Kavarna BGKAV 644572.22 Nesebar BGNES 1099378.32 Pomorie BGPOM 617595.2 Sozopol BGSOS 1812206.6 Tzarevo BGTZA 148103.9 Shabla BGSHA 206145.6 Source: Executive Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA); Fishing practices/systems In 2017, the Bulgarian fishing fleet consisted of 1 897 registered vessels, of which 1 295 were active and the remaining 602 vessels were inactive. The active fleet had a combined gross tonnage (GT) of 5 thousand tonnes, engine power of 41.2 thousand kilowatts (kW) and an average age of 25 years. The majority of the fleet was less than 12 m length over all (LOA) and used passive gears. In 2016, the fishing fleet consisted of 1918 vessels (of which 710 inactive)There has been an increase in the number of active fishing vessels in two of five segments – LOA 0-6 m and LOA 6-12m. All vessles in segment LOA 24-40 m are active.