The catch and production of sea fish and other marine organisms in Croatia dropped by 2 percent in 2017 compared with the year before. At the same time, the number of fishermen engaged in commercial maritime fishing fell by 15.2 percent while the number of fishing vessels dropped by 2.4 percent, state statistics bureau said on Wednesday.

In 2017, there were more than 6,500 registered fishermen in Croatia, and the total catch and production of sea fish and other marine organisms was around 83,300 tonnes, or 2 percent down from 2016.

Pelagic fish accounted for the majority of the catch, at 65,335 tonnes, or down by 4.4 percent year-on-year. Pilchard accounted for the largest share in last year’s catch, at 48,420 tonnes, which was 10.2 percent down from 2016.

The catch and production of tuna also dropped by 18.8 percent to little under 2,800 tonnes. On the other hand, anchovies rose by 33.9 percent, to nearly 10,900 tonnes.

Shellfish catch rose by 17.3 percent, to almost 1,100 tonnes, including 200 tonnes of shrimp, 876 tonnes of prawn, and 7 tonnes of lobster.

The fishing fleet was reduced by 2.4 percent, to 7,559 vessels.

The figures also show that the total production of freshwater fish in 2017 declined by 18.9 percent to less than 3,300 tonnes. The production of carp decreased by 19.4 percent to little more than 2,000 tonnes, and that of trout by 15.2 percent to 396 tonnes.

The total value of the fishing sector in 2017 decreased by 7.2 percent, the bureau said, due to a decrease in the value of maritime fishing, which included a drop in quantities of fish sold, by 2.9 percent, as well as a drop in prices, by 3.9 percent.

The total value of freshwater fishing dropped by 15.5 percent, mainly due to a decline in quantities of fish sold, by 18.9 percent, while the prices of all freshwater fish have increased in the same period.

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