The fishing industry in Albania is so underdeveloped that apart from not catching fish on its own, it also imports raw material such as olive oil, salt and metallic cans, which are also abundant in Albania, experts say
TIRANA, Feb. 5 – Despite progress in recent year, Albania’s fishing industry, which produces the top agricultural exports, has a lot to do when it comes to the establishment of a modern fishing fleet which would meet the domestic needs of the country’s conservation and processing plants.
Kujtim Shkreli, the President of the Union of Albanian Investors and the owner of Eurofish, a fish plant employing 600 people and producing 5,000 tonnes of fish annually, says they import all of the fish they process.
“Last year, we imported 4.5 million kg of fish from Croatia. This amount of fish is caught very close to Albania and could be easily caught even here when a fishing fleet is established. Setting up this industry, initially established with the goal of making use of domestic fish, cost us millions of euros. However, we have no domestic fish at all because the fishing fleet on this kind of fish we process is lacking. It has now been 20 years since this tiny blue fish like sardines called achuge is not caught in Albania although the Adriatic and Ionian seas are full of it,” Shkreli tells VoA in the local Albanian service.
Albania has around 300 small fishing boats which fish spontaneously, while the processing and conservation plants get fish from Croatia, Tunisia, and other Mediterranean countries to handle their high production capacities.
Experts say courageous business initiatives and cooperation with central government and municipalities and communes in coastal areas are needed to serve the fleet.
“The establishment of a fleet involves a certain ministerial programme which in cooperation with the municipalities of port cities can create the conditions for the sheltering of these ships and their provision with water and battery energy,” says Shkreli. The fishing plants sell all of their products abroad mainly in Europe but also to Japan, U.S and Canada and are known for their high standards.
The fishing industry in Albania is so underdeveloped that apart from not catching fish on its own it also imports raw material such as olive oil, salt and metallic cans, which are also abundant in Albania, experts say.
Albania’s agricultural exports registered a sharp 32 percent increase in 2011 boosted by the performance of canned fish and medicinal plant, the country’s top exported products.
Canned fish continues remaining Albania’s top agricultural export even in 2011 with an estimated 2,741 tonnes, worth around 3 billion lek (Euro 21 mln). In 2011, canned fish exports registered a 239 tonne increase and a 10 percent increase in value. Previous data from a detailed 2010 report show Italy was the overwhelming destination for 92 percent of total canned fish exports. Only 5 enterprises, employing 912 people operate in the fish conservation industry, according to Agriculture Ministry data.
In its 2012 report, the European Commission said there has been limited progress in the area of fisheries. There is still a need for increased resources and technical capacity for monitoring, control and surveillance of the competent services, including the Inter-institutional Maritime Operational Centre (IMOC), and for more regular participation in the ICCAT.
Albania has adopted a new fisheries law, which lays down the basic principles for management of fishing activities. Its compliance with the acquis needs to be established.
Implementing legislation is being prepared. Changes to the legal framework will need to be accompanied by corresponding administrative rearrangements to avoid fragmentation of functions, lack of communication and insufficient enforcement of the law.
