Fishing quotas in Vistula Bay highest since 2012

A catch of herring Photo: NOAA/public domain

According to the Marine Fishing Inspectorate in the port of Frombork, over the course of 2015, fishermen working in the Vistula Bay – a lagoon separated from the Baltic Sea by the Vistula Spit – will be able to catch 3,127 tons of herring, over 1,000 tons more than the previous year.

Fishing quotas in the lagoon are set by the Agricultural Ministry since 2012, and have gone up from 1.5 thousand tons to 2.1 thousand tons last year, with the limits reached by local fishermen each year.

Piotr Kasza from the “Zalew Wiślany” Local Fishermen’s Group told the Polish Press Agency that the increased quotas are a boon for fishermen, saying that herring are the first fish to emerge after winter and provide business for fishing families living on the lagoon.

Fishermen call the seasonal catch the “herring harvest” as the haul, which lasts a few weeks, provides half the fishermen’s annual income.

The herring hauls usual take place in early spring as the fish swim into the lagoon as the ice subsides and water temperatures reach between 6-8 degrees Celsius. After laying their roe, the fish return to the Baltic Sea.

At the height of the season, a single fishing cutter can haul in as much as 20 metric tons in a day, with the herring then transported to Tolkmicko, Elblag and Wladyslawowo for processing.

Last year, 1 kg of herring was sold at a bulk price of PLN 1.2 (around EUR 0.30).
Fishermen can count on better hauls as a result of updated equipment purchased with EU funds. Until a few years ago, the fish had to be manually transported from the boats to shore, while now that is done by specialised pumps.

As many as 83 Polish fishing vessels are registered in the Vistula Bay, with the “herring harvest” also proving to be a local culinary attraction. (jb)