A storm is brewing, which means that coastal fisherman Zbignew Struck, 46, is taking in his salmon nets in the Bay of Puck in Poland.
"The storm could tangle the nets", he says from the cabin of his boat.
There is another reason for the haste: Struck has cast his nets into the sea without permission.
"I am afraid that the fishing inspectors will show up. They watch us from the air and at sea, and wait for us in the harbours", says the fisherman, who shakes his head at the thought of a hefty fine.
The inspectors have been cracking down on coastal and open-sea fishing, as Poland has been put under pressure by the European Union to do something about rampant fish poaching. According to an assessment made last year, Poland had been in violation of cod quotas. As punishment, a ban on cod fishing in the Baltic Sea was imposed on Poland for the second half of the year. The most defiant flouted the ban. Now the fishing routine is nearly back to normal, and illegal fishing continues unabated.
Click here for the full article.
Loading ...
