Fishery and fish market in Poland
The fish industry is doing well, which can be confirmed by the FAO data from 2018 on trade in products fisheries, which amounted to $ 163 billion (export), which accounted for 10% of the exchange commercial food products and 1% of total world trade. 61.7 million were sold internationally tons of fish and seafood, i.e. 35% of them world fishing and production.
Polish fish market
Polish fish catches and their production in aquaculture have been subject to recent years with slight fluctuations and amounted to 220-270.000 tonnes, of which the Baltic catches on average accounted for 60%, freshwater catches and aquaculture production and deep-sea fishing each about 20%. Poland's share in the catches of the EU countries it is generally small and amounts to 3.7%. Polish fisheries are mainly fisheries in the Baltic Sea, deep-sea fishing (based on international agreements), also inland fishing and the entire fishing industry.
Fish processing
Processing of fish and seafood in Poland belongs to the smaller divisions of the Agri-food industry, which due to low consumption internal is largely focused Parts for intended production for export. The share of fish processing in the revenues of the Polish industry Agri-food industry (excluding the production of alcoholic beverages and tobacco) amounted to 5.6% (2018). Fish processing in the country deals with about 230 plants with the authorization to trade products in the territory of the EU.
Poland's accession to the structures of the European Union in 2004 made it necessary to adjust the fisheries to EU standards, including the size of fish caught, fish species or to introduce changes in the fish processing industry itself. Polish fish processing is private plants, only a few are still in the hands of the state.
Most of the fish processing plants are located close to the sea, which is related to the reduction of transport costs and the rapid deterioration of the fish. The largest of them are located in Kołobrzeg, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Szczecin, Świnoujście (thus in Polish port cities), or Władysławowo, Ustka. On the other hand, freshwater fish processing plants are located, among others, in Chojnice, Giżycko and Kraków.
Consumption of fish in Poland
A statistical Polish consumer eats over 12 kg of fish and seafood annually, the most pollock, herring and mackerel - according to the latest data from the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics (pl - Instytut Ekonomiki Rolnictwa i Gospodarki Żywnościowej) - by about 50 % less than the EU average - 24.3 kg. The Spanish and Portuguese consumers eat the most fish (46 and 57 kg per person, respectively), while the lowest consumption of fish is in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria (5-7 kg). The structure of the origin of fish materials is as follows - the supply is dominated by products from catches (75%), and farmed fish and seafood are 25%.
The most common fish caught are: herring, salmon, cod, mackerel (in sea waters), as well as trout, pike, carp (in freshwater).
Imports of fish to Poland are constantly increasing, especially seafood (including fresh, increased by over 16%) and fish fillets (increased by almost 19%). This is related to the growing interest in high-quality original products. Fish and seafood are expensive products in Poland, and the Polish consumer spending money on a more expensive product, which is fish, is able to pay extra and buy a less popular fish, especially during the holiday season.
Poles most often buy fish in supermarkets or discounters, and the culture of the so-called fish markets or specialty stores almost completely died out. The consumption of fish in Poland is supported by the elderly (mainly smoked fish, canned fish) and people who attach importance to nutrition or limit meat in their diet.
In the case of the fish industry, promotional campaigns play an important role, both promoting fish as a healthy, very valuable product, and informational campaigns that help consumers make a choice when buying fish, what are the quality systems and what certificates guarantee that the fish comes from sustainable, safe production. One of such actions was the popular action “Makrela superdobra” (eng. "Mackerel super good") conducted by the Dutch Fish Promotion Office. The action promotes the versatility of mackerel, both in terms of taste and health, including recipes.
Fish and tradition
For many Poles, fish is still a food eaten on special occasions. Sometimes it is traditionally eaten on Fridays (then Christians should not eat meat), but as a rule, fish appear as part of a celebration or eat it outside the home, e.g. in restaurants (there is still a view in Poland that fish is a difficult product to cook).
For many years in Poland it has been a tradition to eat carp during the Christmas period. But recently, in many Polish families, especially in cities, other, more original and, according to consumers, tastier fish, are eaten instead of carp. The very tradition of eating carp at Christmas is a "gift" after the communist era and dates back to that period (carp is a very hardy, quite easy to breed fish, especially in Polish conditions - for this reason the communist authorities chose and promoted carp). Before that, eel, tench, salmon and pike were eaten at Christmas.
Difficult situation of Polish fishermen
Climate change is a major challenge for the entire industry. Especially with the necessary new assumptions to protect life in the oceans, seas and freshwater. Many Polish fishermen believe that their situation is the most difficult in history, and this is due to the introduction of a complete ban on cod fishing in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Fishermen claim that the new fisheries operational program for 2021-2027 does not include aid for the so-called small-scale coastal fishermen. A total ban on cod fishing in the Eastern Baltic Sea will apply from 2020. Previously, the catch was only limited.
Chance for changes
In terms of fish consumption in Poland, imported fish dominate, mainly salmon, tuna and herring, and due to the increasing prices of fish, their consumption is decreasing. The Polish fishing industry is currently going through a kind of crisis. Many fishermen have stopped fishing due to a number of legal restrictions on fishing and the unprofitability of fishing.
According to experts, the change of the situation on the Polish market must start with the development of the maritime base (which requires large financial outlays), primarily with the modernization of the Polish fishing fleet, the expansion of cold stores for fish storage and appropriate subsidies for fishing - which would reduce the price of fish, causing them to increase accessibility for the average Polish consumer.
Sources:
- Data from Instytut Ekonomiki Rolnictwa i Gospodarki Żywnościowej
- https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo
- https://www.portalmorski.pl/
- https://www.gospodarkamorska.pl/rybolowstwo