In 2013 the number of fishermen engaged in commercial marine fishing operations went up by 119 per cent to 7,733, figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) show.
The DZS says that such a large increase in the number of commercial fishermen was due to the transfer from small-scale fishing operations (fishing for personal needs) to commercial fishing (small-scale coastal fishing), reports Dalje.
The total catch and production of sea fish and other sea organisms increased by four per cent in 2014 to 88,847 tonnes.
Of that amount, 71,740 tonnes accounted for pelagic fish. An additional 2,224 tonnes of pelagic fish was reared in fish farms, which brings the total catch and production of pelagic fish in 2014 to 73,964 tonnes, an increase of per cent over 2013.
At the same time, the catch and production of bluefin tuna decreased by 13 per cent to 2,609 tonnes, while those of anchovy fell by three per cent to 8,594 tonnes. Figures show that the catch and production of other fish rose by seven per cent to 10,941 tonnes.
The number of fishing vessels increased by 79 per cent to 7,733.
