Slovenian fishermen say they can still catch white fish – but not nearly enough to survive. The biggest problem, however, is that oily fish have been gone from Slovenian waters for more than three years. If they do catch any, the fishermen let them go because they are too small.

"Oily fish have been gone from Slovenian waters for three years, so we’re not even trying to catch any. We have a crew of 6, and I can’t even pay their wages. If we do catch any fish, we throw them back because they’re too small. But I do pay my taxes and other obligations. We’re at our wits’ end. Things can’t go on like this," said Loredano Baruca, a fisherman from Izola.

Experts agree that a fishing ban would boost populations of oily fish. Fishermen understand that overfishing depletes their fish stocks, and they agree that certain methods of fishing should be banned.

In the Mediterranean Sea, 82% of stocks are overfished. Moreover, industrial fishing along the Italian and Croatian coasts has led to overfishing in the Adriatic Sea.

Lado Bandelj, Radio Koper; translated by D. V.