Paper short abstract:

The paper describes the crisis in European fishery and discusses the current EU-policies with their impact on coastal fishery. EU-policies for 2014 introduce privatization of maritime resources that will lead to a concentration of rights and the disappearance of coastal fishery with its cultural heritage.

Paper long abstract:

The paper describes the crisis in European fishery from an anthropological point of view and discusses the current EU-policies with their impact on coastal fishery. The central element of the EU-policies for 2014-2020 is the privatization of maritime resources that will lead to a concentration of rights and power and at the same time the disappearance of artesanial and coastal fishery with its cultural heritage (material and immaterial). The paper also shows strategies of coastal fishermen to avoid this destiny.

Since the 1970s European fishery is in crisis. Maritime resources have decreased significantly. At the same time fishing capacities have grown inspite of policies that aimed at a decrease. In this situation the European Commission has proposed to introduce a new tool: privatization of the amount that can be caught. This policy will create a market for a resource that until now has been free and it will attrack international companies willing to displace weaker competitors. Coastal fishermen, mostly organized as selfemployed, have to borrow money from the banks and will have difficulties in the run for privatized resources.

The paper deals with this situation analysing the competition between industrial and artesanial fishery focusing on the dailylife and strategies of selfemployed fishermen under these new conditions. How do they try to survive? Do they develope new forms of cooperation? What happens with their boats and other heritage? What happens with coastal communities?