Privatization has led to a number of benefits but also problems. The privatized sector must be now run on a sustainable economic basis, and in the majority of cases has become much more efficient in this respect. In some cases, however, the costs have been passed on to the anglers. This has increased the cost of fishing in general and may be putting it out of the reach of many anglers. Access to waters has also changed; in the cases where the former large state enterprises have been split out and privatized, waters formerly unaccessible to anglers have been made accessible. On the other hand, privatization has also restricted access to waters by anglers who traditionally considered most waters freely accessible. The consequence of the latter action is probably increased poaching and conflicts with other user groups. These contradicting situations are observed within all countries in which the privatization process is fairly well advanced, especially in Hungary and Poland.
Privatization has also resulted in a change in availability of fishery statistics. Reporting of catch statistics is now usually not obligatory and the former systems of data gathering are non-existent (except Slovakia) and should be re-established (e.g. Poland). Consequently, the accuracy of the data has declined. There is thus an urgent need to promote viable data collection systems in most countries of the region.
A new development in recreational fishing is the availability of put and take fisheries. There has been a tendency to promote this type of fishery as commercial ventures in all countries, making use of the substantial aquaculture facilities available, but also creating new ones. This type of fishery is largely excluded from the fishery data collection systems but could contribute significantly to catches. In some cases this type of activity has also reduced access and increased costs of fishing, but in other cases (eg. Hungary, Poland) the opposite is true.
Privatization has also affected stocking rates in waters used by recreational fisheries, the effect being in some cases beneficial (increased stocking rates, higher variety of species attractive for anglers), but in others it is negative (decreased stocking rates), especially when the old monopoly of one angling association has been maintained or re-established (e.g. some regions of Poland).
One of the major benefits of the privatization process is the development and expansion of the tackle manufacturing industry in most of the countries of the region. Linked to this has been the improved marketing of products both within and outside the region.
