POLAND
CURRENT STATUS OF RECREATIONAL FISHERY

A. WOLOS

Instytut Rybactwa Sródlandowego, im. Stanislawa Sakowicza, Ul. Michala Oczapowskiego 10, PL 10957 Olsztyn 5-Kortowo, Poland

The status of recreational fisheries in Poland has never been studied systematically and comprehensively. Present knowledge of these fisheries is either limited by the area and time of particular scientific surveys, or by the scope of official documentation issued by commercial and recreational fisheries organizations and enterprises.

The existing data on recreational fisheries may be classified as follows:

1. Annual reports of the Headquarters of the Polish Anglers' Association (PAA).
2. Studies carried out by the Inland Fisheries Institute with the collaboration of the PAA.

The first scientific studies focusing on recreational fisheries in Poland commenced at the end of the 1970s when a large questionnaire survey was conducted by the Inland Fisheries Institute (IFI) and the PAA. To date this has been the largest and the most comprehensive angling survey ever carried out in Poland. The results were presented at a Symposium organized by the Polish Anglers' Association (Recreational Fisheries 2000, 1979), during the EIFAC Technical Consultation on Allocation of the Fishery Resources held in Vichy, France.

The second important nation-wide angling survey started in 1986, when initially two PAA departments (out of a total of 49) introduced obligatory registration of anglers' catches. The survey covered all the waters in particular regions, and its results were presented at the Symposium Catch Effort Sampling Strategies held in Hull, UK. In 1988 and 1989 the survey covered the whole area of the PAA waters, as the registration of anglers' catches was obligatory in all 49 departments. Most of the collected catch returns were analyzed by the IFI, and the results presented in special reports for the PAA.

3. Approximately 40 MSc theses based on anglers' questionnaire surveys were supervized by the Department of Fishery Bioeconomics of the IFI in 1980–1995.
4. Questionnaire and creel census surveys started from the mid-1980s.
5. A questionnaire survey conducted by the IFI in 30 lake fisheries enterprises covered more than 50% of the total lake area in Poland.

The Polish angler as a user of fishery resources (based on 1b and 1d)

Although no comprehensive and nation-wide surveys have been carried out since the end of the 1970s, some of the previous results may help to characterize the present-day anglers, and constitute the basis for comparisons and estimations, providing answers to the following questions:

Why do anglers fish?

The main motives that induce people to go angling constitute a whole range of factors connected both with the use of water for outdoor recreation and with fishing as such. Polish anglers highly value both groups of motives, as according to the questionnaire survey pleasure of fishing as such is the main motive directly connected with this activity, and the enjoyment derived from being near (or on) water is the main non-fishery reason for angling. When anglers were asked why do they prefer the given fish species the following results were obtained:

As seen above, over 50% of the respondents mentioned sport and the angling experience as the decisive factor.

Where and when do anglers fish?

At the end of the 1970s the average number of fishing days per angler amounted to 61. Seventy-five percent of the days occurred in the summer months May–September. Maximal angling frequency, over 17% of the total number of fishing days, took place in July. The share of fishing days spent by an angler (in the annual cycle) on various types of waters is presented below:

Because the share of particular types of waters in the total area of inland waters in Poland has changed since the 1970s, it might be assumed that the angling pressure has also changed, with the percentage of fishing days in ponds, dam reservoirs and small water bodies having increased, and the percentage for rivers and streams having decreased.

What do anglers catch?

Anglers catch more than 30 fish species in Poland. At the end of the 1970s the average annual catch per angler amounted to 54.3 kg. The species composition of the total catch is presented in Fig. 1. However, as fish stocks have changed so has the composition of anglers' catches. At present, for example, anglers catch more pikeperch, bream and roach, while catches of pike, tench, eel and whitefish have decreased.

What are the most preferred species?

The species are listed below, according to preference:

What are the main factors disturbing the anglers' activity?

Anglers are especially susceptible to any factor disturbing their peace, as well as to the presence of other people, including anglers. The significance of the five most disturbing factors is presented below:

Recreational fisheries in the period of transition

The Polish fisheries sector, as well as the whole national economy, is subject to great structural and ownership changes. This period has been well characterized by Hockuba as the economy of chaos, a statement which describes the current status of recreational fisheries, reflected, for example, in the difficulties in collecting the relevant data (the difficulties were underlined by Wortley (1994)).

Thus, any evaluation of the present status of recreational fisheries in Poland has to be done not only on the basis of official documents and scientific surveys, but also on fragmentary data, assumptions and non-articulated knowledge.

Some recent data were presented during the 18th Session of EIFAC in Rome where it was reported that the total number of anglers in Poland was 2 000 000 although the number was only an estimate. There are approximately 900 000 members of the Polish Anglers' Association, but nobody knows how many anglers fish in waters supervized by other users such as fishery enterprises or private tenants of individual lakes, as membership of the PAA is not obligatory when fishing in those waters. The same principle applies to estimates of the number and area of water bodies used by recreational fishermen, as the number of water bodies (especially ponds, small dam reservoirs, gravel pits etc.) suitable for fishing increases all the time.

Advantages of the economic transition

Restructuring of the inland fishery

The main target of the restructurisation of inland fisheries was splitting large and ineffective State Fishing Enterprises (SFE) into smaller fishery units covering not more than the real estate and water area of the former department subjected to the SFE. Some fishery units are leased out mainly in the Mazurian and Western Pomeranian Lakelands, some are administered (while still belonging wholly to the State), and some are managed by the so-called temporary administration (the future of which is still unknown). Leasing is regard by many specialists as the most beneficial form of transition from the SFE and three different kinds of user may be distinguished:

• Over 80 000 ha of lakes are leased out to private companies created mainly by the former staff of the SFE.
• Almost 40 000 ha of lakes are leased to the PAA.
• About 4 000 ha are leased to other, mainly private, users.

The most substantial and quickest changes have been observed within private enterprises. The most beneficial changes for anglers are the following:

• Many enterprises are investing capital into establishing new hatcheries, some of which have already been constructed.
• The rates of stocking have been substantially increased, especially with species which are the most profitable and preferred by anglers: eel, pike and pikeperch.
• New systems of selling a variety of short- and long-term angling licences, with a very dense network of sale points, have been introduced.

Rising number of natural waters accessible to recreational fishing

Before the 1990s the structure of inland water used by recreational fishermen was quite distinct and stable: about 90% of the total lake area was supervised by the SFEs and almost all rivers and dam reservoirs were supervised by the PAA. Obviously, the total area of the PAA waters was open to recreational fishing, but fishing was forbidden or restricted in many SFE lakes and almost all carp and trout farms. Following restructurisation and as a result of overall economic changes, the attitude of fishery managers towards recreational fisheries has changed. The increasing cost of commercial fishing, market changes, and other economic factors caused an increase in income from the sale of angling licences, which was partly due to the increasing prices of licences and partly due to the increasing number of water bodies accessible for angling. Economic data from 30 SFEs supervising 185 000 ha of lakes showed that in 1991–1992 (i.e. just before restructurisation) the income from licence sale constituted 10% of their total income. Moreover, without this source of income, some of the enterprises would not have made any gross profit. When restructurisation and privatization is well advanced, some new lake fishery enterprises will make all their waters accessible to anglers.

Development of put-and-take fisheries

Before the 1990s, put-and-take fisheries were practically non-existent in Poland. The demand for fish was high and inland fisheries were not able to fill the needs of the domestic market. At the beginning of the 1990s, the market situation changed rapidly due to the substantial imports of table fish from East Germany, Lithuania, Bielorussia and the Czech Republic. Domestic producers were forced to look for new customers and to change their traditional approach in selling fish. As a result, the first put-and-take fisheries were established, both in carp and trout farms. Now hundreds of such fisheries have been set up and run and their number is still increasing. Development of such fisheries might be regarded as one of the most important economic and social phenomena within the inland fisheries sector. However, both the number of put-and-take fisheries and their economic features are almost unknown and need to be identified and studied.

Development of recreational fishing tackle market and industry

An intensive development of the fishing tackle market has taken place in the last few years in Poland. Many new tackle shops, wholesale firms and fishing tackle manufacturers have been founded. An association of national producers and importers of fishing tackle has also been formed and some enterprises have entered the international trade association - EFTTA. Initially, most of the tackle available was imported but there is an increasing expansion in domestically produced gear.

Development of research and training

Substantial progress has been made in the last few years in the field of scientific research and practical training in recreational fisheries management.

• Thanks to an international TEMPUS project: Improvement of the Aquaculture Training in Poland, special courses for fishery managers were organized, and much of the teaching material was published and disseminated. Forty participants from lake fishery enterprises and fishery schools attended the course on Actual problems of lake fisheries and a book was published as a result of the course. Problems of recreational fisheries management have also been included into the textbook Fisheries, which has been classified as the principle textbook for students of the Warsaw University.

• Two big departments of the PAA (comprising more than 10% of the anglers in the Association) re-introduced an obligatory system of anglers' catch registration. Altogether 25 000 returns have been analyzed for 1994.

• A Seminar on Recreational fisheries in Polish sea territories - current status and prospects was organized by the Institute of Marine Fishery on 14 April 1995.

New anglers' associations

Several new regional angling organizations and clubs have been founded, especially in northern Poland, rich in lakes previously supervised by the SFE and now leased to private enterprises. This process is impossible to control and document, and its influence on recreational fisheries is difficult to assess and needs to be studied. However, the long-term organizational monopoly of the PAA has been broken.

Disadvantages and constraints

Besides the evident benefits from the transition of inland fisheries, there are disadvantages which have affected the present status of both commercial and recreational fisheries.

• The main aims of restructurisation have not been fully reached in many regions of Poland. Extreme cases occurred in two voivodeships, where the whole real-estate belonging to five lake fisheries enterprises, with more than 30 000 ha of lakes was leased out to the Polish Anglers' Association. This means that the former monopoly of the SFE has been substituted by a new monopoly. At present, these new enterprises of the PAA face great economic problems, which will probably affect recreational fisheries.

• The cost of fishing, especially the price of fishing licences, has increased considerably. This is partly due to increasing costs of fish production, and partly due to higher rent for the lease of lakes and estates. Anyhow, the competition for the angler between fishery enterprises, PAA, private tenants and owners of water bodies, should minimize this negative impact on recreational fisheries.

• Before the transition Polish anglers were accustomed to public access to waters which constituted under the Law a common property of the nation. This habit is very difficult to overcome and constitutes an important source of conflict between the tenants and owners of waters and the anglers.

• The lack of viable data collection system affects not only governmental offices and scientific institutions, but also the whole inland fisheries sector.

• Increasing poaching disturbs both commercial and recreational fisheries, especially in regions with high rates of unemployment.

References

Bieniarz K., P. Epler and R. Sych, 1990. Anglers catches in Roznów Dam Reservoir. Rocz.Nauk PZW, 3, 15–31

Bnińska, M. and M. Lepold, 1987. Analysis of general angling pressure upon particular types of waters. Rocz.Nauk Roln., H, 101, z.2, 7–26

Hockuba, Z., 1993. The economy of chaos. Transition and economic regulation. Ekonomista, 4, 407–422

Larkin, P.A., 1992. Future prospects and their implications for research on the ecology of freshwater fish. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 1, 1–4

Leopold M., and M. Bnińska, 1987. Evaluation of pressure of anglers' catches upon stocks of particular fish species - management consequences. Rocz. Nauk Roln., H, 101, z. 2, 43–69

Leopold M., M. Bnińska and M. Hus, 1980. Angling, recreation, commercial fisheries and problems of water resources allocation. In: Allocation of Fishery Resources (ed. J.H. Grover), UN/FAO, 212–221

Leopold M., 1994. Status of lake fisheries in Poland. In: Actual Problems of Lake Fisheries (ed. A. Wolos), Inland Fisheries Institute, 13–25

Recreational Fisheries 2000, 1979. Materials from the Symposium Recreational Fisheries 2000, May 1979, Jadwisin, Poland

Szazynska K. and A. Wolos, 1988. Evaluation of anglers' pressure upon the rivers: Biebrza, Bug, Narew. Rocz.Nauk PZW, 1, 7–22

Wolos A., 1991. Anglers' opinions as to the quality of the fishing and the fishery management in selected Polish waters. In: Catch Effort Sampling Strategies. Their Application in Freshwater Fisheries Management (ed. I.G. Cowx), Fishing News Books, Blackwell Scientific Publications Ltd., 134–242

Wolos A., and P. Piskorski, 1991. Anglers' catches as an illustration of the fish community structures, angling pressure and angling regulations, based on inland waters in the Krosno region, Poland. In: Catch Effort Sampling Strategies. Their Application in Freshwater Fisheries Management (ed. I.G. Cowx), Fishing News Books, Blackwell Scientific Publications Ltd., 166–176

Wolos A., 1992. Research methods and their application in setting-up principles of the fisheries management in lakes used by recreational fisheries. Doct. thesis, Inland Fisheries Institute, Olsztyn

Wolos A. and J. Grzegorczyk, 1992. analysis of anglers' catch returns in Nowy Sacz Regional Department of the PAA in 1989. Report for the Headquarters of the PAA

Wolos A., M. Teodorowicz and K. Grabowska, 1992. Effect of ground-baiting on anglers' catches and nutrient budget of water bodies as exemplified by Polish lakes. Aquacult.Fish.Mgmt., 23, 499–509

Wolos A., 1994a. Recreational fisheries as a user of lakes. In: Actual Problems of Lake Fisheries (ed. A. Wolos), Inland Fisheries Institute, Olsztyn, 119–132

Wolos A., 1994b. Put and take - a new model of fishing ground for anglers. In: Actual Problems of Lake Fisheries (ed. A. Wolos), Inland Fisheries Institute, Olsztyn, 133– 139

Wolos A., 1994c. Recreational fisheries in a system of inland waters use. In: Fisheries. Practical exercises, textbook for students of the Agricultural University in Warsaw, 81–90.

Wortley, J.S., 1994. Sub-sectoral Review for the Consultation on Management Strategies for European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture for the 21st Century (B) Recreational Fisheries. EIFAC 18th Session, 17–25 May 1994, Rome, Italy

Table 1 Katowice and Bielsko Biala Districts

Fig. 1 Species composition of anglers' catches (Leopold et.al., 1980)