Valmis ingliskeelne tõlge raamatust "Eesti kalamajandus 2020".

Aastaraamatut "Estonian Fishery 2020" on võimalik tellida kalanduse teabekeskusest (See e-posti aadress on spämmirobotite eest kaitstud. Selle nägemiseks peab su veebilehitsejas olema JavaSkript sisse lülitatud., telefon 5308 3650). Aastaraamatud on huvilistele tasuta.

Dear reader,

if you look at the overview of Estonian fishery in 2020, you can see that such a strong sector cannot be knocked out by a pandemic like covid. As long as there is good cooperation between the sector and the authorities and a prudent approach to resources, there is no reason to worry about our fishery.

I will end this foreword with the traditional slogan:
Eat fish and, whenever possible, Estonian fish!

Toomas Armulik
Head of Fisheries Information Centre

This is the tenth yearbook on Estonian fishery. We have reached the first jubilee!

So, what was 2020 like for our fishery? While the main trends remained the same, covid was the most common keyword in the fisheries sector and in the global economy as a whole.

Distant-water fishery, which relies on shrimp fishing, remained the most profitable segment. It is nice to know that our little Estonia is one of the biggest shrimp fishers in Europe.

There were no major changes in coastal fishery. The number and average age of our coastal fishermen have been relatively stable over the years; herring and perch are still the most lucrative species. However, the total revenue earned by our fishermen in 2020 was lower than before due to the reduced perch catch.

Covid sharply reduced the number of orders for local fish in the hospitality sector. On the other hand, people who fled from cities due to the pandemic discovered the possibility of buying fresh fish in ports, directly from local fishermen. Thus, every cloud has a silver lining, and we can only hope that people will continue to buy the freshest fish possible directly from local fishermen even when the disease recedes.

Ukraine remains the main export market for sprat and herring caught by the trawling sector. In 2020, the Estonian Association of Fishery, in cooperation with the Fisheries Information Centre, began preparations for a large-scale information campaign in the Ukrainian market to introduce Baltic sprat and herring as high-quality raw fish to the younger and wealthier population. Unfortunately, covid left its negative imprint on this activity, as was the case with the fish trade as a whole. Fishery companies find quite a few of their foreign customers at international trade fairs. No fairs were held during the pandemic and the search for new markets and partners was hampered.

Then again, this new reality has taught the whole world that very long supply chains can no longer be relied on and that the better the country’s self-sufficiency in strategically needed goods (including food), the easier it is to cope. As Estonian fishermen catch many times more fish than we can eat ourselves, our future is bright, at least in terms of fish as food, despite covid forecasts. In order to increase the consumption of fish among Estonians, the Ministry of Rural Affairs launched a large campaign ‘Fish? Sounds good!’ in 2020.

I regret to repeat the worn-out mantra that there was still no significant increase in the volume of production in domestic fish farming in 2020. This situation will not change unless fish farming is started in sea cages. Fortunately, there are enough entrepreneurs who have shown great interest in starting this as soon as the legislation is put in place.

Yearbook 'Estonian Fishery 2020' can be ordered from Fisheries Information Centre (See e-posti aadress on spämmirobotite eest kaitstud. Selle nägemiseks peab su veebilehitsejas olema JavaSkript sisse lülitatud.). Yearbook is free of charge.