Is Poland Ready for Transferable Fishing Concessions? Transition Fatigue with a Twist

Commercial fishers in Poland demonstrate a unique version of “transition fatigue” (Rovelli, Zaiceva 2009). The situation leading to this phenomenon is related to three changes that occurred during the twentieth century. First, communist rule was marked by an orchestrated process of industrialization and a shift toward state-controlled fisheries after WWII. Second, political and organizational changes during the transition from a socialist to a free market economy in the nineties weakened social support and welfare structures in place during communism (and failed to replace them with something else). Third, accession to the European Union in May of 2004 introduced a new fisheries management strategy to the Polish fishing industry and the communities on the Baltic Sea coast. A regulatory vacuum created during the nineties has had negative effects on contemporary management strategies. EU-wide goals to reduce overcapacity since 2004 have significantly altered the composition of the Polish Baltic Sea fleet, while it is unclear that decommissioning schemes in Poland have had the positive results intended (Kuzebski, Marciniak 2009). A fishing closure and subsequent protests throughout the cod fleet in 2006 and 2007 underlined persistent problems in the management of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). In light of a potential shift to transferrable fishing concessions in the cod fleet, policy-makers should account for “transition fatigue” during the implementation process.