Italy, Croatia agree to three-year fishing ban near Jabuka Pit

Croatia and Italy have reached an agreement to ban fishing in the vicinity of Jabuka island from 1 September 2017 to 31 August 2020, the Agriculture Ministry reported on Monday.

The agreement was reached following several months of negotiations between Croatian and Italian administrations, backed by scientists, the fishing sector and non-governmental organisations in both countries, the ministry said in a press release.

"Protection of the Jabuka Pit was a prerequisite for the sustainability of our fisheries and that of the European Union... Our fisherman and those of the EU, just like 500 million European consumers, deserve strategic administration of resources and fresh Adriatic fish on their plates in the decades ahead of us," Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolusic said in the press release.

The ministry underscored that the establishment of an area of protection in the Jabuka Pit was of exceptional significance for the Union's fisheries and that Croatia's administration presented its results to the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean Scientific Advisory Committee last week in Ljubljana.

Text: Hina