Peak in bonito catch is reported by fishermen fishing in the Black sea south of Burgas every day. Unlike previous years, there are not many horse mackerel this autumn.

"There's only bonito at the moment, the catch is good, it's a peak bonito season right now. We can say that this year's season is very good," points out Yordan Karakashev from the "Ahtopol" Fishermen's Co-Operative.

This species of schooling fish is highly valuable to our commercial fishery and comes to our waters in Autumn. The price of a kilo of bonito has not changed for years and ranges from 5 to 8 leva (2.5-4 euro) if bought at the port. However, the fish will be impossible to sell if you add the cost of electricity for its storage, as well as the price of fuel for the ships and motor boats of the fishermen – Mr. Karakashev shares his concerns with BNR Burgas:

"The bonito is a migratory fish that appears at nearly seven-year intervals. In the last three or four years there were no bonito in the Black Sea. Last year it was scarce, this year the catch is good - and it's good size-wise, too, even bigger than usual, next year there could be even more."

The sea water along the southern Black Sea coast is still warm, which is favourable for fishing, but it is impossible to predict whether this will last long. The fish are going for the warmer currents. If they don't like the water being cold, or if they anticipate the weather turning bad, they will disappear in a flash," explains Karakashev, who hopes the schools of fish will stick around for at least another two weeks or a month.

"Actually the migration of the bonito doesn't seem to be the most important thing this year," he adds. The biggest problem for us fishermen is the cost of electricity. No one can say tomorrow at what prices electricity will be traded. If we count 8 months until the fish is sold, and if we add this value and other costs like VAT to the price - it will become unsellable."

For fishermen, the price has not changed - neither during the Covid lock-downs, nor because of the expensive electricity. And if at the port a kilo is traded at 2.5-4 euro, its market price reaches 5-8 euro.

Despite the changes in the Fisheries sector, small-scale fishing is still not supported by the government - on the contrary - crew of 10-12 metre fishing boats continue to fill in three logbooks of daily catch information and prove their income. "In most European countries these logbooks have been abolished. Why we still have them?" ask Bulgarian fishermen.

"The only way to support this sector is to make modern ports with small exchanges, as is in Italy, Greece, Romania and Spain," Karakashev added.

Reportage by Svoboda Atanasova, BNR Burgas

English version: Elizabeth Radkova