Fishing and fish-processing firms can claim just over €10m in compensation under three calls of the Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme (PMDRA), Yordan Gospodinov, executive director of the BG FISH Association of Fish Product Producers, told Bulgarian National Radio.
The first deadline for documents is 18 October, with two more on 17 November and 17 December. Applications can be filed only online through the ISUN system, with a qualified electronic signature.
The money is for fishing, aquaculture and fish-processing businesses hit by market shocks from the crisis in the Middle East, caused by the war in Iran and higher fuel prices.
The biggest share, €5,084,055.71, is set aside for processors under measure BG14MFPR001-2.017. It covers higher costs for electricity, staff wages and raw materials.
Aquaculture gets €3,500,000 under measure BG14MFPR001-2.016 for costlier feed, electricity and staff. The fishing fleet gets €1,500,000 under measure BG14MFPR001-2.015, which covers higher fuel and staff costs.
The most any firm can get is €300,000. "Very few firms will be able to reach this ceiling of 300,000 euros," Gospodinov said.
He said some processing firms may get the maximum. The terms for fishing and aquaculture were changed at the last moment. Officials told Gospodinov these were orders from Brussels, and payouts in these two sectors will not be large.
There is also talk, unofficially, of merging the Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (IARA) with the Executive Agency for Forests. Gospodinov learned of the idea unofficially. He would not say which option is better, but he thinks the aim is probably better control.
With or without a merger, oversight of fishing in inland waters, the Black Sea and the Danube must be at a high level, he said. So must the inspectors, because they police fishing everywhere, not just at sea.
"As a former IARA employee, I know how hard it is for the agency's staff to deal with poachers," Gospodinov said.