G/SCM/Q2/MNE/3  
 
15 June 2023 
(23-4076) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures  Original: English  
 
 
SUBSIDIES  
REPLIES TO  QUESTIONS POSED BY NEW ZEALAND1 
REGARDING THE  NEW AND FULL NOTIFICATION OF MONTENEGRO2 
The following communication, dated 8 April 2022 and received on  14 June 2023 , is being circulated  
at the request of the delegation of Montenegro . 
 
_______________  
 
 
I SUPPORT FOR FISHERY PRODUCTS  
Question  1 
Can Montenegro provide further detail on how it ensures the notified programs related to 
"Support for fisheries products" do not support illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) 
fishers or contribute to overfishing and overcapacity?  
Reply : 
The main criteria  to be met by fishers when it comes to exercising rights to support measures 
(subsidies) are a valid fishing license for commercial fi shing at sea, issued by the Ministry 
of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Managemen t - Directorate for Fisheries, and neatly and 
timely fulfilled electronic logbooks for the previous year. Through the Fisheries Information 
System, the validity of issued lice nses is regularly monitored, as well as the proper 
completion of electronic logbooks.  
In order to sustainably manage available fish resources, Montenegro has been continuously 
conducting scientific research of demersal and pelagic resources in the territor ial sea since 2004. 
Based on the obtained results on the state of resources, the Ministry of Agriculture 
determines the maximum allowable catch and capacity of the fishing fleet  that can 
participate in the catch of demersal and pelagic resources. The state  of resources and capacity of 
the fishing fleet was determined by our reference scientific institution (Institute for Marine Biology, 
Kotor), conducted international scientific research in the Adriatic Sea and in consultation with FAO - 
General Fisheries C ommission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).  
Montenegro is a full member of the GFCM and has a derogation from implement of the Mediterranean 
regulation and recommendations issued by the relevant GFCM bodies.  
The Montenegrin fishing fleet currently consists of about 290 vessels, of which only 35 vessels with 
the length greater than 10m. Out of 290 vessels, almost 81 vessels are inactive due to the very high 
age limit of the vessel (on average over 40 years). The number of fishing days that our fishers have 
mainl y depends on weather conditions, because the existing fleet, due to its age, is unable to perform 
its activity in bad weather conditions and at great distances from the coast, as well as at greater 
 
1 G/SCM/Q2/MNE/1 . 
2 G/SCM/N/372/MNE  and G/SCM/N/372/MNE/Corr.1 . G/SCM/Q2/MNE/3  
 
- 2 - 
 
  depths, which is also the reason that the number of fishin g days in Montenegro ranges between 50 
to 80 per year.  
We remind you that Montenegro has access to the Adriatic Sea, which shares with the EU and 
Albania, and based on catch data of all countries that use the fishing resources in the Adriatic Sea, 
in the p ast 10 years, Montenegro could not exceed 1% of total catch or fishing effort. This fact is an 
indicator of the state of Montenegro's fishing fleet and the contribution of Montenegro to the current 
state of resources in the Mediterranean, i.e. in the Adria tic Sea.  
Question  2 
Can Montenegro provide further information on the duration of each of its notified 
programs under the subsection "Support for fisheries products"?  
Reply : 
All six measures implemented under the Program for support for fisheries products adopted for a 
one-year period and implemented and valid for the year in which they are adopted. In particular, 
the Program (and measures within it) which is the subject of notification for 2019 and to which this 
issue relates, was implemented in 2019.  
II DIRECT PAYMENTS IN AQUACULTURE  
Question 3  
Can Montenegro provide further information on the quantified outlays by production 
category for the program "Direct payments in aquaculture"?  
Reply : 
Support in 2019 for direct payments was performed according to the  following principle:  
• 3.0 €/ m2 of reported usable area of the aquaculture farm if the average of all produced 
age structures of fish was over 22 kg/m2, for which 16,108.50 Euros were spent ; 
• 2.5 €/m2 of reported usable area of the aquaculture farm if the average of all produced 
age stru ctures of fish was between 22 and 17 kg/m2, for which 5,050.00 Euros were 
spent;  
• 2.0 €/m2 of reported usable area of the aquaculture farm if the average of all produced 
age structures of  fish was between 17 and 12 kg/m2, for which 900.00 Euros  were spent;  
• 1.5 €/m2 of reported usable area of the aquaculture farm if the average of all produced 
age structures of  fish was below 12 kg/m2, for which 14,856.90 Euros  were spent.  
Note:  
Freshwater aquaculture in Montenegro involves the breeding of salmonid fish speci es, with the 
absolute dominance of rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss).  In addition to rainbow trout, small 
quantities of brown trout ( Salmo labrax ) are produced and used for the purpose of restocking of 
natural water bodies.  
 
__________