Six Slovenian fishermen from Koper and Izola recently received monetary fines from the Croatian fishing inspectorate for commercial fishing in Savudrija Bay, in the part that, according to the arbitration court’s ruling, belongs to Slovenia, Slovenian media reported on Monday.
Fisherman Silvano Radin from Koper received as many as seven payment orders, amounting to 28,000 euros, but he plans to appeal the inspector’s decision, Slovenian television reported on Monday evening.
“We were fined for fishing in an area three miles away from the Croatian coast,” said Radin, adding that the lawyer for the Slovenian fishermen, Ivica Senjak, has filed an appeal against the decision and that the fishermen who were fined expect further information from him.
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“This is being resolved now, but I don’t know when it will be finally settled. I think this is more about a political game between Slovenia and Croatia,” Radin told Slovenian television.
At the end of last year, after the six-month deadline for implementing the arbitration ruling expired, Slovenia began sending fines to Croatian fishermen from Savudrija and Umag for fishing in the part of Savudrija Bay that Slovenia considers its territory according to last year’s arbitration court ruling, which Croatia rejects due to the compromised nature of the arbitration process. Following that, the Croatian police also began sending reports to Slovenian fishermen as a reciprocal measure.
