Developing new commercial activities with the help of EU support

Coastal fisher entertains tourists in the summer

Vilnis Brikmanis has been a coastal fisherman for 22 years. For 10 years coastal fishing was his sole source of income, but then he started supplementing it by working as a captain on a pilot vessel in the port of Liepaja and, more recently, by showing tourists around the port in a boat.

The work as a pilot is very convenient as it consists of one day onboard followed by three days on shore which is when he works as a coastal fisher. The fishing is done with gill nets and round goby is the dominant species in spring. The nets are typically laid about three nautical miles from the coast, but they could also be laid up to 12 nautical miles from the coast depending on the season and the targeted species. They vary in height— some are 1.5 m while others are 3.5 m—and are attached to the seabed from where they rise up into the water column.

Round goby dominates catches

The nets are emptied every day in summer while in the colder season they can be kept in the water for a maximum of 48 hours. This ensures that the fish is completely fresh when it is landed. The fishery takes place around the year except for certain closed periods. Catches of round goby last year were about 43 tonnes while this year Mr Brikmanis has caught 24 tonnes. The season for catching round goby is 2.5 to 3 months in the spring after which they migrate and are no longer available to catch. Round goby is the main species that Mr Brikmanis catches today and this years total so far could be an outlier perhaps due to weather conditions or some other natural factors. While it is difficult to predict what catch levels will be next year it is unlikely that they will be less than this year. The restrictions on cod fishing mean that catches may not exceed 10 of the total for the entire year, which makes flounder the next most important species in terms of volume. Mr Brikmanis too suffers from the rules that restrict cod to a bycatch of 10. When targeting flounder, for instance, if he approaches the 10 limit then he must move two nautical miles away.

Although the round goby is a resource for the fishers, Mr Brikmanis is quite clear about the damage it does to the environment. It is a voracious predator devouring the eggs of fish and also attaching mussels. When it establishes itself, the area becomes a desert, he says. Until some years ago coastal fishers were catching herring , exploiting the fact that it rises to the surface at night. A different gear was used, one that floats close to the surface, to trap the fish, but this activity has since stopped, a development that he blames on the round goby. Sprat, another common Baltic Sea species, has never been targeted at the coast, he says, it is mainly trawlers in the open Baltic Sea that catch this species. The round goby is usually sold to local

Vilnis Brikmanis, a coastal fisher who captains a pilot vessel in Liepaja port and who, with the help of EU support, is also investing in activities based on tourism.

wholesalers who sell it further to processing plants where it is frozen and then exported. One of the main destinations used to be Ukraine, but now more goes to Romania and Bulgaria where it is a known and appreciated species. Part of its popularity stems from the size; round goby from the Baltic is larger than the same species in the Black Sea and lends itself to be prepared in different ways, marinated, fried, steamed etc. Consumption of this species in Latvia itself is virtually non-existent, which Mr Brikmanis attributes to its appearance—round goby is not the best looking of fish!

Encouraging Latvian consumption of round goby

This year an attempt was made to change consumers’ perception of round goby by holding a small promotional event where the fish was prepared in different

ways and samples were offered to the public. But this time at least, it did not resonate. Mr Brikmanis himself is more bullish. The meat is white and it tastes fine though there are a lot of bones, he says. If the event is held again next year, more people may be convinced of its virtues. Creating acceptance for a new species is a long process that calls for repeated efforts.

The two major international incidents of the last three years, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have fortunately had little impact on Mr Brikmanis’ activities. During covid the work continued as before as the boat only accommodates two or three so the risk of contracting or spreading covid was minimal. And since restaurants are not his customers, because he cannot supply them with the volumes and at the frequency they need, he was not affected when they closed. The war in Ukraine and the resulting increase in energy prices have fortunately had little impact on the fishery for round goby but have made life more difficult for other players in the value chain, according to Mr Brikmanis. Of the fish species he catches other than round goby, the volumes are smaller, and they are sold mainly to a small circle of friends and acquaintances. A share may also be sold to the market but there too the impact of higher energy prices has not been marked. Fuel prices for the vessel have doubled which has reduced profits, of course, but compensation for higher fuel costs is available from a government support programme, though Mr Brikmanis has not availed of it yet. More importantly, compensation is also available for damage caused by seals, something that happens every second day, he reckons. Placing our nets in the water is

Mr Brikmanis’ vessels that he uses to entertain tourists. Another two vessels will be added next year which will allow the tourists to eat on board as well.

like laying a table for the seals, he says. The compensation is based on the number of marketable fish that are left in the net, a figure that is used in a formula to calculate a value. But, while it helps the situation, it does not cover the costs entirely.

Boating tourism is a newly started venture

A couple of years ago Mr Brikmanis added tourism to his commercial activities. This involves taking groups of tourists in a vessel acquired for the purpose to show them around the port. The tourist activity was initiated last year with a project intended to help fishers diversify their sources of income in the face of lower catches and shrinking revenues. The project called for an investment in a vessel that is specially equipped to take tourists along the coast to see the port and the city. The vessels are not seaworthy enough to go out to sea but are intended to allow the tourist to swim and birdwatch. The project was initiated last year, but this year, 2022, was the first year of operation. The work started in April and there were several tourists that used the service. Mr Brikmanis and his partner are still working on marketing the concept and promoting this activity to attract tourists from other cities and even from abroad. The first year was very satisfactory and offered a rich learning experience, which Mr Brikmanis can draw on in the future. Apart from touring the port tourists are also offered the possibility to sail to Liepaja’s lake if the sea level is low. This year 80 of the guests were Lithuanians as the border is not far away and their coastline is very short. To indulge their passion for the sea it is easier to come to Latvia. Mr Brikmanis and his partner have now bought two more boats for the next season. The new vessels are 2 m shorter than the current one and they plan to have them equipped with seating so that a meal ordered from a local restaurant or caterer can be eaten on board by the guests as they enjoy the view.

Vilnis Brikmanis

Board member of the FLAG, Liepaja regional partnership SIA Majoka Uliha iela 52-3 Liepaja LV-3401 Latvia

+371 29258789 vilnis.brikmanis@gmail.com