THE CATCH OF SEA FISH IN CROATIA AMOUNTS 16,596 TONNES IN 1996

ZAGREB, Feb 12 (Hina) - Croatian fishermen caught 16,596 tonnes of sea fish in 1996, or 1,389 tonnes more than in 1995, said the Zagreb-based "Morsko Ribarstvo (Sea Fishing)" firm's director, Zdravko Saponja. Private fishermen fished 10,020 tonnes, while the state-run firms caught 6,576 tonnes last year. In that period 7,340 tonnes of fish, worth US$ 27.08 million, were exported, and 10,330 tonnes were imported for US$ 21.29 million. "According to those data, we can estimate that the consumption of fish per capita is six kilograms in Croatia yearly. Out of this, five kilograms are sea fish, and the rest is freshwater fish," Saponja said. As a great number of private fishermen do not record the entire catch, the Zagreb firm believes that the catch of sea fish was bigger than what official figures show, and that the catch could rise between 35 and 40 thousand tonnes. According to such estimates, yearly consumption of fish per capita in Croatia amounts to nine kilograms of sea fish and one kilogram of freshwater fish, which is close to the world average consumption of 12 kilograms per capita, Saponja said. (hina) jn mš 121059 MET feb 97