Settling fishing rights in the Baltic is proving to be a slippery business

Today representatives of the Polish fishing industry will meet with the government in Kolobrzeg to discuss the current problems connected to n egotiations over fishing rights with the European Union (EU). The fishermen feel betrayed because the government withdrew from a transitory period for access of EU's fishing boats to Polish fishing areas. Another issue to be discussed will be the protection period for cod, which was prolonged by Poland at the recommendation of the Baltic Sea Commission by three months. This decision has made the situation difficult for 700 fishermen who are dependent on fishing cod. They are disappointed because the statutes of the commission allow each state to refuse a recommendation related to one species of fish. "The government did not want to use this chance, and now the government claims it does not have money for compensation," said Ryszard Klimczak, deputy president of the Fishing Boat Owners Association (SAR). (Puls Biznesu, p. 7) P.W.