Fishing activity and industry in Istria 1945 – 1947

Abstract

The state of fisheries in the immediate post-war years in Istria during the Military Administration of the Yugoslav Army between 1945 and 1947 did not often arise as a research topic. The problem certainly lies also in the small amount of archival material addressing this topic. Given, therefore, the limited spatial and temporal framework of the topic of this paper, the introductory chapters provide a brief overview of the state of fishing and the fish processing industry in Istria in the period from the start of the fishing industry (end of the 19th century) until the end of the Second World War, and then, in more detail, of the resumption of the activities of that industry immediately after the end of the war. The paper points out some of the numerous challenges that the post-war government faced in the reconstruction and organization of fishing and the fish processing industry. The establishment of cooperation with all stakeholders in the process was a necessary prerequisite for the relaunching of fishing. This task could not be achieved solely by a strict and harsh imposition of a new doctrine, but by gradually familiarizing the population with the changes which were being introduced and which would affect all social processes. The “popularization” of the country’s future economic progress also included fishing, and everyone involved in this industrial branch, starting from the fishermen and ending with the employees of processing plants, was expected to contribute to building a better economic future. The authorities’ first moves were primarily aimed at establishing order and supervision over the new area, and at providing a comprehensive insight into the state of economic resources in Istria. The communist authorities undertook efforts to technologically improve and facilitate the conditions of work of both fishing and processing. In addition to providing assistance to fishermen, efforts were also continuously made to create better conditions and smooth functioning in the processing plants. A special challenge was the lack of year-round supplies needed for continuous production, the lack mof manpower, especially qualified personnel, and the problem of placing finished products. These were constant obstacles which the post-war authorities had to tackle and constantly find appropriate solutions for. The fonds HR-DAPA-79 Regional People’s Committee for Istria (1945-1947) contains documents that bear witness to the process of rehabilitation of economic activity in Istria, thus enabling a more detailed reconstruction of that process.