croatia
ration I may as well close down my laboratory. Before the results of the research are finalised Dr Vrgoc consults with the fishers to ensure that their opinions are also included in the final recommendations. “I am at sea on board a scientific vessel for ten to fifteen days in the year,” he points out, “as opposed to the fishermen who are there for 130 days. The purpose of the exercise would be defeated if there opinions were excluded from the recommendations.” Once the results of the research have been finalised they are presented to the fishermen all over the country.
Main farmed marine species seabass, sea bream, tuna The aquaculture sector is divided into a marine and a smaller freshwater production. Seabass and seabream and bluefin tuna
are the main marine farmed species. Seabass and sea bream farming is hatchery-based where the entire production cycle is controlled. Producers either have their own hatcheries or purchase fingerlings from other hatcheries in Croatia or abroad. Some 70 companies are involved in seabass and sea bream farming (2006) and volumes have been increasing steadily the last six years to reach 4,000 tonnes in 2007 of which seabass amounts to some 65%. Croatian producers are moving into greater value addition, improved branding, and niche products and there has been some degree of consolidation on the market to reap economies of scale. According to Miro Kucic, the long term goal of the industry is to reach a production of 10,000 tonnes and some farms are aiming at hatchery facilities with a production of 40 million juveniles.
Tuna exports highly valued Bluefin tuna fattening is the practise of capturing large tuna placing them in cages and feeding them for a few months before harvesting. This has given rise to tuna farming which is the term used to describe a fattening period for smaller fish that often lasts for in excess of two years. The tuna are captured in the Adriatic by purse seiners and are then transported very slowly in towing cages back to the on-growing site. The fish are transferred to holding cages and fed with small pelgaic fish, but also cuttlefish, or krill. Once they reach the desired size they are harvested and frozen down to -60 degrees on Japanese freezer vessels and shipped back to Japan, which is the destination for 90% of the Croatian farmed tuna. Tuna volumes topped 4,000 tonnes in 2007, but the international body regulating the tuna
Croatian fish production in tonnes Freshwater farming - Carp - Trout - Bighead carp - Catfish - Pike perch - Other Carp farm area Trout farm area Hatcheries production Farming and catch of sea fish and other organisms - total Catch - small pelagic fish - sardine catch - anchovy catch - tuna farming and catch (1997 -2003) - tuna farming ( since 2004) Other fish farming and catch - other fish catch - farming of sea bass and sea bream Cephalopods catch Crustaceans catch Shelfish farming and catch - shelfish farming
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
3,485 1,851 913 10 42 185 484 7,786 4.28 1,396
3,260 1,633 791 7 70 277 482 7,663 4.51 1,141
3,429 1,575 1,075 7 62 265 445 7,809 5.70 1,634
4,335 2,183 1,301 9 40 354 448 6,623 5.77 1,690
5,113 2,312 1,885 14 23 387 492 6,229 5.87 1,480
4,395 1,503 2,031 16 19 257 569 6,036 5.78 1,613
Index 07/06 86.0 65.0 107.7 114.3 82.6 66.4 115.7 96.9 98.5 109.0
29,155
26,181
39,954
44,111
52,037
51,819
99.6
21,728 12,626 3,187 3,971
19,593 12,271 3,341 3,028
4,124 1,624 2,500 560 204 2,539 2,456
3,880 1,457 2,423 488 184 2,036 1,942
26,174 16,357 7,473 4,604 3,777 5,880 2,830 3,000 728 274 3,121 3,000
28,621 16,521 9,504 4,446 3,425 7,623 4,573 3,000 1,094 258 3,090 3,000
31,646 16,950 11,850 7,722 6,700 8,357 4,857 3,450 904 298 4,132 4,000
33,041 16,900 13,200 5,005 4,180 8,893 4,893 3,950 1,621 451 3,633 3,500
104.4 99.7 111.4 64.8 62.4 106.4 100.7 114.5 179.3 151.3 87.9 87.5
Source: DZS (Central bureau of statistics)
32 Eurofish Magazine 2 / 2009
management measures has now reduced the total allowable catch for the fish from 22,000 tonnes in 2009 to 19,950 tonnes in 2010 and subject to an assessment of the stock in 2010 to 18,500 tonnes in 2011. Farming capacity has also been capped.
Carp production stable, trout increasing Freshwater farmed fish is primarily trout and carp, with production of 2,000 tonnes and 1,500 tonnes respectively in 2007. Carp production has been more or less stable the last six years while trout production has risen steadily. Carp is farmed in large ponds where they feed on a mix of the naturally occuring vegetation in the pond as well as grains like corn and barley. The fish are mainly sold live and the Christmas period is when they are most widely consumed. A proportion of the fish is exported to neighbouring countries, Serbia and Bosnia as well as some to Germany. Carp ponds play a role in providing habitats for various kind of birds including some endangered species and some farms offer ecotourism activities that include fishing, and bird watching in attractive surroundings.
Processors expanding range of value-added products The fish processing industry in Croatia has a long history mainly in the production of canned products. The impact of globalisation is however forcing the industry to restructure and move into more value-added products and away from the basic canned items such as sardines. Production has fallen from 15,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes and Mr Kucic is not optimistic about the future of the sardine canning sector. Raw material for the processing industry has fo-