CROATIA
A nature reserve in Croatia produces high quality European at oysters
Building on an ancient tradition Ston, near Dubrovnik, has a long history of farming European at oysters, an activity that continues today although the technology used has evolved. Today the production area is part of a marine protected reserve where agriculture and ďŹ shing are prohibited.
T
he town of Ston lies on the Bay of Mali Ston, a long narrow bay formed by the Peljesac peninsula and the mainland. Ston is famous for its salt production which has existed since Roman times. The commodity was so valuable that walls were built around the city to protect it and the assets, the salt pans, it contained. Salt is still being produced today, but the quantities are modest, and it is another traditional activity, oyster farming, that shows the greater potential.
Natural endowments contribute to oyster production This is partly due to some geographical advantages that the area enjoys. Precipitation carries nutrients from the limestone in the low hills surrounding the bay into the water making it far richer than the surrounding Adriatic Sea. This is the main reason why oysters and mussels cultivated in the bay grow much faster than in other areas in Croatia. The water in the bay is not deep (13 m) and this combined with the fact that it is long and narrow has an influence on the currents, which tend to be very strong. Rapid currents in turn are good for growth as they ensure the flow of nutrients to the shellfish. As a protected area the bay has no tourist activity nor is there any industry in or around it. This contributes to the high quality of the water, which has the coveted A classification meaning that shellfish can be safely eaten 44
without needing to go through a process of depuration first. Both oysters and mussels are produced in the bay, but over the last two years the production of mussels has fallen partly because demand for oysters, and so also the price, is higher. In addition, however, there is a population of seabream in the bay that is destroying the mussel farms. Vedran Kunica, a member of the Association of Shellfish Producers, recalls how he suggested that fishermen could be allowed to fish for the seabream, thus benefiting both the fishers and the mussel farmers, but the proposal was not supported. The seabeam are voracious feeders and cause losses amounting to 30-50 of the production within a short space of time. Fishing is possible but only with certain tools and not with the purse seines that are occasionally used when fishing for seabream. Purse seines may only be used 3 nautical miles from the coast and because the bay is so narrow this criterion cannot be fulfilled.
Vedran Kunica, a member of the Ston Association of ShellďŹ sh Producers.
Oyster production dates from the 14th century The oysters farmed are the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis. This is the only species that is found in the bay. The oyster spat generated during the natural cycle of reproduction is collected to start the cultivation, there are no hatcheries. Oysters have been farmed in the bay since the fourteenth century, says Mr Kunica, and because Dubrovnik
The strings are put through a machine to remove the oysters.
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