According to the deputy prefect of Istria County, Tulio Demetlika, the role of the Centre will be the development of fisheries and aquaculture in Istria County through the cooperation of scientists, fishermen and the fishing industry.
Fishing is a tradition and culture in Istria, and today it is also important in the tourist promotion of our region as a top gastronomic destination. Our role is to protect our Adriatic Sea, which today faces many dangers, from climate change to excessive pollution, and through the Centre we now have the opportunity to connect all our institutions from both sides of the Adriatic Sea - the Croatian and the Italian side, into one synergy that will enable us to further develop fisheries, as well as sustainable sea management, said Demetlika.
He thanked the Croatian and Italian ministries of agriculture and other partners in the project for their support and creating positive synergy.
A special adviser to the Croatian Agriculture Minister, Mario Bratulić, said that the Centre was a significant step forward in creating conditions for a better valorisation of the tradition of fishing and for better cooperation with scientific and professional institutions and agencies, as well as partners from abroad.
The Ministry of Agriculture secured 670 contracts worth €20.8 million, in which local fishing action groups took part, as well as many others involved in fishing, which shows the Ministry's great concern for fisheries, said Bratulić.
The project started on 1 April 2020, and it ends on 30 June this year. It is worth €5.7 million, and €394,825 has been provided for the activities of Istria County, with 85% of the money coming from the European Union.
The general goal of the project is to promote a common integrated approach that will be implemented at multiple levels, and it is oriented towards the direct and indirect reduction of the pressure of fishing and aquaculture activities on the marine environment.