Insights into Croatia's tuna farming and ranching sectors

Insights into Croatia's tuna farming and ranching sectors

Source: thefishsite

6/23/2023

Insights into Croatia's tuna farming and ranching sectors

Credit: Shutterstock

Croatia has emerged as a major player in the tuna ranching industry, and it is also looking to further develop closed cycle culture of Adriatic bluefin tuna, following its success at breeding them in captivity.

Background

Growing demand for bluefin tuna in the 1980s, notably from the Japanese sushi-sashimi market, made the Mediterranean tuna fishery highly profitable. However, as the price and demand for tuna increased, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices became more prevalent, contributing to a decline in tuna stocks. To safeguard the conservation of tuna and related species, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) established compulsory management measures – including quotas, the introduction of minimum landing sizes, and time-area closures.

Atlantic bluefin tuna