Despite two decades of hardship, war and a loss of markets, Matko Jasprica has kept his Croatian fish farm alive and now hopes to start exporting to the EU.
It's just as well, because officials and researchers say fish farming, known as aquaculture, is set to become the world's main source of seafood over the next 20 years.
With a small team, Jasprica runs the Plankton farm situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) out to sea from the picturesque fishing village of Drace, on the Peljesac peninsula in the southern Adriatic. The farm is hidden from sight and screened from the northerly wind by a tiny island.
The fish, grown in dozens of square and round cages, can be detected only by bubbles on the sea surface. The farm produces around 120 tonnes a year.
"Our plan was to adjust our standards and start exports to the European Union, as demand on the local market is small," said Jasprica. "We must be ready when Croatia joins the EU – we can't beat big producers but we can be competitive with new technologies."
Plankton hosted delegates from the Offshore Mariculture 2010 conference, staged in Dubrovnik.
[Source: Reuters]