The tradition of shellfish farming in Mali Ston Bay with particular regard to oysters dates as far back as the Roman Empire (Pliny – Historiae Naturalis). The first available archive record on how to gather oysters from natural nurseries and on semi- farming in Mali Ston Bay dates from 1573. Already in 1333, the Dubrovnik Republic recognized the importance of this area, first by renting it and later by acquiring it.
Archive records from the 16th and the 17th century show that the oyster farming was already well-established and in the hands of representatives of the Dubrovnik Republic in Ston. The Rector of Ston was the only one who had the right to regulate this business. He issued concessions for those who made a commitment to farm oysters and give a certain part to the state. Parts of the bay which were used for oyster farming were divided into the plots that individuals rented. Mali Ston oysters were sold in košić (a round basket with a handle, made of young twigs from certain local bushes). Every basket had to be the same, so farmers took them to Ston for calibration. One sample basket was stored in Ston, and the other one was stored in Dubrovnik in the office for scales.
There is an interesting written correspondence between Ulisse Aldrovandi, a famous Italian naturalist and a professor at the University of Bologna, and Jakov Sorgo, a well-known amateur naturalist from Dubrovnik, who was the Rector of Ston at the time. The correspondence lasted from 1580 to 1584 and the letters and notes exchanged between Aldrovandi and Sorgo are a part of the Aldrovandi’s legacy kept in the archive of the University Library of Bologna. Aldrovandi needed samples of fish and shellfish from this side of the Adriatic coast for his research, so his Dubrovnik acquain tances connected him with Jakov Sorgo. In his letters, Jakov Sorgo very vividly describes the farming of oysters on branches. He also describes the importance of freshwater inflow for oyster and shellfish farming, their taste and the best way to consume them. During the 16th and the 17th century, the price of the basket followed the general increase in prices, and it was worth approximately as a kutao (0,8 litres) of malvasija dubrovačka wine. In the 18th century, the farming almost completely collapsed due to the abuse of power of Dubrovnik nobles who performed duties of the Rector or officials in the saltworks in Ston. This is confirmed by numerous records of oyster farmers’ complaints about the Rector’s cruel and arrogant behavior. The Dubrovnik Senate acts with measures to revive the oyster farming by passing legal provisions which intensify the strictness of control over the oyster business, ensure loans to farmers, exempt them from certain fees and set a fixed price for oysters. One of the curiosities of these legal provisions was the environmental awareness of the authorities. When picking oak branches, farmers were not allowed to destroy the whole tree. They were allowed to pick only one or two branches to keep the tree growing, and penalties were prescribed for violations of this act.
Interesting news appeared in “Gaze- ta Nueva” newspapers, 1st edition from 1667 which were published in Sevilla, Spain. They report that the city of Dubrovnik has a large farm where oysters are grown in an amazing way using interconnected wooden structures which are loaded with stones, submerged in the sea and taken out after a certain period of time.
After the fall of the Dubrovnik Republic, during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy rule, Ston municipality leased Bistrina cove and gave concessions to individuals. The Austrian administration regulated the overfishing of oysters in a way that fishermen were required to lay 700 oak branches in the sea each year.
In Sutvid cove next to Drače in Mali Ston Bay, captain Stijepo Bjelovučić from a well-known shipowner family, founded “The first commercial oysters and mussels farm in Dalmatia” in 1889. He significantly improved the farming technology and cultivation of oysters in this area. Oysters from Sutvid were awarded various diplomas and were exported to European cities such as Vienna, Prague and even Paris.
At the beginning of the 20th century the oyster farming technology was improved, but after the First World War the oyster farms were completely destroyed. The period from 1926 until the Second World War was characterized by more intensive and active participation of individuals in the development of the farming process. After the Second World War and the enormous damage this period caused to the shellfish farms in Mali Ston Bay, the shellfish farming continued more intensively than before. State-owned companies were established for cultivation, research and improvement of the farming technology.
The serious production growth in the second part of the 1980s was the result of modernizing the way and organization of production by introducing modern farming technologies which are still used today and connecting the state production with private farmers on a cooperative basis.
In 1990, the production of Mali Ston oysters reached up to 2 million pieces, which was the majority of oyster production in Croatia. This positive trend was unfortunately interrupted by the Homeland War. The farms were destroyed and the production stopped once again. After the war, shellfish farming is renewed by small family farms gathered in associations and cooperatives. Today, Association of Ston Shellfish Farmers is still active and has become a central subject of the development of this business in Mali Ston Bay.
Today, Mali Ston Bay represents 90% of oyster production in Croatia and it is one of the largest production areas of Ostrea edulis in Europe. The production reached 2 million oysters which are almost completely consumed locally, mostly by foreign visitors who increasingly recognize this gastronomic brand.
The tradition of shellfish farming in Mali Ston Bay with particular regard to oysters dates as far back as the Roman Empire (Pliny – Historiae Naturalis). The first available archive record on how to gather oysters from natural nurseries and on semi- farming in Mali Ston Bay dates from 1573. Already in 1333, the Dubrovnik Republic recognized the importance of this area, first by renting it and later by acquiring it.
Archive records from the 16th and the 17th century show that the oyster farming was already well-established and in the hands of representatives of the Dubrovnik Republic in Ston. The Rector of Ston was the only one who had the right to regulate this business. He issued concessions for those who made a commitment to farm oysters and give a certain part to the state. Parts of the bay which were used for oyster farming were divided into the plots that individuals rented. Mali Ston oysters were sold in košić (a round basket with a handle, made of young twigs from certain local bushes). Every basket had to be the same, so farmers took them to Ston for calibration. One sample basket was stored in Ston, and the other one was stored in Dubrovnik in the office for scales.
There is an interesting written correspondence between Ulisse Aldrovandi, a famous Italian naturalist and a professor at the University of Bologna, and Jakov Sorgo, a well-known amateur naturalist from Dubrovnik, who was the Rector of Ston at the time. The correspondence lasted from 1580 to 1584 and the letters and notes exchanged between Aldrovandi and Sorgo are a part of the Aldrovandi’s legacy kept in the archive of the University Library of Bologna. Aldrovandi needed samples of fish and shellfish from this side of the Adriatic coast for his research, so his Dubrovnik acquain tances connected him with Jakov Sorgo. In his letters, Jakov Sorgo very vividly describes the farming of oysters on branches. He also describes the importance of freshwater inflow for oyster and shellfish farming, their taste and the best way to consume them. During the 16th and the 17th century, the price of the basket followed the general increase in prices, and it was worth approximately as a kutao (0,8 litres) of malvasija dubrovačka wine. In the 18th century, the farming almost completely collapsed due to the abuse of power of Dubrovnik nobles who performed duties of the Rector or officials in the saltworks in Ston. This is confirmed by numerous records of oyster farmers’ complaints about the Rector’s cruel and arrogant behavior. The Dubrovnik Senate acts with measures to revive the oyster farming by passing legal provisions which intensify the strictness of control over the oyster business, ensure loans to farmers, exempt them from certain fees and set a fixed price for oysters. One of the curiosities of these legal provisions was the environmental awareness of the authorities. When picking oak branches, farmers were not allowed to destroy the whole tree. They were allowed to pick only one or two branches to keep the tree growing, and penalties were prescribed for violations of this act.
Interesting news appeared in “Gaze- ta Nueva” newspapers, 1st edition from 1667 which were published in Sevilla, Spain. They report that the city of Dubrovnik has a large farm where oysters are grown in an amazing way using interconnected wooden structures which are loaded with stones, submerged in the sea and taken out after a certain period of time.
After the fall of the Dubrovnik Republic, during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy rule, Ston municipality leased Bistrina cove and gave concessions to individuals. The Austrian administration regulated the overfishing of oysters in a way that fishermen were required to lay 700 oak branches in the sea each year.
In Sutvid cove next to Drače in Mali Ston Bay, captain Stijepo Bjelovučić from a well-known shipowner family, founded “The first commercial oysters and mussels farm in Dalmatia” in 1889. He significantly improved the farming technology and cultivation of oysters in this area. Oysters from Sutvid were awarded various diplomas and were exported to European cities such as Vienna, Prague and even Paris.
At the beginning of the 20th century the oyster farming technology was improved, but after the First World War the oyster farms were completely destroyed. The period from 1926 until the Second World War was characterized by more intensive and active participation of individuals in the development of the farming process. After the Second World War and the enormous damage this period caused to the shellfish farms in Mali Ston Bay, the shellfish farming continued more intensively than before. State-owned companies were established for cultivation, research and improvement of the farming technology.
The serious production growth in the second part of the 1980s was the result of modernizing the way and organization of production by introducing modern farming technologies which are still used today and connecting the state production with private farmers on a cooperative basis.
In 1990, the production of Mali Ston oysters reached up to 2 million pieces, which was the majority of oyster production in Croatia. This positive trend was unfortunately interrupted by the Homeland War. The farms were destroyed and the production stopped once again. After the war, shellfish farming is renewed by small family farms gathered in associations and cooperatives. Today, Association of Ston Shellfish Farmers is still active and has become a central subject of the development of this business in Mali Ston Bay.
Today, Mali Ston Bay represents 90% of oyster production in Croatia and it is one of the largest production areas of Ostrea edulis in Europe. The production reached 2 million oysters which are almost completely consumed locally, mostly by foreign visitors who increasingly recognize this gastronomic brand.