Ston Shellfish Farmers’ Association was formed in 2006, and since it’s founding has been making consistent, concentrated efforts toward improving the conditions for sustainable development and shellfish farming in the Mali Ston Bay area and has left its mark through the volunteering work of its members and leadership. In cooperation with professional organizations, the association brings together scientists, experts, and entrepreneurs who wish to contribute to the sustainable development of the area and takes part in developing general and specialized programming documents for the purposes of sustainable development and advancement of shellfish farming. It engages in a number of activities concerning sustainable development in shellfish farming, especially market research and processing as well as the organization of meetings, forums, and round tables. With its 38 shellfish farmers, the association is currently (2022) not only the largest shellfish aquaculture association but also one of the largest fishing associations in the Republic of Croatia.
Over the last few years, European funds that provide support for development projects have put wind in the sails of the overall development in Croatia. The association has seized this opportunity and launched several projects through funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. The association has so far successfully launched several EU projects, including “Shellfish Aquaculture in the Mali Ston Bay – Natural Wealth, Cultural Heritage, and a Way of Life”. The goal of the project is to accumulate the most valuable knowledge regarding the Mali Ston Bay and shellfish farming through exhaustive scientific and technical research and assembling large quantities of documents, scientific papers, and historical records on shellfish aquaculture in the Mali Ston Bay and its role of an invaluable natural resource, rich cultural heritage, and a way of life. The accumulated knowledge base, presented in the monograph, is intended to serve as a basis for the long-term valuation of its cultural heritage, guide sustainable development and environmental protection efforts, as well as provide an incentive to create added value and attract young farmers and students.
In its day-to-day work, the association strongly advocates the protection of the Mali Ston Bay as a hotbed of shellfish aquaculture and actively cautions against current and future threats to its ecosystem. Aware of the importance of protecting the fragile ecological balance, shellfish farmers have joined forces with competent local institutions for the preservation of the bay to launch the Eco Mali Ston Bay project, also funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. The project includes joint activities in the field of environmental protection and waste management and aims to conserve and protect valuable natural resources and the marine environment of the Mali Ston Bay.
The most important project initiated and implemented by the association has been securing the Mali Ston Oyster European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label for the European flat oyster farmed in the bay. Five years of the association’s efforts and work have been rewarded by the EU Commission Implementing Regulation 2020/1469 of 6 October 2020 entering a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications. The Mali Ston oyster thus became part of the European Commission's certification system that covers 1,500 different European products that represent the excellence of European food production. Croatia thus gained its first fishery product with a protected designation of origin and the Mali Ston oyster became the only farmed European flat oyster with a protected designation of origin across Europe.
Bolstered by this success and armed with the designation of origin – the highest food quality designation of the European Commission – as its springboard, the association has launched activities aimed at promoting and strengthening the Mali Ston oyster (Malostonska kamenica) brand. The first marketing project, “Mali Ston Oyster – The Queen of Oysters”, was launched in 2020 to raise customer awareness about the quality and uniqueness of the Mali Ston oyster and increase its visibility and demand in the local tourism market. This project should serve as a stepping stone for the further development of marketing activities, strengthening the brand, raising oyster prices, and potential expansion into global markets. The marketing process takes time, especially in the case of products that achieve higher prices based on their uniqueness and high quality.