Croatia Lifestyle - Fresh Croatian Fish?

Picture: Fishing boats in Rogoznica
© Jane Cody



We've speculated for some time on whether much of the fish we eat in Croatia really is the class one, locally caught, catch of the day or comes from some other source. We've not spotted much fish of any decent size in our travels by boat around the Adriatic but we've seen plenty of fishing boats, apparently unused for long periods, and many run down villages that once used to thrive on the fishing industry.

In an article in yesterday's New York Times, Elisabeth Rosenthal reports from Sucuraj on Hvar Island and suggests that much of the fish we eat in Croatia is imported from as far away as America. The Bluefin Tuna, once abundant in the Croatian Adriatic, is now rare in the wild, but caught elsewhere and fattened in farms here.

The article is essential reading but paints a depressing picture of overfishing and depleted stocks. Go to http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/world/europe/16tuna.html for the full story. You'll have to register to read it but it's free.