Pollution from Fish Farming Activities in the Adriatic Sea

Abstract

Fish farming (sea bream and sea bass, as well as bluefin tuna) production in Croatia exhibited a large increment from 14,000 t per year in 2018. This expansion has led to enhanced concern for the environmental integrity of the coastal areas from the public and the scientific community, particularly regarding ecological impact of fish farming. To reduce pollution caused by these activities in Croatia, monitoring of physical, chemical and biological parameters in the water column and sediments was introduced. According to Croatian legislative, monitoring activities are based on Environmental Impact Assessment studies (EIAs) for particular fish farm facility. These monitoring programs are not unified considering the parameters to be monitored as well as criteria or standards applied. Similar situation of different monitoring practice of environmental impact of fish farming based on EIAs can be found on European and Mediterranean level.