As Morski writes on the 15th of September, 2019, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, of which the famous Ston is a part, has awarded non-refundable support to seventeen companies, more specifically to shellfish farmers. The large sum is to cover the costs of obtaining a prestigious mark of originality, the total amount of which stands at 68,000 kuna.
Namely, the oysters from Mali Ston (Malostonska kamenica) have been awarded the much-sought-after national originality label and therefore should soon be fully protected by the European Union (EU).
The designation of origin should give the Ston shellfish an easier placement and a guarantee of quality to the buyer. Ostrea edulis is the first seafood product to receive the protected designation of origin label. It is the first step in protecting the geographical origin of the so-called ''queen'' of the shellfish.
This procedure must first go before the European Commission (EC), and this means that the famous oysters from southern Dalmatia will be the first protected shellfish in the whole of the territory of the European Union.
This support for properly protecting Ston's much loved molluscs at the Union level is part of some of the intensive and ongoing activities in the Bay of Mali Ston, which have been continuously implemented by Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
These activities related to Ston's produce have increased significantly over the past three years or so, ever since the jurisdiction over concessions in the Bay of Mali Ston was passed over into the hands of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
In order to enable all of the necessary elements of the production process, Dubrovnik-Neretva County continuously monitors the goings on in the Bay of Mali Ston. Separate studies were conducted in cooperation with the competent ministry for the cultivation of mussels and oysters, and a comprehensive analysis of the situation in the Bay of Mali Ston is expected soon, with special attention being paid to protection against possible predators, and securing a safe shore site for unhindered shelling of the oysters.
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