Through the Maritime and Fisheries Operational Program, the amount of 234.9 million kuna was agreed for 635 users for their projects on seventeen islands in Croatia, while the amount of 176.7 million kuna was paid to as many as 570 beneficiaries.

As Morski writes on the 8th of March, 2019, the largest amount of beneficiaries of contracted and paid funds are on the island of Ugljan, where as much as 27 percent of the total contracted funds for beneficiaries on the islands have been contracted. Given the large number of fishermen on the island of Ugljan, particularly in Kali, the measures that have been taken relate to (among other things) health and safety and energy efficiency on fishing vessels, as well as an additional measure aimed at improving the conditions for product placement on the market, thus achieving a higher price for the products themselves.

''Our fishermen, fish farmers and [fish] processors are well acquainted with the opportunities the Operational Program for Maritime and Fisheries provides, and that has also been confirmed by the growth of the available funds [for this sector] over the last two years. Since the beginning of the implementation of the Maritime and Fisheries Operational Program, a total of 42 tenders have been issued to date, of which 34 have been during the mandate of this government. So far, 47.27 percent of the allocation, or 1.2 billion kuna, has been contracted, and almost 600 million kuna has been paid,'' said the minister of agriculture, Tomislav Tolušić.

Investment on the island Brač is set to occur immediately after the investment on Ugljan. On the other fifteen islands, most of the investments have been directed towards fishing and measures related to it, examples of that are Hvar, Dugi Otok and Cres.

There is also investment occurring in the field of energy-efficient heating and cooling systems in construction facilities for fish processing, as opposed to outdated ''classic'' systems (fossil fuel systems). Money will also be pumped into improving business processes by acquiring new IT equipment and more modern business management software.

Within the Croatian Maritime Operational Program for the Programming Period 2014-2020, 348.7 million euro (252.6 million euro from the EU budget and 96.1 million euro from the budget of the Republic of Croatia) have been made available.

These funds are extremely important to Croatia's fishing sector and as such meets their very specific needs over the aforementioned time period. Within the operational program, in cooperation with all interested stakeholders from scientific institutions, local and regional self-government units, state institutions and entities from the fisheries sector, 36 different measures were covered for the entire sector, from sea and freshwater catches and farming, to the processing and eventual marketing of fish products, to producer organisations and FLAGs.

Make sure to stay up to date on fishing in Croatia and much, much more by following our dedicated business page.

As Morski writes on the 2nd of February, 2019, the I Love Beli (Udruga Volim Beli) association was founded spontaneously back in 2011 and since then has been operating in the northern part of the beautiful island of Cres, Tramuntana. For years, the association's active work, creative ideas and various projects have been committed to revitalising that part of the island where the growing population exceeds the average of other rural areas.

In many conversations with Cres-based entrepreneurs, as well as visitors and other locals, a great need for the area to maintain its existing natural resources, to expand the supply, and to ensure the safety of recreants and hikers was felt.

This is exactly how the ideas for an association between PD Kamnenjak, Tomislav Bandera Anić, and the author of "Tramuntana Hike&Bike", was born. The idea represents a network of hiking and cycling trails on Tramuntana, as was reported by Pokret otoka (Island movement).

Tramuntana is one of the few examples in Kvarner and beyond, where such projects are carried out in accordance with the practices of the Croatian Mountaineering Association, which also approved this project and included the hiking trails in the register of hiking trails. The Kamenjak mountaineering club is responsible for the supervision and the execution of all the work on the footpaths and hiking trails on the island of Cres, to which the Croatian Mountaineering Association assigned this function.

There has been a very good response from volunteers from both the island and the mainland, without which this action would not be possible to undertake. People recognise the important of the project, respond with enthusiasm and are happy to do what they can to help it along.

Many entrepreneurs have been providing financial support through donations for both this project and numerous other activities the Volim Beli association is carrying out.

The project of marking out the hiking trails and footpaths has the full support of the Cres Tourist Board and has received donations from many local business owners, entrepreneurs and companies, and further cooperation with many other island business owners is expected.

The "Mystical Trails of Tramuntana" project is partly a continuation of the "Tramuntana Hike&Bike" project, which will work to offer nature lovers, hikers and other lovers of the great outdoors increased safety and far more opportunities to enjoy everything the stunning island of Cres has to offer.

Make sure to stay up to date by following our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

Click here for the original article by Pokret otoka

As Morski writes on the 5th of January, 2019, back in October, German rescue workers in Kaditz near Dresden came across an unwell nine-month-old griffon vulture from Kvarner in Radebeul vineyard.

The injured and sickly bird was simply lying exhausted on the ground. Although his wingspan stood at a massive 2.8 feet wide, the unwell bird was exhausted and his weight was a mere kilograms. On his leg he wore a ring labelled "Kvarner", from which his German saviours determined that his country of birth was Croatia, according to a report by Fenix ​​Magazine.

The rescuers collected the unlucky young bird and took him to receive immediate medical attention, in a location at which numerous other sick and wounded bird species are treated.

Over time, the young and rather unfortunate griffon vulture from Kvarner slowly recovered, and his German rescuers named him ''Kvarner'', owing to the ring on his leg. With the proper care and time to heal, Kvarner got better day by day, accumulating extra strength for his return to his native Croatia.

''Now he weighs twice as much than when we first found him. At first he was only eating crumbs, and thanks to the hunters who supported us, he eventually took to eating meat from wild game, and wild boar meat. Now he's even become a little gourmand because instead of eating entrails, he now loves to eat hearts and livers from game animals,'' stated Saskia Keller of the German facility currently treating young Kvarner, who is growing stronger with each passing day.

This young bird of prey from Cres, which is the closest relative of the eagle, will remain in Kaditz until March. He will then be released back to his native Croatia, more specifically in Kvarner bay.

Since a few colonies of such birds can be found on the island of Pag and in the Velebit mountain range, it is estimated that in the Republic of Croatia there are between 110 and 140 pairs of these predatory birds in total.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated lifestyle page for more.

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It’s fall, and with the season’s changing we thought we’d bring you some off-season activities that are sure to keep you active and out in the colder months. While it’s hard to say what truly are the five best hikes in Croatia, TCN thought we would narrow the options down as best as we could. Remember, this season is ideal for hiking in Croatia and there are several places in addition to the ones mentioned to venture to - don't miss out!

With that said, here are TCN’s picks for top 5 hikes in Croatia.