In 1996 Kali tuna was established by two men returning back to Croatia from Australia, with their Australian and Japanese associates. The techniques, knowledge and skills required for this type of operation were passed on from the Australian experience, and overtime expanded and greatly improved.
Location
Kali, a small town on the Croatian island of Ugljan, just opposite to Zadar, is one of the most successful fishing communities in the Mediterranean. The Zadar archipelago, situated along Croatia’s Central Adriatic coast, contains one-third of all populated Croatian islands. Of these, the island of Ugljan is among the most populated. On the island of Ugljan is the community of Kali, linked to the principle mainland town of Zadar by regular ferry service.
About 80% of the working population is involved in fishing or related activities. The exceptionally high percentage of the local population involved in the fishing industry is owed to the area’s geography and history. Originally, the people had little choice but to fish for their own food requirements. Naturally enough, this initial activities were limited to their familiar local waters. Today, however, boats captained and crewed by proud men from Kali fish not only all over the Adriatic Sea, but also as far as the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. There are, in fact, more professional fishermen from Kali than from any other place along Croatian coast and this activity has spawned numerous essential support activities—such as boat, net maintenence and repair, and also fish processing—that occupy island people from the other villages that dot these islands.
Major achievements
Kali has become also a pioneer in Croatian aquaculture. In the 1970s, CENMAR, the largest company for aquaculture in Croatia today, established a farm in Lamjana. This was a key event; it showed that Kali people not only have the knowledge and passion to hunt fish, but to farm them, as well. And it was in 1996 that the first tuna rearing company—Kali Tuna, d.o.o.—began its tuna-fattening operations in the vicinity of their home island.
The Kali Tuna story is one with a fascinating history when you consider it as the pioneer of tuna farming within the Mediterranean sea, the company has accomplished a great deal since beginning its operations, the fact that it has increased its initial annual export of bluefin tuna from 30 T per year to 1400 T in past few years is an overwhelming achievement.
The Team
As for the number of employees, that figure has increased several times, starting with as little as six employees we have grown into a company which now employs some 120 individuals.
The company has also spawned a wide range of up and downstream employment, which is reflected through the supplying of small fresh pelagic fish to the tuna farms (used for wet feed), the required transport of essential materials to the farms, and of course, the supplying of the live tuna on which fattening operations currently depend.
