In the period from 29.05. – 11.06.2017. in the area of Plat (HR), the inventory of marine habitats and the establishment and monitoring of the species Posidonia oceanica was done. Establishment of Posidonia monitoring was done with the help of dr.sc. Ivan Guala (International Marine Center Loc. Sa Mardini, Torregrande, Oristano, Italy).
In the diving field, a total of 9 divers dredged for 14 days within the framework of the project “Mapping, monitoring and management of the cross-border Natura 2000 network at sea – 4M”.
The interesting thing we encountered at one of the dives is the biggest fish of all the bony fishes, the big buckwheat (Mola mola). Divers have estimated the perimeter range to 3.5 m. Otherwise, this species can grow up to 3.2 m in length or 4.2 m in perimeter range.
The big buchwheat is not present in the human diet on our premises, and in the past, glue was made from its meat. Although most of its life is carried out at depths up to 200 m, it can often be seen as side-facing floating on the sea surface. The big buckwheat has a thick and elastic skin where pests are often found and floating on the surface allows birds to feed them. Though not strictly protected, its conservation is remarkably significant since it has become widely accepted that it controls the growth of the jellyfish population in the ecosystem.
Photographs were given by Jelena Belamarić.