This year, Sunce participated in the 17th edition of the Croatian Small Shipbuilding and Tourism Days – Croatia Nautic Show 2025, with a powerful message: Every breath you take, every fish you eat… It’s thanks to Posidonia! This slogan is primarily directed at sailors – the type of tourists who are the first to arrive in our country and the last to leave – reminding them that marine protection is essential for preserving the Adriatic Sea. Because every “breath” and “bite of fish” we take is connected to the sea and its ecosystems.
Marine protection at the core of our work
From April 3rd to 5th, 2025, visitors to the fair at Marina Kaštela could learn at Sunce’s stand all about our long-standing research on human pressures on marine and coastal ecosystems, with a special focus on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows.
As part of the Interreg Italy–Croatia BIOPRESSADRIA project, we are developing strategies and proposing possible solutions aimed at reducing the negative impact of coastal and nautical tourism on marine and coastal biodiversity. The project is implemented in partnership with the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Split-Dalmatia County – Sea and Karst, Public Institution National Park Kornati, Public Institution for the Management of Protected Nature Areas of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Municipality of Monfalcone (project lead), SELC Cooperative Company, CORILA – Consortium for coordination of research activities concerning the Venice lagoon system, and Management consortium of Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area.
— The Adriatic Sea is under increasing pressure from coastal degradation, waste and wastewater pollution, improper anchoring, and overfishing. All of this can be attributed to ineffective monitoring and control systems, as well as a lack of public awareness and responsible behaviour in nature. Anchoring physically damages seabed habitats. It’s important where it occurs – on sandy bottoms it has minimal impact, while anchoring in Posidonia meadows (commonly known as sea grass) has extremely negative effects on overall biodiversity and marine productivity. We want to inform boaters about the importance of Posidonia meadows and how they can contribute to their preservation, — said Zrinka Jakl, Head of Nature Conservation Department at Sunce.
Research has shown that a 50-meter yacht can destroy up to 1,500 m² of Posidonia in a single anchoring – nearly a quarter of a football field. Last summer, Sunce’s campaign And where do you anchor? raised awareness among sea lovers about this important issue.
Eco Conference: Sailors as Adriatic Guardians
We’re not the only ones tackling the issue of marine protection – as shown by one of the most attended panels at the Show: Sailors as Adriatic Guardians, organized by Slobodna Dalmacija. The focus was on the issue of wastewater in the Adriatic Sea. According to panelists, at summer, each passenger aboard a boat generates an average of 40 to 60 Liters of wastewater daily. And even though discharging wastewater into the sea is prohibited by Croatian law, wastewater pump-out stations seem to be rarely used – only when specifically requested by a vessel.
Some reasons for the trend of discharging wastewater into the sea include a lack of marina equipment (only just over 50% of marinas have wastewater pump-out stations), and the requirement to pay for wastewater disposal services in most marinas.
— In Rovinj, we have a well-developed wastewater pump-out stations, but there is still a problem – not with mega or small cruise ships, but with small boats that fall into a grey zone. We see how many of them are sailing the Adriatic in summer, but on average, only about ten such vessels contact us during the season for wastewater reception. Though they are small, they are numerous and collectively have a significant impact on the marine environment, — explained Rudolf Marić, Director of the Port Authority of Rovinj.
As solutions, the panelists proposed stricter penalties, mandatory wastewater discharge logs for small boats (those with up to 12 passengers), and mandatory payment for waste and wastewater reception services – regardless of whether the service is used or not.
— Another problem is that Croatia doesn’t have enough waste processing plants. When a marina collects waste from a vessel, it must pay to transport it to often remote parts of the country. This increases the cost of waste reception from boats, — said Matko Bašić, Director of the Marine Protection and Operations Department at Cian Split.
To stimulate monitoring and control at sea, pressure on competent institutions is needed. Last summer, Sunce invited people to report marine pollution via the Green Phone. In fact, the law obliges every citizen to report pollution – but the problem is that harbour master’s offices and their branches often don’t act on those reports.
— We experienced this firsthand, as we received 29 citizen reports of marine pollution during the summer, all of which were forwarded to the relevant institutions. To this day, we have received no feedback. Citizens are concerned, they report incidents, they’re motivated to act, and they care – but when nothing gets resolved, usually due to lack of evidence, they become demotivated. If the law mandates reporting pollution, then clear guidelines are needed about what kind of evidence is required. That way, we’re actually helping the authorities do their job, since we understand they lack the capacity to monitor the entire sea, — highlighted Matea Špika, Senior Associate in the Nature Conservation Department at Sunce, addressing her question to maritime inspector Ivica Čikotić.
— Last year, we issued four fines related to wastewater discharge from boats, as a direct result of inspection actions. Citizen reports usually lack sufficient evidence for further proceedings, and even when they do include video, it often isn’t enough. Still, it’s good that citizens and sailors report such cases – it raises awareness and encourages necessary changes, so that environmental protection becomes a priority over, for example, regulating how many sunbeds a concessionaire can place, — said Čikotić.
Get involved in nature protection!
Croatia Nautic Show, which highlights people, small shipbuilders, fishermen, and sailing culture, was an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about coastal protection, Posidonia, key habitats, and endangered species. We invite you to join us in raising awareness about nature protection, because truly, Every breath you take, every fish you eat depends on the health of Posidonia meadows – a vital ecosystem of the Adriatic Sea. Find out why this species, which also provides habitat for many other marine organisms, is so important in our new Posidonia leaflet, unveiled at the Croatia Nautic Show.
— At the Show, visitors could find us at our stand, in Sunce’s recognizable colours, with Posidonia by our side as a symbol of our advocacy for preserving the Adriatic Sea. Our goal, as always, is to give a voice to the Adriatic — without which this show wouldn’t even exist. At the Sunce stand, a large faux wall allowed visitors to immerse themselves in the world of Posidonia and imagine what it’s like to be a small snail, sea urchin, or pen shell hiding in the Posidonia meadows. Aside from taking photos with Posidonia, visitors could also play our quiz and win great prizes. We were especially delighted by a group of students from Bijaći Elementary School in Kaštel Novi, who demonstrated impressive knowledge about Posidonia! — stated Bruna Tomić from Communications and Advocacy Department, Sunce.
At Sunce’s stand, visitors could also learn more about the organization’s work, current projects and activities, how to become a member or volunteer, and what such engagement with Sunce can offer. More information about membership is available at this link.
