Brgulje/island of Molat Petition to save Brgulje Bay

The residents of Brgulj, Molat and Zapuntel sent a letter to the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure warning the authorities about the devastation of Brgulj Bay on the island of Molat and asking for trawling, gill netting and other fishing nets to be banned.

"The residents of Brgulj live from the sea, as their village has completely relocated into the Bay and Brgumul harbour. Their livelihood depends on the sea and the fish they catch in Brgulj Bay, such as picarel, mackerel, sardines, mullet, bream, etc. We are aware of regulations that ban the use of trawls, gill nets and other fishing nets in enclosed bays. However, this does not stop professional fishermen doing exactly this in Brgulj Bay. This bay, once known for its noble pen shell and mackerel spawning, is now so devastated that they have vanished from it. Our harbour is often visited by the marine police and Zadar Harbourmaster’s Office, and we have talked to them about the issue and asked for their assistance. To date, we have not managed to solve the problem and thus have not put a stop to the further devastation of our bay. I would also like to mention that we often have ‘guest’ boats and powerboats using lights and candlelight to catch fish, coming into our bay using glass bottom boats, roaming the bay at night with or without moonlight. Residents are angry about the individuals and numerous fishing boats coming every day and putting nets in the water and scraping the sea bottom. There are no strong currents in the bay and this makes habitat restitution even more difficult. We would like to use this opportunity to ask for your help and understanding. There are not many of us and we do not know how to stop the further exploitation and devastation of Brgulje Bay. We ask your advice on what to do and how to handle those who constantly abuse us, our bay and all of its riches. Hoping that you will be able to help us and offer protection, we thank you in advance”. This is the letter signed by the president of the Local Council, Darko Šarunić, the president of the Brgulje Angling Association, Hrvoje Car and the manager of the Brgumul Economic Co-operative, Branko Šimin.

Brgulje Bay