PhD student Niko Bujas presented the results of his doctoral research at the STEcoMED2026 conference, held on 22–23 October and organised by the Faculty of Marine Science at the University of Split. Niko gave an oral presentation focusing on the reproductive cycle of the European flat oyster
At the Adria Climate Conference held on Brijuni, the POPOyster project PI Daria Ezgeta Balić presented the project, its citizen science initiative and the preliminary results obtained through citizen participation. During the conference, representatives of the Nature Protection Agency also presented Croatia’s National Nature Restoration Plan. We were particularly pleased to see that a proposal developed through the POPOyster project had been included in the national plan, demonstrating the potential impact of our work on future nature restoration efforts.
At the 4th AdriBioPro Conference (22–25 September 2026) in Kotor, Montenegro, Nika Stagličić presented the citizen science initiative developed within the POPOyster project. The presentation introduced the initiative and highlighted how citizens can contribute to monitoring European flat oyster populations and supporting marine conservation.
PhD students Niko Bujas and Ratko Cvitanić participated in the 15th European Conference on Ecological Restoration (SERE2026) from August 24th – 28th, 2026 in Brest, France. The conference brought together leading experts in ecological restoration. In addition to presenting posters, the students had the opportunity to attend several workshops, some of which focused specifically on the restoration of European flat oyster populations. The knowledge and experience gained will be valuable for their ongoing doctoral research.
A second scientific paper resulting from the POPOyster project has been published in the journal Mediterranean Marine Science. The paper focuses on the distribution and status of European flat oyster populations, combining data collected before and during the POPOyster project. The study provides a valuable contribution to understanding the changes in this species over the past 15 years and explores the possibilities for its restoration.
On 14 April, the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries organised Citizen Science Day as part of the SCIENCE COMES TO TOWN project. The event brought together approximately 50 stakeholders from different sectors, including tourism, business, diving associations, NGOs and education. The aim was to introduce participants to scientific initiatives in which citizens can actively take part. The event also provided an opportunity to promote the POPOyster citizen science platform, developed to enable citizens to report sightings of European flat oysters.
As part of the POPOyster project, a citizen science platform has been developed to collect public reports on the presence of the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis). While our research is primarily focused on the northern Adriatic, this species is distributed along the entire Adriatic coast. To better understand its distribution and identify potential locations for future monitoring, this initiative encourages citizens to contribute observations and support ongoing research efforts.
A scientific paper on the reproductive cycle and larval settlement of the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) under the aquculutre condition across different locations along the eastern Adriatic coast has been published in the journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. The findings contribute valuable knowledge for the conservation and restoration of this ecologically important species and support future monitoring and management efforts.
The results of the POPOyster project were presented through a poster presentation at the NORA6 conference in Cartagena, Span (24-27 November 2025), which brings together experts in the field of European flat oyster restoration. You can read the abstract in the book of abstracts available at the link.
At the CROFISH Fair in Poreč, which brings together scientists, policymakers, and representatives from the fishing and aquaculture sectors, Dr. Tanja Šegvić Bubić delivered an engaging presentation that also highlighted the POPOYster project. During her talk, she outlined the project’s main objectives and discussed ongoing activities. The presentation emphasized the project’s contribution to gathering biological and ecological baseline data for future restoration activities and highlighted the importance of collaboration between researchers and stakeholders in the sector.
At the 15th Croatian Biological Congress, young researchers from the POPOYster project took part. They presented the results achieved during the first two years of the project. PhD student Niko Bujas gave an oral presentation titled " Insights into the reproductive cycle of wild Ostrea edulis populations in the northern Adriatic", while doctoral student Ratko Cvitanić presented a poster titled “Natural populations of Ostrea edulis in the Northern Adriatic: patterns of distribution, biomass, and conservation challenges”
The Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (IOF) recently hosted representatives from Eurofish, an international non-profit organization that supports the development of fisheries and aquaculture in Europe. During the visit, IOF scientists presented our current projects and shared the results of our work. This meeting also served as an opportunity to strengthen future cooperation. Additionally, the visit will be the basis for a short article in Eurofish Magazine, with the next issue focusing on Croatia.
The POPOYSTER Project is now listed as an initiative on the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA) webpage. NORA focuses on the protection and ecological restoration of the native European oyster (Ostrea edulis) and its habitat within its current or historical range. This listing reflects POPOYSTER’s involvement in the ongoing efforts to restore native oyster populations in European waters.
The PI of the POPOyster project, Daria Ezgeta Balić, recently took part in a consortium meeting for the CLIMAREST project held at Ifremer in Brest from April 15th to 17th. During this event, she had the chance to interact with many researchers that work towards a common goal: restoring habitats that have faced degradation over the years. European oyster reefs are among the habitats in focus. This occasion provided a wonderful platform to introduce the POPOyster project and engage in discussions with experts from Brest known for their extensive experience in oyster reef restoration.
At the Adriatic Mariculture conference, doctoral student Ratko Cvitanić, who will be conducting his doctoral research as part of the POPOyster project, presented the study results that formed the basis for the project. He also presented the aim of POPOyster project. The conference was organized by the University of Zadar in Zadar on April 8, 2024.
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