The fishermen of Santa Gilla, in Cagliari, are launching a new challenge: after mussels, clams, razor clams and morsels, oysters are now also farmed in the lagoon. There is no shortage of difficulties but the quality of the molluscs, thanks to the characteristics of the water, is excellent.

The members of the cooperative, respecting the strict health and hygiene provisions of the ASL to the letter, sought advice and guidance from researchers from the University's Marine Biology department who for years have been following a project that seemed unachievable. After years of attempts, the fishermen have found the right one and have been throwing themselves into the market for a few months, convinced that they have a top quality product in their hands.

«Our adventure began in 2018», says Valter Rizzardini, vice president of the cooperative made up of 150 fishermen. «The Marine Biology department followed a project that seemed absurd. They were years of long trials, the first of all was the breeding and harvesting with the "lantern" system, a sort of net cylinder with seven floors." This procedure soon proved to be inconvenient and tiring, because the lanterns filled with algae, mud and other organisms and pulling them by hand onto the boats, from the shallow and muddy seabed of Santa Gilla, was really difficult.

The news that will give a new impetus to the initiative comes from the Region. «Three years ago the Agris agency proposed us a new system: the poches. A float with a net where the molluscs grow", says the vice president of the cooperative. In 2023 the fishermen of the lagoon will finally get serious. «We decided to focus everything on this technique».

How are oysters from the Santa Gilla lagoon raised? «The first step in the chain is to buy the seed in France. The larvae, which arrive in Sardinia with refrigerated trucks, are immediately placed in the nets and immersed in the floating rows." How long does breeding last? «Oysters stay in water for 8 to 10 months. Every two days we turn them over, exposing them to the sun so that the parasites are destroyed."

After harvesting there is another delicate step: housing. «After harvesting, the oysters are treated in the purification plant, first in cold storage, then through water which must have a very specific quality and temperature». Finally, marketing. «Every day we process 300 kilos of oysters but our possibilities are double». How much do you sell them for? «Wholesale at 7.5 euros per kilo».

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