"He wanted to create a park for underwater fish …". And he succeeded, and how he did! The history of the Fonda family shows us how even a breeding can be well done, as long as certain conditions are respected. And above all that things are done with care, enthusiasm and passion.

A family under the sea

The history of the Fondas is strongly intertwined with that of their territory, Slovenian Istria, too often forgotten compared to the larger and better known Croatian part. It all starts with Ugo Fonda, born in Lucija, a small town on the coast, a few steps from the Sečovlje salt pans, and raised in a family of salt workers is farmers. "My father was more than in love with the sea," the daughter tells us Irena. "He was really obsessed with fishing and the whole world who lived underwater." For this reason, in addition to the Italian teacher, he has also been a biologist and a diver for years. The sea, therefore, knew him well, and how he knew it well! In fact, it was he who at a certain point, at the end of the nineties, realized that something was changing, that it was no longer the same and that there were no more fish. "There is no redfish in that spot where I always saw it, not even sea bass, herbs, seaweeds". And so he said: "We absolutely have to do something, the sea is my whole life." Together with him in this enterprise, in addition to his wife, the two children Irena and Lean, who have followed in his footsteps, have also become organic and continue to carry out his mission, faithful to the same spirit that distinguished him.

A park for underwater fish

The first idea is to create a park for underwater fish, that is, a structure that would bring back all the flora and fauna that had seen dissolve over the years. The intuition is so brilliant and avant-garde that in 2000 he also won a prize in Brussels for more innovative and sustainable project. But, unfortunately, for various bureaucratic and legislative problems, in practice it proves to be infeasible; perhaps Ugo, as a true lover he was, had had an idea that was too romantic, too utopian. But stubborn as he was, he still decides to go his own way: "We will make the best farmed fish in the world". Thus, in 2003 the Fonda company was born: a fish farm very similar to that of the initial project, with 70% sea bass and 30% sea bream, because historically they came to this area to reproduce. "If they are fine here, we raise sea bass," said Ugo. "All our breeding, in fact, was done thinking as organic", continues Irena, "that is, paying attention to what affects nature and is better for the fish, always bearing in mind that everything is alive under the sea, or at least it should to be, as my father always said . And so the Fondas managed to bring him back to life, that sea, and to create one of the few really well-made farms.

How a well done breeding must be

There are farms and farms, which is why it is essential to understand what distinguishes them, going deeper without stopping at the word "reared". Perhaps it will be because the Fondas were the first to harbor strong prejudices against farmed fish, because people have made and unfortunately continue to make so many mistakes. But as they say, the important thing is not to do them, having clear first of all these three aspects.
1. Time
"It takes time to raise the fish first of all, this is the main point." On the other hand, for example, a great many continually give feed to make the animals grow more rapidly in view of our consumption; this is very wrong, because in this way the fish gain weight too quickly and then, on the other hand, if you pay attention you can also taste the food in the fish. "On the other hand, we take the sea bass when they are small, at about 7-8 months, from two well-selected trusted farms: one in France, the other in Italy, near Imola. And then they stay with us at least 4-5 years, because if you want a well-done breeding you have to look after the fish for years, wait for their growth, which is and must be slow, just as if they were children ".
2. Food
The Fundas go to their fish at least ten times a day to check on how they are doing and to feed them. "My brother is always underwater, in fact I always say he is more fish than a person," jokes Irena. For their diet, only first choice and quality products are selected, mainly based on vegetables, legumes and fish meal. Do you think that they often trade the cost of a visit to their company for a package of food for sea bass, in order to make consumers understand what characterizes their farm. Furthermore, another not secondary aspect is to give the fish food entirely by hand, since in this way you have more perception of what they need most.
3. Space
Last but not least, it is essential that the fish have as much space as possible, that is, that they can move freely and grow just like in nature, or almost. For this purpose, more nets with fewer sea bass were placed inside and in this way various algae and marine plants that had disappeared were also reformed, as well as some birds returned to fly right above the farms. But go yourself and check everything for yourself with the fish tourism experiences that they organize by boat between their farms, and which obviously end with a tasting of their products.

The Fonda di Pirano sea bass: local and no waste

The result of all this work is immediately felt in the mouth: the Fonda's sea bass is perfect, so much so that it seems to have never eaten sea bass before. And in fact, perhaps it is a bit like that, given all the intensive farming that there are, in particular of sea bream and sea bass, always among the most popular on the market. Initially 96% was sold in Italy; then, over time, the goal was to make their product understood locally, that is, to ensure that it was also and above all appreciated in Slovenia. "Istria has never been a rich land, on the contrary; we have always been used to it to give away the best of our production; for example, if there was a nice sea bass it was immediately sold in Trieste, you wouldn't even eat it for a dream! In fact I always say that ours is one bad kitchen, but good , continues Irena. "For this reason, I believe that today it is an even greater satisfaction to be able to make this product appreciated and consumed here, right here where it is said that the best fish is pork". And in the end they also succeeded in this: the course has reversed and only 8% is sold in Italy, while the majority remain at home, that is, it is sold in Slovenia, or at most in Austria, even already gutted and filleted. for individuals. In addition, another aspect is also fundamental for Irena, that of no waste: "After five years that a sea bass has been with me, each piece has a value, so my hope is that once it is purchased, everything is used, even the head , perhaps for sauces or broths, because we are too used to throwing away even parts that can be used in the kitchen . Just as they have been doing in other food cultures for centuries, such as China, Japan or Indonesia. Finally, the other great satisfaction is that of being the first farmed fish in the world present at the restaurant with a name, that is, not like a random fish, but like that fish there, the Sea Bass from Piran, to indicate that there is a family behind it. And how if there is. In short, just as Ugo wanted, the great Ugo, a man of the sea, land and heart.