In September last year, while traveling by cab from Bar to Stoliv and admiring the dark green Adriatic sea, I noticed long lines of orange buoys in the water. It was explained to me that it is a shellfish farm. I decided that few days later I had to go back and visit the farm myself. 

I’m fascinated by small towns set on the coasts of great waters. I grew up in Ohrid and I know perfectly well the life in such places and people who live near water. Therefore I had no doubt that me and my partner would be welcomed at “Montefish”.
Doors were open to us by one of the workers who was, on my great delight, Macedonian from Veles, and the boss, a Montenegrin named Zeljko, greeted us with cold french rosé in fine icy glasses. While we drank the wine together, Zeljko was cleaning the seashells and had the attitude of a man who is happy with his work. The workers filled the baskets with fish and prepared the raft to sail to the near shore where a truck was waiting for transport. And there was Buck, a dog with one eye and cheerful tail, running around us, waiting to sail of with his fishermen friends. 

The farm failed once in the past, just as many other farms during the transition in Ex Yugoslavian countries from old system to new. Zeljko bought this place and he reopened it two and a half years ago and now he is pleased with how things worked. There are few farms left working these days. 

While talking with him I learned that all workers on this farm, as well as on the others, are also from Veles. Since I no longer live in Macedonia, I’m always glad when I have an opportunity to talk to someone in mine language and conversation about the work of the farm continued with one of the workers. His name was Suleiman and while he spoke to me, I photographed.

Cleaning orada (gilt-head bream), Suleiman told me how they keep the fish and shellfish in the farm. They havemussels, orada and brancin (common sea bream). The shellfish are growing on buoys and the fish are kept in cagescovered by nets that protect them from birds. The farm produces about a ton of fish every day. Montefish suppliesthe most of The Bay of Kotor with seafood.

I asked Suleiman why he moved to live and work here, although I already knew the answer. Difficult living conditions in Macedonia forced him to move away from Veles. A cousin of his wife, who worked ten years on thefish farms convinced him and other workers to come here. He was not without experience, since he lived by Vardar river and knows couple things about fishing. Suleiman quickly settled down on the farm and showed even to the local fishermen how to clean fish his way. Satisfied with the salary and work, he has no intention to return. He has a daughter a few months old and, as he says, does not plan to risk her future. Known macedonian destiny...

While we talked about the sea, the summer and the winter conditions, the farm and our lives away from home, both cats on the shore were anxiously waiting for him to finish cleaning the fish and give them their lunch. So we fed thecats and because time did not allow us to hang out more, we said goodbye, wishing each other good luckher. Perhaps a some summer soon I will go back there. I would like then to see my friend Suleiman from Veles, worker on the fish farm in Stoliv.

Well, anyway, since I have tasted the orada few nights later in a local restaurant, with every bite I was more and more certain that I will visit once more these people who feed The Bay of Kotor with delicious fish.