We need your help! Have you seen her?

This is Pinnidae (Pinna nobilis), an endemic of the Mediterranean Sea and is distributed throughout the Adriatic Sea and can usually be found between 2 and 30 m deep. As it is the largest Mediterranean bivalve that can grow up to 120 cm, it is one of the most attractive bivalves of the Croatian undersea.

Populations of the pen shell in the entire Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea are unfortunately affected by a deadly infection that leads to mass deaths. Mortality in many locations is 100%, and due to the dramatic population decline, the pen shell received the status of a critically endangered species on a global level in just one year.

That’s why your involvement is important, especially for those who like diving! The Institute for the Protection of Environment and Nature of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development invites you to report the locations where you see living individuals of the noble feather.

But beware! The pen shell is a strictly protected species and any disturbance and deliberate extraction of live or dead individuals (empty shells) is prohibited.

If you notice a pen shell, it’s important to know how you can tell if it’s alive. Here’s what you need to do! You should gently run your hand through the seawater above it, as a result, the pen shell, if alive, will close. In doing so, you should be careful not to touch the pen shell with your hand.

Pen shell, Photo: Marinko Babić

Please send information about the sighting of a living pen shell to the e-mail address [email protected]. The most active contributors will be rewarded with attractive promotional materials, and each contributor of a verified live specimen of the noble pen shell will have the honor of naming the specimen in question and will be rewarded with a family ticket to the Brijuni National Park or the Telašćica Nature Park or the Blue Cave Visitor Center – Biševo, depending on the wish.

GOOD LUCK!!!