Where does the name Hama come from?
Hama fish is the local name for meagre (Lat. Argyrosomus regius), a species of highly prized white fish that was widespread throughout the Adriatic Sea a hundred years ago, mostly at the estuaries of the Cetina and Neretva rivers, where it can still be found today. Due to its outstanding flavour reminiscent of European bass, it used to be very popular in Dalmatia. The rare specimens that still come up in fishermen’s nets today are called krb in the local dialect.
This fish, the largest in the Sciaenidae family can reach up to 230 centimeters in length and usually weighs from about 50 up to 100 kilograms. Today, it is considered an endangered species in the Adriatic, but it remains unknown whether this is due to overfishing or changes in the environment.
Hama has a flat elongated body in the form of a stretched out water droplet and very few bones. Particularly interesting is the mouth of this fish, as its teeth are arranged in parallel lines, two in the upper and three in the lower jaw. It has a pearly-silver coloration, with scales adding a special bronze sheen; its fins are gray and the inside of its mouth is vibrant orange-yellow.
It lives at depths of 15 to 30 meters, swimming closer to the shore during the mating season in late spring, from where it seeks shelter in river estuaries in small schools. There, the Hama fish spawn from April to July and then swim back to the open sea. This species of fish is very sensitive to sea temperatures, preferring the waters of the northern Adriatic in the summer and migrating to southern Adriatic in the winter. It belongs to predatory fish and feeds on smaller fish, swimming crustaceans and cephalopods. Some operators of fisheries are looking into farming the Hama fish for a gourmet dining experience. Many fish farmers along the Adriatic coast have tried to do so, offering young fish, weighing two to five kilograms, on the market. However, it turned out that farming this type of fish is very demanding and delicate. The majority have thus abandoned their pursuits, while some continue to see farming this fish as an interesting challenge they are itching to try their hand at.
