The Conference gathered representatives of foreign countries from the Atlantic to the North Sea, as examples of good practice from which Croatia can learn. Among them, Secretary General of the European Maritime Heritage Thedo Fruithof as the representative of the Netherlands, because the Netherlands has protected 3000 types of ships and has the largest fleet in the world.
"A maritime heritage is much more than just the boat, skills building and its management. It is a huge area in which the ship is its central part from which all continues. Boating traditional craft is not just a way of solving transport but the form how we shaped our own language, thinking ... Make a boat requires human collaboration, making of different tools, picking up windfall when it celebrated the launching of the ship, as well as sadness if something happens to the boat", said MEP Tonino Picula.
Vladimir Skračić from University of Zadar warned that the ship can and must become a cultural good and that request they addressed to the Ministry of culture. "We've been raisred to detest heritage because before it was difficult: if a man was to live in the archipelago, he had to learn to make a boat and sail it and because of that there has been an interruption of interest for heritage."
Director of Seixal’s Municipal Ecomuseum, Seixal Municipality, Portugal, Elisabete Curtinhal stated that they are facing the same problems as well as Croatia. Although they have a fleet of 90 active designs of traditional vessels and they are struggling with the fact that them, if they close the traditional shipyard will have who to fix! "We need to do everything we can to get the traditional crafts do more attractive to young people", she concluded.
On the problems in education MEP Picula also warned. In schools there is not enough content, even in the maritime programs, which encourage the interest of young people for this very important segment of Croatian culture and life. "If you do not have a strategy on the national level, then all remains on the enthusiasm of individuals-people from the local communities will be able to deal with it, but we will not be able to expand the horizons of those who would like to know more and they are not so familiar to the topic. That is why we chose Betina, but also carefully chose our guests at the Conference."
Founder of Ars halieutica prof.dr.sc. Joško Božanić pointed out the paradox that island in different languages means isolation, because that is how the mainland sees the island, and the sea is in fact a way of connecting.
"Croatia is just across the Adriatic Sea to the greatest possible extent the European because it is nearest the center of the world, which has for centuries been on that sea and our Gajeta falkuša is unique in the Mediterranean", said Božanić.
The two-day conference “Maritime Heritage in Local Communities – Sustainability Models” primarily aims at taking discussion on Croatian Maritime Heritage from past to future, focusing on local achievements and providing best European practices and examples for tackling remaining challenges and issues. The Conference will consist of a main plenary session followed by three panels focusing on three key areas, recognized in cooperation with local communities, by a collection of international speakers using examples of case studies.
Croatian fishermen have given the world immeasurable contribution and opened the door of the ocean at the beginning of the 20th century when one fisherman from Crikvenica constructed the first tunner for hunting.
MEP Picula organized a Conference in Betina with the support of the municipality of Tisno, Betina wood Museum of shipbuilding and Betina.
