1605. anonymous “Giovanni” from Ferm collected oyster shells in the Zrmanja canyon.
In 1706, Venice leased the Novigrad Sea for tuna fishing and shellfish extraction.
In 1764, the general providor for Dalmatia and Albania, P. Michiel, in his report to Venice, mentions tuna hunting in the Novigrad and Šibenik seas as the only one in Dalmatia, while in all other areas it was neglected due to high costs and lack of resources.
In 1877, in a historical-geographical description of Dalmatia, Novigrad oysters are praised as the “largest” and “most liquid” in Europe. 
In 1948, the shellfish company “Dagnja” was founded in Novigrad with the purpose of exploiting the Novigrad basin for the cultivation of shellfish. 
In 1959, a plant for processing mussels into flour was built in Novigrad named “Tvornica”