The “expedition HVAR” (1948-1949), organised by the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries of Split (IOF, Croatia), was the first large-scale fishery-independent trawl-survey ever performed in the Adriatic Sea. The survey was conducted with the motorboat “Hvar” (250 HP; LOA = 25 m) in the territorial waters of the former Yugoslavia (currently territorial waters of the Republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro) and Albania, and in the international waters to approximately 20 nautical miles off the Italian coast.