April 25th 2025
Dead Marine Mammals on Our Shores: When a Country Refuses to Protect Its ‘Protected Species’
In just a few days, four rare marine mammals were found dead along the Greek coastline, underscoring a stark and painful truth: in a country that boasts about its marine biodiversity, actual protection for these “protected” species remains virtually nonexistent.
One of the most shocking cases occurred on a beach in Rethymnon, Crete, where locals discovered the mutilated body of a bottlenose dolphin—its torso brutally severed by a sharp object. All indications point to a deliberate act, likely committed by ruthless individuals within the fishing sector.
Meanwhile, off the coast of Naxos, the environmental group Naxos Island Wildlife Protection found a dead Mediterranean monk seal—one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world. Though not a targeted killing, it is believed the animal died after becoming entangled in discarded fishing gear left to rot on the seabed.
At Archipelagos Institute, we frequently document scenes like this during our marine research and ecosystem monitoring—tangles of plastic nets, longlines, and ropes resting at depths of 100 meters or more. These ghost nets, left behind across Greek waters, particularly in rocky or deep coastal areas, transform the seabed into a deadly trap for marine life. Beyond that, they render entire zones unviable for sustainable fishing.
Around the same time, a Cuvier’s beaked whale—one of the rarest and least studied cetaceans in the world—was found dead off Astypalea Island. The whale, measuring 4.5 meters, had reached an advanced state of decomposition, making it impossible to determine the cause of death.
All of this is taking place in a country where significant populations of seven marine mammal species still manage to survive—species of global environmental importance. And yet, beyond grand announcements and legislative commitments, the Greek state has taken no meaningful steps to protect them.
Most telling is the absence of a functioning national response network capable of treating injured or stranded marine mammals. Greece’s vast maritime territory—comprising thousands of islands and over 15,000 kilometres of coastline—requires an operational system for rescue, transport, rehabilitation, and, crucially, investigation into cases of intentional harm. Such mechanisms are vital if we are to hold accountable those who kill protected species with impunity.
Even more disheartening is the role of certain individuals, well-positioned in Athens and long embedded in the Ministry of Environment circles, who seem more interested in leveraging public funds for personal gain than in protecting marine life. These are the same actors who, for over seven years, have systematically obstructed the licensing of the Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary’s Rehabilitation Centre on Lipsi Island—an advanced facility, ready to operate, that could fill this gaping void in marine wildlife care.
As always, the real victims are the animals. Despite their ecological importance and the country’s legal obligations, Greece’s rare marine species continue to exist precariously, surviving more by luck than by law.
All this is happening just one year after the Greek government’s lofty pledges at the Our Ocean conference and the announcement of €780 million in funding for the so-called “21 commitments for marine protection.” Yet on the ground, nothing has changed. The disconnect between policy and practice is widening, foreshadowing a brewing scandal not only of misused public funds but of continued environmental negligence.
