March 13th 2025
Strong Southern Winds in the Aegean, but Life Beneath the Surface Carries On
Despite today’s intense southern winds sweeping across the Aegean, life in the deeper waters continues undisturbed.
In the marine region around Fournoi, a close collaboration between the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, its scientific partners, local fishers, and the Municipality of Fournoi is actively working toward a vital goal: the urgent establishment of Greece’s first “Trawling Ban Zone” within an area of vulnerable coralligenous habitats.
The aim of this initiative is to set a positive precedent for the immediate protection of similar deep-sea ecosystems in both Greek and Mediterranean waters.
The coralligenous ecosystems of the Aegean are of global environmental importance and breathtaking beauty. Found at depths between 60 and 250 meters, they rank among the most complex, diverse, and productive ecosystems in the Mediterranean. These habitats are home to more than 1,800 marine species and are believed to be over 7,000 years old.
Unfortunately, many of these fragile habitats in Greek waters have already been severely damaged by bottom trawling (mechanical fishing gear) and, until recently, by red coral harvesting, which now faces the risk of being reauthorised.
The remaining coralligenous habitats—many of which have yet to be discovered or mapped—face the danger of irreversible destruction before we even know they exist. Although they are theoretically protected under international, EU, and Greek legislation, and despite the legal obligation to apply the precautionary principle, these protections have never been implemented in practice in Greece.
As a result, these unique ecosystems continue to face ongoing, imminent threats, highlighting the urgent need for real, enforceable measures.
