The meeting brought together the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, scientists from international universities, representatives of environmental organizations, European Commission officials, fisheries analysts, and representatives of the fishing sector, with the shared goal of developing science-based proposals for the recovery of fish stocks, the protection of marine ecosystems, and the support of low-impact fisheries.
Archipelagos was represented by Anastasia Miliou, who presented Greece’s first protected no-trawl zone, established around the Fourni Island complex for the protection of coralligenous ecosystems, as a successful conservation model for the Mediterranean.
Watch the documantary here
The protection of the coralligenous ecosystems in Fourni is an initiative of international importance, implemented without public funding, at a time when hundreds of millions of euros are being announced and spent supposedly for marine protection, with little visible evidence of the actual impact of these investments.
The presentation highlighted the long-term and persistent scientific research carried out by Archipelagos in this challenging marine area, often under highly demanding conditions and with considerable risk, as operations required hundreds of hours of work at depths exceeding 100 meters.
This major effort was made possible through close collaboration with the local community, as well as with environmental organizations such as Oceana and Under The Pole, and with the Ionian University — organizations that possess both the willingness and the capacity to contribute meaningfully to such an undertaking, in contrast to the often technocratic approach of environmental organizations that attempt to “save the environment” remotely from urban centers.
The next critical steps were also presented, focusing on the creation of an effective monitoring and enforcement mechanism aimed at preventing illegal bottom-trawling activities, always in close cooperation with the island’s fishers and the local and national authorities.
Anastasia Miliou emphasized that our seas no longer have any margin for further waste of time and resources, while marine species and fish stocks are threatened not only by overfishing but also by the ongoing destruction of productive marine ecosystems.
Particularly critical is the destruction of coralligenous habitats caused by the heavy gear of bottom trawlers dragged across the seabed, flattening ecosystems that required thousands of years to develop. At the same time, in shallower waters, Posidonia seagrass meadows are being severely degraded by the uncontrolled anchoring of tens of thousands of recreational vessels that will soon once again flood the Greek seas.
Another serious and increasing source of degradation is the systematic discharge into the sea of thousands of tons of untreated sewage, especially during the summer months, on islands and coastal regions. Wastewater treatment plants — although funded through costly public investments — are today, in most cases, either underperforming or completely non-operational, in violation not only of environmental legislation but also of basic public responsibility and common sense.
As has become increasingly evident, marine species are unable to survive or reproduce within this toxic mixture of untreated and chemical waste, resulting from the extreme seasonal concentration of more than 40 million visitors who are added every summer to the permanent populations of coastal areas.
After decades of insufficient measures, unenforced legislation, ineffective public announcements, and the waste of hundreds of millions supposedly allocated for marine protection, the immediate priority must now be the implementation of meaningful measures with measurable results.
For the Institute of Marine Conservation “Archipelagos”
Thodoris Tsimpidis t.tsimpidis@archipelago.gr
