August 12 2024
The Atlantic Triton’s Trumpet (Charonia variegata) with its impressive shell is threatened by illegal fishing.
It is a legally protected species in Greece, the EU and internationally, due to the intensive fishing it has been subjected to in the past years, but also because of its important role as a regulator in coastal ecosystems.
But its beautiful shell, which protects it from its predators, cannot protect it from detrimental belief that all living organisms on the planet are for human consumption or use. As a slow-moving animal, it is exposed to anyone who preys on it either for consumption, or worse, to use its shell as a decoration.
Even the empty shell of Atlantic Triton’s Trumpet has an important role in the ecosystem, as when the gastropod dies it will become a “home” for other marine species, for example small octopus, crustaceans etc.
However, refraining from fishing or from removing endangered species from the seas is not sufficient on its own. Each of us can actively contribute to their protection, even by informing and intervening to defend marine biodiversity, which is being increasingly wiped out year after year.