The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the most endangered mammals in Europe and the rarest seal species in the world.
For thousands of years, it was found throughout the Mediterranean and was deeply connected to the myths and legends of coastal communities. Today, the species has undergone a dramatic decline. It is estimated that only 700–800 Mediterranean monk seals survive worldwide. Although a slight population increase has been observed in recent years, this does not guarantee the species’ long-term survival.
Its behavior makes it particularly vulnerable to intentional killings- this was, in fact, the main reason for its disappearance from most of the Mediterranean in previous decades.
The Aegean Sea is one of the last important regions where the species survives, as it still offers safe feeding areas and isolated breeding sites. The Mediterranean monk seal has managed to survive in Greek seas and in the Aegean more broadly, both due to its geomorphology (thousands of miles of inaccessible coastline, scattered caves, etc.) and thanks to the coexistence of the majority of coastal fishers with the species- despite a small minority that carried out systematic intentional killings in past years.
This occurs despite the sharp decline in fish stocks, which has pushed both coastal fishers and the Mediterranean monk seal to the limits of survival. In order to find sufficient food, seals are forced either to travel long distances or to turn to fishing nets, which they often damage while removing fish from them.
It is noteworthy that, despite the tens of millions of euros spent over recent decades on the protection of the Mediterranean monk seal, not a single euro has reached the coastal fishers who interact with the species on a daily basis. In practice, fishers have borne the real cost of protecting the seal, in seas where fish stocks are declining at an alarming rate and the sector is being systematically devalued for decades.