Marine life the treasure of the Greek seas

The Greek seas are a home to several protected species of large marine animals that are threatened with extinction, such as sharks, dolphins, seals and turtles - including some large whales, according to the environmental organisation Archipelagos, Institute of Marine & Environmental Research of the Aegean Sea.
The more than 18-meter-long sperm whale, which weighs roughly 50 tonnes, is the most common whale species found in the Greek seas with a current population that numbers less than 2,500 adult members and dropping. A smaller whale species that forms small groups is also common in sea regions with large depths.

Most of the 47 different species of sharks found in the Mediterranean live in the Greek seas and face an increased risk of extinction due to the rising demand for their fins. Sharks are being captured alive and their dorsal fin is cut off before they are thrown back into the sea, with minimal chances of survival.

The dolphins, sea turtles and seals found in the Greek seas are also threatened with extinction. Sea turtles, with the Caretta caretta loggerhead being the most widely known species, are faced with great risks -- especially during the summer months when many of them are killed by speedboats, or drown after being caught in fishing nets.

Another endangered species is the Monachus monachus monk seal, whose global population numbers approximately 450 members, with over half of them living in Greek seas.

Equally important but lesser known to the general public are the 'meadows' of Posidonia oceanica, a species of seagrass, and various types of corals. Both are threatened because their regions have not been mapped and no one knows exactly which areas need protection.
The seagrass meadows are home to more than 300 species of flora and 1,000 species of fauna. Equally high in biodiversity are the coral reefs that need more than 7,000 years to form and, if destroyed, take centuries to be restored.

Source: ANA-MPA