The preliminary biological mapping in SW Samos- The unsustainable practices of trawler fishing

At the end of May, the marine research team of Archipelagos carried out preliminary biological mapping of the Posidonia seagrass beds and the corraligene reefs in the southwest of Samos across the bay of Marathokampos, in association with the Prefectural authorities of Samos and fisheries representatives.
State of the art recording devices were used in addition to new methods and equipment to acquire the best possible underwater images in order to facilitate mapping. In the mean time, we are still in the process of completing the mapping in the North Dodecanese area, with the hope that in the beginning of autumn we will be able to continue this project in the marine area of North Crete.
















During the mapping process, which lasted one and a half months, we witnessed once more the unsustainable practices carried out by some of the large scale fishing professionals. Some of them systematically ignored the announcements that were released by the Hydrographic Department after a demand from Archipelagos for the safety of the mariners (stating a safety distance of 3 miles from the shore) and in at least one case there was a breach of the decision (164198/03-03-08) of the Department of Development (it allows trawler fishing only 1 mile from the shore in contrast to the European regulation that states a distance of 1.5 miles).






“This common fishing practice destroys, through trawling, highly productive habitats such as Posidonia seagrass beds. These unique ecosystems support over 1000 species of fauna and over 300 species of flora, while their deep root system prevent beach erosion. If seagrass beds are destroyed, it takes decades to recover due to their slow growth rate".




Due to the disobedience of certain vessels, we proceeded with legal action. Our accusations were confirmed, through the use of a satellite system of fisheries monitoring (VMS) and after the completion of the necessary legal paperwork, the case file was completed and sent to the relevant prosecution bodies. This move forebodes our future tactics in the event that similar activities occur.

The destruction caused by trawling in the marine ecosystem and the subsequent socioeconomic effects on small scale coastal fisheries are huge. From now on, we will not tolerate similar activities and our actions will be decisive, by following the law to the full extent and continuously monitoring the areas with the highest violation rates.






“Coralligene reefs take even longer to recover. This is due to the fact that their formation can take up to 7000 years and they have extremely slow growth rates.”







Sooner or later, all the bodies involved should come to realise that the size of these vessels and the intensive fishing practices with this kind of equipment are not suitable anymore in the Aegean Sea.

Watch here the video that we created during the preliminary biological mapping. It shows a trawler a few metres away from the Archipelagos vessel.