Fishing

Environmental organization Sea Shepherd has removed over 6,500 illegal octopus traps from Porto Lagos, Xanthi, in just 20 days, releasing hundreds of octopuses back into the sea.

The Thracian Sea, a major source of octopuses for the Greek market, faces rampant overfishing with tens of thousands of plastic traps deployed illegally.

A Volos court has handed a fisherman a 22 month suspected sentence after finding him guilty of pulling the body of a snorkeller from the sea and then throwing it back in the water.

In September 2021 the 55-year-old fisherman found the body of the diver in his nets while fishing near Xynovrysi in Pelion.

The 74-year-old diver had been reported missing the day before.

The fishing village of Poyrazköy in Istanbul has borne witness to intriguing tales of fishermen venturing to Africa, navigating vast distances and spending months at sea to ply their trade.

Only 0.1% of Greek territorial waters are currently adequately protected from overfishing and other environmentally damaging activities, according to a report by the international organization Pristine Seas, delivered last month to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Following the end of the seasonal fishing ban - imposed every year between April 15 - Sept. 1 - the new fishing season has kicked off in Türkiye, with fishermen foreseeing plenty of bonito, horse mackerel, bluefish and sardine catches, in September particularly.

Greece could mitigate the effects of overfishing and environmentally damaging activities and reap significant revenue by investing in marine parks, according to a report by the international organization Pristine Seas, delivered last month to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

With just a few days remaining until the fishing ban is lifted, fishermen eagerly anticipate casting their nets into seas, hoping for a bountiful season with abundant catches of bonito and bluefish.

A fishing boat with nine fishermen and a captain on board sank on Wednesday after hitting the shallows in the sea off the town of ​​Naoussa, Paros.

All passengers and the captain were picked up by another fishing vessel and brought ashore.

Türkiye, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia have joined efforts in a new initiative to tackle the rising threat of "ghost nets" — abandoned or lost fishing nets that continue to trap and kill marine life — in the Black Sea.

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has imposed a ban on the fishing of some endemic species, according to a new regulation published in the Official Gazette on Aug. 11.