The battle to save octopuses, one trap at a time

“In a fewer years, there won’t beryllium a single octopus left. Greek tourism is associated with the species, but σύντομα we’ll lone spot them successful photos,” says Captain Alex Cornelissen, activistic and CEO of the Amsterdam-based biology enactment Sea Shepherd Global, sounding the alarm.

He speaks to Kathimerini done a atrocious mobile telephone transportation from the Thermaic Gulf, successful bluish Greece, where a large cognition to retrieve amerciable octopus traps from the seabed is astir to beryllium completed. During this run by the dynamic organization, which has stood up to governments and fishermen successful the Mediterranean arsenic well arsenic elephantine sportfishing boats successful distant oceans, the activistic recovered that octopus sportfishing successful Greece remains unchecked, some successful the Thracian Sea and successful the Thermaic Gulf, where astir of the molluscs that extremity up connected the food marketplace travel from.

“The oversea is filled with tens of thousands of traps, integrative containers successful which octopuses nest until they are retrieved by sportfishing boats. Ten percent of the traps we retrieved had octopuses inside,” helium says. “These are the numbers we person besides seen successful Italy. The information we collected will beryllium evaluated aft the run and then compared with past year’s.” He draws connected the acquisition of Italy, where the enactment has been moving akin campaigns successfully for respective years.

“We are already successful interaction with the Greek authorities to instrumentality adjacent year, adjacent much organized and with the purpose of coming up with some numbers, and seeing however galore octopuses are really successful there. We besides want to representation the grade of amerciable sportfishing and spot however it affects the octopus population,” Cornelissen says.

Dozens of bags with octopus traps that were retrieved from the Thracian Sea and the Thermaic Gulf during the operation. [Sea Shepherd Greece]

This year, the fig of traps was beyond imagination, says Valia Stefanoudaki, manager of Sea Shepherd Greece. During the caller 40-day cognition that the radical has conscionable completed successful Greek seas, 32,654 amerciable traps were collected and hundreds of octopuses were released. The cognition was carried retired with the support of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Central Macedonia, and successful collaboration with the Fisheries Departments of Regional Units, the Panhellenic Association of Public Ichthyologists, and the section larboard authorities.

The run started successful 2024 aft the radical heard that there were thousands of traps successful the Thracian Sea. “At archetypal we thought that this fig was an exaggeration, but successful the extremity it wasn’t. Last year, successful 17 days, we collected 6,500 traps, while successful this ngo of astir 40 days we person reached 33,000 traps,” Stefanoudaki says. “The extremity was to cod arsenic galore traps arsenic we could. But the ultimate extremity is to item the grade of the problem. Because we started from Samothrace and reached Katerini. So the whole representation – Samothrace, Alexandroupoli, Kavala, Porto Lagos, Thessaloniki – shows there are thousands of integrative boxes scattered successful the sea.”

The intent of the task is to cod each the information together with past year’s accusation and request changes successful authorities and policing, she explains.

‘A inexpensive destructive tool’

An state successful the enactment is Professor Dimitris Tsianis, biologist-ichthyologist astatine the Xanthi Fisheries Department and president of the Panhellenic Association of Public Ichthyologists. He tells Kathimerini that octopus sportfishing with traps is carried retired successful three ways: with nett bags known arsenic “bolkos,” with integrative traps (using integrative olive containers, tied successful rows), and with wire traps, known locally arsenic “kiourti.”

During the months of July, August and September, the use of integrative traps is prohibited by instrumentality and they indispensable beryllium removed from the water. Furthermore, each nonrecreational fisherman is allowed to person up to 1,500 integrative traps per boat, which indispensable beryllium marked to bespeak who they beryllium to and not acceptable them astatine a extent of little than 10 meters. “Why are they utilizing this tool? Because it is very inexpensive and does not necessitate special sportfishing knowledge. So it has these theoretical advantages, which nevertheless go disadvantages due to the fact that it is very hard to show and control. Each fisherman has acceptable tens of thousands of integrative containers, resulting successful overfishing of octopuses,” helium says.

After 40 days astatine sea, the unit of the Sea Eagle saw wildlife dwindle. Experts warn that, if the trend continues, there will nary longer beryllium immoderate octopus near to service with ouzo. [Sea Shepherd Greece]

“Our logic is therefore, firstly, to region a ample quantity of traps that stay successful the sea; and secondly, to get information successful bid to substantiate a proposal. A study that will unfastened a dialog for amending the legislation, specifically a statesmanlike decree of 2004, which is nary longer applicable. New ways of monitoring this method [of fishing] indispensable besides beryllium recovered – the situation is highly critical,” helium says. “This is an contented that is some worthy and linked to our state and our tourism. In bid to proceed to person it, we indispensable treat it with logic, with prudence and successful terms of sustainable management. [We request to do] each of this, if we want some ourselves and the tourists to [continue to] bask ouzo with octopus.”

In summation to overfishing of octopuses, this peculiar method of sportfishing besides prevents them from reproducing. Cornelissen notes that this is the reproductive play of octopuses, and for this reason, successful the campaign, they person detected much and much eggs successful the traps, particularly successful caller days. “This is the play when the octopuses participate the traps. They laic their eggs there and the fishermen region them. So they not lone termination the octopus, but besides the offspring, which will impact not lone this procreation but besides aboriginal ones. Our extremity is to prevention wildlife. Even the fishermen’s communal consciousness would dictate that if you are funny successful fishing, you should permission them unsocial this clip of the year, due to the fact that that is when they reproduce. So that there is simply a future,” helium says.

But the occupation is not lone the overfishing of octopuses, but besides integrative pollution. “Eighty percent of the traps we collected were so damaged that they shattered successful our hands. The seas are afloat of these integrative containers, which successful our sentiment should beryllium banned,” Cornelissen says.

The Sea Eagle, a 35-meter Sea Shepherd vessel, came from Italy to retrieve integrative octopus traps from Alexandroupoli to Thessaloniki. [Sea Shepherd Greece]

Stefanoudaki ends our treatment with the anticipation that this cognition will bring astir a large change. “We anticipation that with each our results and findings gathered, we will beryllium capable to code some the determination authorities and the cardinal medication and item the problem, so that the indispensable measures tin beryllium taken.

“As acold arsenic we are concerned, the octopus should not beryllium fished astatine each during the summertime months. And our large joy, of course, is that so galore octopuses person been released. Over 1,700 past year and this year. The joyousness of the infinitesimal when you merchandise them and they spell escaped is indescribable. We besides person a batch of babies this year and that was the goal,” she says. “We will proceed adjacent year and for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes. We will beryllium present to assistance this wonderful carnal – due to the fact that it is simply a wonderful carnal – to recover. We cannot proceed sportfishing successful this way. Until when will we bash it? Until there is thing near and everything is dead?”