SUPPORTING AMORGORAMA

Active

Areas of interest

Marine conservation

Duration

2019-now

Geographical area

Amorgos

Partners

Professional Fishing Association of Amorgos

The challenge

The deteriorating state of the Mediterranean Sea is a pressing environmental crisis that threatens the ecological balance and biodiversity of the region. The Aegean Sea and its numerous islands in the Cyclades, such as Amorgos, are no exception, facing challenges of depleted fish stocks, species extinction, marine pollution, and overexploitation of resources.

From 2010, the professional fishers of Amorgos began to see their fish and their incomes decreasing year by year, while noticing that the northern beaches of the island, inaccessible from land, were turning into garbage dumps.

The solution

In 2014, the Fishing Association decided to take matters into their own hands and take action. The fishermen agreed on a management plan aimed not only to sustain their profession but also to tackle overfishing and combat marine pollution. Thus, in 2019, AMORGORAMA was born: the vision of Amorgian fishers for clean seas, full of life and full of fish.

The Initiative is based on the following four pillars:

– First, stop fishing during the months of April and May, the most important months for fish reproduction.

– Second, during these two months the fishermen work to clean the coasts that are not easily accessible from land.

– Third, fishermen are gradually replacing their gear with more environmentally friendly options. Adopting, for example, larger size nets and hooks to avoid catching young fish.

– Fourth, and the most critical pillar, is to create three marine protected areas along the coastline of the island of Amorgos – i.e. zones where fishing will be prohibited in order to enhance fish reproduction.

The initiative was presented publicly in late 2019 and Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF) was the first entity offering a helping hand to the Professional Fishing Association of Amorgos through funding, capacity, networking and visibility opportunities.

AMORGORAMA was officially presented in spring 2021, with support through crowdfunding and the participation of more than 50% of the island’s fishers. At that time CPF’s efforts managed to attract the attention of bigger and more experienced marine allies, such as Blue Marine Foundation that joined forces and along with CPF secured the support of the government through signing a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Fisheries, The General Secretariat of Island Policy, the Municipality of Amorgos, and the Agricultural University of Athens.

The Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) following guidelines of the General Directorate of Fisheries of the Greek Ministry of Rural Development & Food, prepared the fisheries study for the island of Amorgos in order to identify and indicate the demarcation of fundamental habitats and Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) for the target species of the fishery fleet operating in the area. In addition, the study proposes alternative management and protection measures for developing sustainable coastal fisheries on the island of Amorgos.

The study was funded by private foundations (Blue Marine Foundation & Cyclades Preservation Fund), highlighting the importance of the partnerships between all the involved institutions to safeguard marine biodiversity through the demarcation of Fisheries Restricted Areas by the Greek State.

The fisheries study of the AUA was submitted in December 2023 to the General Directorate of Fisheries of the Greek Ministry of Rural Development & Food and we are now awaiting its approval by the Fisheries Council, through which we hope to soon have the establishment of the proposed Fisheries Restricted Areas around Amorgos which will contribute to both encouraging additional fishing communities in Greece to follow the example of the Amorgian fishermen, and to Greece’s commitment to establish more MPAs & FRAs by 2030 (30-30).

During the OUR OCEAN CONFERENCE that took place in Athens in April 2024, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, responsible for Fisheries, announced publicly Greek government’s approval for the proposed new FRAs around Amorgos! The announcement followed the side event co-organised by Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF) and partners presenting the exemplary initiatives of small-scale fishers leading conservation efforts in their communities.

Today, AMORGORAMA has become well-known among the entire local community, conservationists, the scientific and academic community, environmental NGOs, media, other key stakeholders and authorities on a local, regional, national and international scale. Therefore, the CPF team and its Steering Committee are very proud to have contributed to the growth, acknowledgement and celebration of this unique initiative!

Video by Blue Marine Foundation

Achievements

The potential impact of AMORGORAMA is enormous. The small-scale fishers of Amorgos have not only paved the path for a viable and sustainable future for their own community and children, but they have become a paradigm for all fishing and small communities of the Aegean Sea. This project plays a catalytic role in the way we protect the seas in Greece. We hope it will remain a beacon of inspiration and optimism for other fishing communities in the Aegean. Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF) and Blue Marine Foundation (BMF) are working closely together towards this direction!