By: Megan Cameron
Last Thursday, Dimitris Skiadis and his sister Eleni got lucky. They began the process of retrieving their nets at around 8:20pm, with Dimitris monitoring the reel and Eleni standing close by, ready to untangle each fish from the intricate snare of synthetic fibers. It was earlier than usual, so they weren’t expecting to catch much.
After only five minutes, the fish started piling up. Eleni said this was a good sign. Illuminated by the glow of the setting sun, her fingers worked at an astonishing pace, expertly removing fish after fish as 600 meters of yellow threads gradually accumulated at her side. A few more minutes passed, and she quickly spotted gaping holes in the netting, along with a few fish that had small bites taken out of their flesh. She then understood the cause of their good fortune.
Dolphins, which are spotted frequently in the crystal clear waters of the Cyclades and often cause more harm for fishermen than good by damaging equipment and raiding nets, had chased a school of fish into the right place at the right time. However, most days, the fish are a lot harder to come by.
Born and raised in Paros, Dimitris and Eleni have witnessed the decimation of the island’s fishing community firsthand. Overfishing, pollution, the arrival of invasive species like the poisonous lionfish and rabbitfish, and the implementation of counterproductive policies by the European Union (EU) have played a direct role in the destruction of traditional modes of fishing across Greece. To avoid falling victim to this, their family was forced to turn to fishing tourism.
Dimitris and Eleni were first taught to fish by their father, Adonis, at a time when the commercial fishing industry flourished and served as a crucial component of the Parian economy. They would spend days on the water, working together to make a living. Even now, at age 79, Adonis supports his children behind the scenes, mending damaged nets, attaching lures to longlines, and even offering assistance on the boat when Eleni is unavailable.
The most significant pieces of legislation to impact families like theirs were a series of EU directives passed between 2013 and 2014, which established the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). Together, the CFP and EMFF aimed to limit the impact of overfishing by offering financial incentives to Greek fishermen in exchange for destroying their boats and revoking their professional licenses.
Dimitris and Eleni’s boat, the Regina, was built by Dimitris when he was 14. He says he knows “where every single nail and every single piece of wood is placed,” and “no amount of money” would ever convince him to give it away. Since the boat is “very dear to his heart,” and keeping it in his possession was his top priority, giving it a few renovations and offering fishing charters for two months of the year was the clear choice for their family.
The current mayor of Paros, Kostas Bizas, believes the ultimate goal of the EU is to “gradually stop fishing” all together and turn to rely entirely on fish farming. He also acknowledged that these decisions, which are supposedly made “in the name of protecting the environment,” are often a result of the “big interests involved in European policies,” including mass fishing corporations.
“This whole situation right now, it’s all humans’ fault,” Dimitris said. “This is all made by human mistakes.”
