Small-scale fishing has always played a big part in life on Amorgos, the easternmost island of Greece’s Cyclades. However, rising pollution and overfishing over the last decade are causing an ever-greater threat to the livelihoods of the 40 or so local fisher families.

In 2015 the Professional Fishing Association of Amorgos came to the local authorities with a list of proposals to combat overfishing and rising pollution, however these were ignored. So, starting in 2019, instead of fishing during April and May, when local stocks normally reproduce, Amorgos’ fishers took their traditional kaiki boats on daily missions to collect plastic waste.

In 2021, they collected over 900 large bags of litter along with many other large items; and sent more than 12 tonnes of plastic and 2 tonnes of abandoned nets and ropes for recycling – much of which was used to produce a range of products, from socks to swimsuits.

Through a crowdfunding exercise the local fishers were reimbursed for time spent collecting rubbish rather than fishing. As well as donations from the public, the Cyclades Preservation Fund and Enaleia also helped provide important financing as well as recycling know-how.

However, an improved approach to plastic waste is not the only way the fishers of Amorgos are making their fishing more sustainable. No-catch zones have also been set up along the island’s coastline, allowing fish a refuge where they can breed and grow undisturbed. Larger hooks and nets with larger mesh are also being used more often by the fishers, reducing bycatch and allowing more juvenile fish to avoid capture and become more valuable, productive adult fish.

The benefits of a cleaner marine environment and reduced pressure on fish stocks generated a lot of publicity for the Amorgorama initiative, even catching the eye of the Greek ministry in charge of fisheries. The ministry has since met with the fishers, committed to providing funding for 2022 and expressed an interest in rolling out a similar model in other Greek islands and fisher communities. If funding were more widely available this concept could spread across the whole Mediterranean.