Choulis Apostolos, one of the fishers of the “Fishing For Litter” project, describes his experience in collecting and recording litter and points out the differences in the amount of plastics in the sea compared to the past.

R: How many years have you been in this field? When did you start fishing?

CA: I’ve been in the sea since I was a little boy, alongside my father and my uncle.

R: Could you describe a day in the sea?

CA: A day at sea can sometimes be simple and boring, and sometimes can be hurried, running around all day and being in a constant state of alertness. The sure thing is that we never go out of our way! Usually the day starts 5:30 to 6 in the morning, we go to the fishing area and throughout the day. Afterwards, we either have some spare time to rest or deal with paperwork, another part of the job. The fishing has an approximate duration of 6 hours. At the harvest we just hope that everything has gone well, that there is no damage to the gear and that we have a good catch. We return to the port at 8 or 9 in the evening, where our day ends.

R: What differences do you notice in the amount of litter in the sea compared to the past?

CA: Primarily every year there is an increase in litter, mainly plastic.

R: What is the strangest type of litter you have removed from the sea?

CA: A fridge!

R: What does the sea mean to you and what its protection?

CA: I grew up in the sea, first I learned to swim then to walk. Education is key to the marine protection, mainly because people learn about it.

R: What is the message you would like to pass along the world?

CA: Don’t pollute with rubbish the seas and coasts!

iSea’s «Fishing For Litter» project is implemented for 6 years in a row, in lots of different areas in Greece, in collaboration with the A C Laskaridis Charitable Foundation. The ambassadors of this program, the professional fishers who actively support the effort of collecting and recording marine litter from the sea all over the country, talk about the nature of their profession and share their experience and thoughts about the project.

We would like to thank all the fishers who cooperated with us, for a more effective implementation of the “Fishing For Litter” project and give a personal touch to this effort.