Mr Grigoris Georgalas is one of the fishers that are part of the “Fishing for Litter” program that takes action in the North Aegean and more specifically around Lesvos island. He’s 64 years old and started his occupation with fishing by following his brother’s in-law family business. 

R: How many years have you worked as a fisher? How did your occupation with fishing begin?

GG: My occupation with fishing started with a family business owned by my brother-in-law. I got into the boat when I was 12 years old. My love for the sea was so intense that I didn’t want to go to school.

 R: Could you describe a day in the sea?

GG: We usually leave the port at 4 am and we always choose the fishing spot depending on the weather conditions. The day passes by slowly, usually calmly at the helm of the ship. We usually check our course and the amount of fish, we communicate with our family and late in the evening we approach the port again.

R: What differences do you notice regarding the amount of waste compared to the past?

GG: Since we have been participating in the “Fishing for Litter” program, I have noticed a slight decrease of the amount of waste, especially in the spots that fishers fish regularly. But the biggest problem is near the international roads, where there is a lot of waste.

R: What kind of waste you’ve collected has made the biggest impression on you?

GG: A while before the company joined the program I had recovered a large propeller from a steamboat, its wing was at least 2 meters long.

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

GG: The protection of the sea is a very serious issue as well as the possible solutions given for it. Protecting the sea is protecting our very existence.

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

GG: I would like the Greek state to listen to us, to give priority to all of us who work at sea, to listen to the problems we face and try to find solutions along with us in order to protect the Greek seas.

iSea’s «Fishing For Litter» program 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 fishermen who actively support the effort of collecting and recording aquatic litter from the sea all over the country, talk about the nature of their profession and share their experience and thoughts about the program.

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