Nikolaos Kotsonis is 50 years old and a cooperating member of the Fishing for Litter project together with his longtime partner Sambakoudakis, participating with 4 fishing boats “ARGO”, “ARGO II”, “ARGO III” ‘ and the ‘PANTOKRATOR’ where they fish all over the North Aegean and collect data for our project.

At the same time, together with Mr. Sambakoudakis, he is the owner of the company MSG GROUP (Mediterranean Sea Grown), based in Nea Michaniona, Thessaloniki, where both come from families with a long tradition in the middle sea fishing, and decided to establish a company for marketing and exporting their catches, equipping at the same time their boats with freeze-on-board technology.

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

K.N.: It all started by my grandfather 35 years ago and today we count 3 generations working in the same profession. The company’s first boat was purchased in 2006. I have been involved since I was a kid but I am actively fishing 25 years.

R: Could you describe a day in the sea?

K.N.: Days pass by monotonously for us on the boat and difficult when the weather is not good. Of course, nowadays the boats are fully equipped, providing many facilities compared to the past when the living conditions were very difficult, especially during the winter.

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

K.N.:  I notice a big reduction in waste compared to the past especially in relation to plastic waste, but this only happens in areas where we often pass by fishing. In areas that are not fished I believe the problem still exists and of course we cannot have an accurate picture.

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

K.N.: A long time ago, east of Lemnos we had recovered almost half a plane, several years have passed since then but I still remember it, it made a big impression on me.

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

K.N.: The sea is everything for me, it is the source of my life, it is the beginning and the end. It’s protection is the protection of my life. It is the continuation of my professional activity, like many other people in Greece.

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

K.N.: I would like to tell everyone to love the sea, to help us protect it, not to pollute it, to keep it alive.

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 project, 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 job 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.