Parasxos Karabourniotis is one of the fishers that are part of the “Fishing for Litter” project that takes action near to Chios, Psara, Tinos and Mykonos island. He is 37 years old, running his family business along with his father Mr Dimitrios Karabournotis. His family’s story with fishing began when his great-grand father came to Greece from Asia Minor and settled down to Chios island.

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

PK: I have been professionally involved in fishing for 19 years, but in fact the story begins much earlier when my great-grandfather came from Asia Minor to the island of Chios, settled and continued the profession he knew how to do best. Somehow the family business passed to my father Dimitrios Karabourniotis and finally to me.

R: Could you describe a day in the sea?

PK: We usually spend around 24 hours in the sea before going to the port to send the fish. Our work is a routine for us, a habit. All the above apply whenever the weather conditions are good and there are no storms.

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

PK: I haven’t noticed anything different in the last 5 years. We are aware that we’ll find most litter while following large commercial ship routes. We’re also aware that we’ll find much less litter in routes where commercial ships do not sail. Sadly, the quantities of catches are constantly decreasing.

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

PK: Many things have impressed me such as the time we found a whole car, a torpedo, a huge old anchor. These are some of the objects I recall finding.

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

PK: Great question! I have a love-hate relationship with the sea. In the past, when the profession’s conditions were better, I didn’t mind to go back to the port. Now, things have changed. However, I still enjoy being around it, even just by taking a boat ride in my small vessel. I can’t stand being away for too long. Its protection is vital, especially for the people that make a living out of fishing. No fisherman wants to cast his nets and fish litter, but even so, through the “Fishing for Litter” project, we help to keep it as clean as possible.

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

PK: Our profession’s conditions are not as easy as many people might think. The conditions and hours are different compared to jobs on the shore. I advise everyone to respect the sea and take care of it, because it feels like home. I wish there was more intensive control so that we could find better solutions.

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.