Mr Thanasis Ladopoulos is one out of 35 fishermen that are part of the “Fishing for Litter” program that takes action in Northestern Aegean, especially in Lemnos. 

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

TL: I’ve been fishing for 22 years. My father was a third generation fisherman and incited me to become a fisherman.

R: Could you describe a day in the sea?

TL: Captain’s life is lonely and monotonous. The greatest disadvantage of our work is that it is dangerous and often unfruitful. Every day is different. Some days are hard and frustrating and you want to give up and some days you are proud that you made it.

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

TL: The amount of litter has increased compared to the past.

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

TL: I wouldn’t say that we haven’t removed something strange. We usually remove anything that people use.

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

TL: I was born in Lemnos, and that’s the reason why the sea is an integral part of me. I can’t imagine my life without being near the sea. Its protection is inextricably connected to the future of our work.

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

TL: Keep the sea clean and support Greek producers.

Sea’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.