Meeting with the mussel farmers

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With the aim to prevent and mitigate mussel farming related waste in the Thermaikos Gulf, together with local associations and stakeholders we separately collected and recycled more than 20 tons of plastic mussel farming nets and ropes from Loudias estuary and Axios Delta.

Towards the active involvement of the local stakeholders, the recycling of more quantities of plastic mussel farming nets and the investigation of opportunities for reusing fishing equipment, we organise a meeting with the local stakeholders on the “Prevention and mitigation of fisheries related marine litter in the Thermaikos Gulf”.

The meeting will be held on Monday, October 23rd, 18.00-22.00, in the meeting room of the Municipal Council at the Chalastra Town Hall.

Find the proposed agenda for the meeting here.

Find more about our action in the area here.

obSERVING NATURE Webinar

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The utilization of available tools for monitoring biodiversity by citizens can contribute to filling knowledge gaps regarding protected and threatened species and, therefore, addressing the ongoing challenges to biodiversity.

For this reason, as part of the obSERVING NATURE program, iSea invites you to an online seminar on: “Introduction to Citizen Science & iNaturalistGR” with the aim of promoting Citizen Science and introducing the public to the iNaturalistGR platform, one of the most well-known citizen science platforms worldwide.

The seminar will take place on Wednesday, October 11th, from 16:00 to 18:00, online and it will be held in greek.

Find more information about the seminar’s agenda here.

Register your participation to attend the seminar here.

Find more information about obSERVING NATURE project here.

Participatory Workshop in Vonitsa

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iSea, Tethys Research Institute, ARCHELON, Hellenic Ornithological Society, University of Patras and the Management Unit of Acheloos Valley and Amvrakikos Gulf Protected Areas, together with local entities and stakeholders, contribute to the effective management of the National Wetlands Park of the Ambracian Gulf.

We invite you to the Participatory Workshop on the 14th of September, 12.00-17.00, ta Vonitsa Hotels, Vonitsa, to jointly prioritize the threats posed to the Ambracian Gulf and plan the future actions to address them together.

Find the agenda of the Participatory Workshop here.

Find more about “Contributing to the effective management of the National Wetlands Park of the Ambracian Gulf” here.

Delineation of Important Shark and Ray Shark Areas (ISRAs) in the Mediterranean & the Black Sea

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We are more than excited for the delineation of Important Shark and Ray Shark Areas (ISRAs) in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.This delineation proves that our systematic work and the significant contribution of our scientific collaborators, fishers, Citizen Scientists and our funders, results in the improvement of sharks and rays protection in the Mediterranean!

Within 7 years of our dedication and your collaboration, the data collected in Greece, Cyprus and Libya are already translated into the delineation of 4 Important Shark and Ray Areas in Greece (Thracian Sea, Amvracian Gulf, South-East Aegean, Northern Cyclades), 3 Areas of Interest in Greece (Gulf of Corinth, Dodecanese, Plateau of Troy), 1 candidate area in Cyprus (Gulfs of Akrotiri and Larnaca) and 1 Important Area in Libya (Gulf of Sirte).

However, this is only the first step, since all of these demarcations should contribute to the meaningful protection of sharks and rays.These results are a collaborative effort and we would like to thank iSea team and those who worked on Vulnerable Species, Giorgos Rallis, Vasilis Minasidis, Mary Maximiadi, Dimitra Katsada, Vasiliki Oikonomou, Nikos Doumpas, Martina Ciprian, Roxani Naasan Aga Spyridopoulou, Ioannis Giovos,  also a big thank you to our constant partners throughout this journey Dimitrios Moutopoulos, Carlotta Mazzoldi, Periklis Kleitou, Sara Al Mabruk, Adi Barash, Aylin Ulman, Eva Meyers, Nuri Başusta, Joanna Barker, David Alvarado Jiménez, Giuseppe Notarbartolo’di Sciara, Simone, Marine and Environmental Research Lab: MER, Angel Shark Project, Shark Trust, MERSEA, Marine Biology Libya, Tracking Sharks for Consevation, WWF Med and to our funders, without whom our dedication and collection of the necessary knowledge and information would not be possible, OceanCare, SharkFoundation, Shark Conservation Fund, Save Our Seas και GreenFund.

And of course we owe a huge thank you to all the fishers and you who contribute by sending your recordings, devoting your precious time to provide us with information and knowledge and above all for always being willing to call us and meet us in cafeterias, taverns, ports, fish markets and in all the possible places we have been during these years and welcome us to your “homes”, your fishing boats!

We are committed to work even more intensively and give value to what we achieved together so far, because the responsibility for managing all the data and information we collect is great, but the satisfaction of contributing to the protection of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean is bigger!

You can find out more about Important Shark and Ray Areas here.

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Press Release_Protecting the underwater beauty of Erimitis, NE Corfu

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Blue Marine Foundation, Ionian Environment Foundation and iSea join forces once again in the Ionian, to document and highlight the ecological importance of the marine environment of Erimitis starting this week with a visit to NE Corfu for undertaking discussions and conducting research in the area. Read more

Press Release- First meeting for Amvrakikos Project

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The National Wetlands Park of the Ambracian Gulf in the spotlight!

 

Read more

Press Release Important Shark & Ray Areas (ISRAs)

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Putting the sharks on the map of the Mediterranean!

iSea had the pleasure to host 26 global and regional experts within the five-day workshop on Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs), organized by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group.

During the workshop over 180 experts contributed online and in person to the process of mapping critical habitats for sharks, rays, and chimaeras in the region, based on the best available science to identify regions across global waters most critical for the long term survival of the species.

From these, 85 are now candidate ISRAs and will undergo an evaluation by an Independent Review Panel before they are finalized.

In addition, the participants visited the auction market of Nea Michaniona and were informed about the shark and ray species that are caught, landed and sold in the area, while with the support of SANI Resort they visited Sani, where they were informed about the area and our collaboration.

Find out more about the aims and outcomes of the workshop here.

Participation in the public consultation for the Special Environmental Study concerning the Natura 2000 Areas of the Regional Units of Corfu, Kefalonia, Ithaca, Lefkada and Zakynthos.

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iSea together with Tethys Research Institute, Blue Marine Foundation, and Ionian Environment Foundation submitted their comments to the public consultation on the Special Environmental Study concerning Natura2000 Areas of the Regional Units of Corfu, Kefalonia, Ithaca, Lefkada and Zakynthos.

A small drop in the middle of Ionian Sea!

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Formicula islet, covering only about 400 m2, is just a “drop” in the wider Inner Ionian Archipelago. Despite its small size, this islet provides a key habitat for the Mediterranean Monk Seal, the only seal present in the Mediterranean and one of the most endangered marine mammal species in the World. Read more

Webinar Invitation

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As part of the “Know-Participate-Protect the Environment” project, iSea and The Green Tank invite you to a training seminar on “Media as informative and intervention tools” aimed at informing the participants the use of media as information and communication tools. Read more