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A huge protest took place against turning Poros into an industrial fishery zone . The island now has 4 fish farms breeding sea bass and sea bream. With the new zoning regulations the fish farming industry will increase 28 times bringing tons of pollution from waste food and fish faeces.
It is estimated that there will be 15 tons of organic waste dumped into the sea daily. Plus a substance called formalin which is used to prevent diseases in the fish cages and has been found to be carcogenic. 77 tons of it has already filtered into the sea surrounding the island in the last 2.5 years.
The peaceful and clean bay below us, our swimming hole in the summertime, could potentially have a fish farm plonked in the middle of it.
Thousands have turned out from the towns and islands in the Saronic Gulf where there are dozens of already established fish farms. A small number of Poros locals are employed by the Company but nothing like the number employed in the tourist business.
Poros has lived primarily on tourism for the last 60 years, or more. Over 20,000 yachts pass through the straits and tie up during the summer. Greek visitors come by road. Poros is only 2 hours from Athens, one hour on the Catamaran. We complain about the traffic jams these rich Greeks cause with their big flashy cars but they spend money and come all year round. Foreign tourists start arriving around Easter and keep holidaying till late October.
Speeches first
All the family were there
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The plans sound horrendous. Let's hope people power wins over profit 🤞
ReplyDeleteThere have been protests on paper for some years. I hope they listen to the people
DeleteI see the point for producing food from the sea but perhaps the answer has to be a sustainable way of farming fish which does no harm to the environment and provides fish to feed all those tourists. The fish farmers should go back to their science and make a better way...
ReplyDeleteFish catches from the med and the gulf here have decreased considerably. Some sort of farming is becoming necessary to fill demand. I wonder if they're looking at how it's done elsewhere
DeleteIt isn't very clean anywhere, Norway and Shetland have issues farming salmon too. Fish aren't mean to be herded together like that and kept in one place.
DeleteCan they move them around ? If static you'll get pollution but if they can move around it will be better
ReplyDeleteSo they can pollute a larger area?
DeleteGood luck! The ambition to produce more food more cheaply is laudable, I suppose, but fish farms should be run with health in mind - for the fish as well as those who will eat them.
ReplyDeleteI hope they're studying what's happening in the med and elsewhere in the world. The farms here are in enclosed bays and gulfs. The waste stays close
DeleteI wish you luck. People power does work. But you all have to remain committed.
ReplyDeleteI’ll send my energy and solidarity to you from way down under.
Thanks Angela. It certainly needs more pressure
DeleteThe detritus from those fish farms kills everything around them. It would be a disaster!
ReplyDeleteAround here it's an enclosed gulf and waste is not going anywhere but our beaches
DeleteThere is a NIWA run land based Kingfish farm at Ruakaka and, apparently 99% of the water is filtered and recirculated.
ReplyDeleteNow that sounds like the answer!!! I wonder if they're looking at that here
DeleteThis is truly a just and important fight, may they succeed.
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor is continuing the fight right now...in Parliament
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