P

r

o

t

e

c

t

i

o

n

f

o

r

I

t

a

l

y

'

s

A

e

o

l

i

a

n

s

I

s

l

a

n

d

s

Overfishing by large boats, with quota for pelagic catch such as swordfish and bluefin tuna,  has forced artisanal fishers to ply their trade close to shore, catching lower-value fish on reefs and seagrass beds. Equipment is often lost on the rocky seabed, ‘ghost nets’ that are left to entangle sea life for years. 

Fishermen have co-existed with the sea here for thousands of years, but this dynamic is now changing. As it does, so history, culture and community values are lost. Blue Marine is supporting the local community in establishing a marine protected area (MPA) that could restore their once–bountiful seas. To ensure the marine reserve supports the fishers, and the fishers support the reserve, we have built on our win-win model of sustainable fishing, first developed at Lyme Bay in the UK. 

Blue Marine has involved the whole community – including fishers, restaurateurs, tourists and schools – to encourage the local authorities to protect the sea life around the island of Salina. As a result, a mutual agreement among three mayors was signed in support of the creation of the MPA. The designation process is underway, and we look forward to a transformative moment for Salina, the first of the Aeolian Islands to embrace an MPA.  

In the Aeolian Islands of the southern Mediterranean, local small-scale fishermen are running out of fish. The Italian government has committed to creating a marine reserve in the archipelago, but the scheme is dependent on the buy-in of the Aeolian fishermen and island communities. Blue Marine’s mission has been to galvanise their support. 

Photos by: Danny Copeland and Gianfranco Taranto