Aeolian Islands

In the Aeolian Islands of the southern Mediterranean, local small-scale fishermen are running out of fish. Overfishing by large boats, with quota for pelagic catch like 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.    

Working closely with the Sicily Environment Fund, Blue Marine’s mission in the Aeolians is to reverse this change through the establishment of an effective MPA and a low-impact, sustainable local fishery. 

The Italian government has committed to creating a marine reserve in the Aeolian archipelago, and research has been conducted to support the designation. But the scheme is dependent on the buy-in of the Aeolian fishermen and island communities. To ensure the marine reserve supports the fishers, and the fishers support the reserve, Blue Marine has built on its win-win model of sustainable fishing, first developed at Lyme Bay in the UK.  

The fishers of Stromboli and Salina Islands have signed up to responsible fishing ‘codes of conduct’, voluntarily reducing their gear and fishing pressure in return for insulated fish-boxes and ice machines to improve the quality and value of their catch. These coastal communities have started to see the value of marine protection for both fishing and tourism, and the Association of the Responsible Fishers of Salina Island has been created. 

Through a large community engagement program, Blue Marine has involved the whole community, from fishers, to restaurateurs, tourists, schools and has facilitated the creation of the Salina Marine Protected Area Committee, pushing for the authorities to protect the precious resources.     

This action brough to the Manifesto of intentions in support of the creation of the MPA in Salina, the first in the archipelago, signed by the three mayors of the island, the local associations and foundations involved in the process. Now the designation to create the Salina MPA will start.