Sea Shepherd Crew Removes Thousands of Illegal Octopus Traps in Greece

Illegal Octopus Traps in Thracian Sea

• 🎯 The Thracian Sea, Greece's largest octopus habitat, is heavily polluted with illegal plastic octopus traps.
• ⚠️ This practice threatens octopus populations, fuels marine pollution, and continues despite seasonal bans designed to protect breeding.
• 📈 Authorities estimate that as many as half a million traps may still be on the seafloor in northern Greece.

Sea Shepherd's Recovery Efforts

• 🌊 Volunteers from Sea Shepherd, supported by regional authorities, have been removing thousands of these traps since early July.
• ⚓ Captain Alex Cornell, Sea Shepherd CEO, emphasizes that traps are illegal year-round in this specific area.
• 🐙 The barrel-shaped traps are designed to mimic octopus dens, making them effective but also harmful.

Impact on Octopus Reproduction

• 📅 Fishing is banned or restricted during the summer breeding season in northern Greece, with traps supposed to be removed by the end of June.
• प्रजनन Continuing to fish and leave traps during the reproductive season negatively affects the octopus population and their reproduction.

Widespread Problem in European Waters

• 🌍 Captain Cornell states that illegal traps are a significant problem throughout the Mediterranean Sea, with similar issues observed in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
• 📊 A Sea Shepherd vessel, the Sea Eagle, has recovered 179 miles of line and saved over 1,500 octopuses during their campaign.
• 🗑️ These illegal octopus traps are identified as the most abundant litter item recovered from the Thracian Sea.