Fishing in the Ionian Sea

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The Ionian sea supports a wealth of fish and other sea creatures including eels, octopus, squid, lobsters, crabs and jellyfish. When the sea is calm it is easy to see the fish swimming in shoals and some locals fish from the pier at Methoni, using bread on a hook at the end of a line wound round a small plastic reel - no fishing rod! The deeper water at Pylos harbour is a good place to look out for shoals of fish too. The best time to fish is apparently at dawn. Some traditional fishing boats still go out from Methoni harbour, but fewer each year.

Todays visitors to Methoni will find a range of boats moored in the harbour, but most will be small rowing boats or yaghts, rather than traditional fishing boats. I was lucky to be living in Methoni in 2000, when the decline in the small boat fishing industry was underway but there were still a number of boats and a fishing community. We could "order" one kind of fish or "then next time you catch a lobster", and were often offered presents of fish when the requirements of others had been met and some were left over.

In October, when the first maridas (whitebait) were caught, friends would gather to enjoy a meal together. The industry is now represented by the fish farm and a few, larger boats, while throughout the area you will see old boats in gardens. It is not surprising to see old boats, but you might wonder at the number of half boats displyed as ornaments. The reason is that the government encouraged those with small boats to give up and pass their allocated fishing quota to those with larger, more commercially viable vessels. To ensure that the boat owners really did give up, officials came and observed the breaking of the boats which was a very sad occassion, remembered by many who are adults now but used to help with painting the boats when they were chidren. Owners were allowed to keep the front of their boat and were compensated with money. For those close to retirement, in poor health or with old boats that required constant, expensive, maintenance, the scheme must have been a relief though.

Fish farms ensure that the growth and harvest of fish can be managed to ensure a supply to meet market requirements without damaging wild fish stocks.

"Maridas" are the small silvery coloured fish (Psari), eaten, fried in a light batter, from October into Winter. Another popular fish is mullet (Kefalos) and I have seen very pretty small striped fish in Pylos harbour that may be Serranus scriba - painted comber (Greek name: perka) or Sea bream (mourmouri). Harvest from the sea provides much of the staple diet locally.

Sea turtles (Kareta Kareta) can be found in the Messinia area, at protected sites.

Useful Links to other sites

World Sea Fishing

Photos of Fish - Excellent photos with Greek names listed!

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