The environmental NGO Sea Shepherd, with the help of the Greek authorities, has rescued more than 1,500 octopuses since early July from 32,654 illegal traps it found in the seas of northern Greece, in its attempt to reverse the illegal fishing that threatens their population, according to reports by Reuters and Kathimerini.
From the seas of northern Greece come most of the octopuses of the domestic market, at a time when the global octopus trade has skyrocketed over the last decade and climate change is altering the species’ reproductive habits.
The traps (plastic containers that resemble octopus dens) also increase pollution, as they are the most common type of waste in the Thracian Sea.
This particular fishing method, with plastic traps, is supposed to be restricted during the summer breeding season, which lasts until October, but many fishers ignore the directive and simply add more traps. When they haul them up from the seabed, they also haul up the eggs that octopuses have laid inside, preventing the reproduction of the species.
These plastic containers that resemble the dens where octopuses nest also increase pollution, as they are the most common type of waste most frequently retrieved from the Thracian Sea.
In total, it is estimated that there are half a million such traps in northern Greece, with the method also being used illegally in other countries such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
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