Since July 16 2026, the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation has recorded more than 50 cases of illegal fishing by Turkish trawlers between Samos, Fournoi and Agathonisi. Only six of them were in or near international waters.
Greek fishermen told Kathimerini that Turkish vessels fish as close as 50 metres from the shore. Unlike Greek fishing boats, they are not monitored through the EU’s Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), a satellite tracking system that records fishing activity.
The vessels can also be tracked through the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which is used for maritime navigation. However, in some cases they have been found to switch it off.
The trawlers drag large nets along the seabed, causing extensive and irreversible damage to the sea floor
Turkish fishing vessels are also not subject to the same restrictions as Greek boats on fishing gear and minimum catch sizes. Local fishermen are calling on the Greek Coast Guard to step up patrols.
In 2025, the Environment Ministry banned bottom trawling in the Fournoi island group across an area of 430 square kilometres to protect deep-water coral colonies.
The Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation worked with local fishermen, the Municipality of Fournoi and scientists from Greece and abroad on a long-term project to map these hard-to-reach marine ecosystems.
Sοurce: Kathimerini
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