The Region of Crete is looking to fishing tourism as a solution which will give more income to local fishermen, while at the same time reducing fishing as an activity. In fishing tourism, the amount of fish caught is much less than in professional fishing, and the riches of the sea can thus be preserved.
The Cretan Regional Authority has been holding a series of seminars in each nomos of the island to inform fishermen and local government representatives about the opportunities for the development of fishing tourism. Following seminars in Agios Nikolas on 27th March, Rethymnon on 3rd April and Heraklion on 4th April, the final seminar of the series was held in Chania on Tuesday 9th April, in the conference room of the Regional Unit of Chania at the Plateia Eleftherias.
Speaking to the media outside the seminar, professional fisherman Manos Emmanouilidis, who runs fishing tours from the Venetian harbour in Chania, spoke of the trials but also the joys of working in this way. He had been trying to get a permit for fishing tourism since 2002, he said, but did not finally get the permit until 2015. Nevertheless there is a lot of interest from visitors. He explained that fishing tourism helps the growth of fish stocks since it places less of a burden on marine resources.
“For most tourists it is an unforgettable experience, and 60 per cent of them are repeat customers. It would be good for the youngsters who are engaged in fishing to go into the sector, since it’s better than fishing from the financial point of view. It’s better to have five customers than 5 kilos of fish which you must try to sell. Five kilos of fish will hardly give you a living wage but with five customers you will do OK.” He said that at the moment there are some 20 fishermen engaged in fishing tourism locally and he was confident that there would soon be 50, while the number nationwide is 400 to 450.
The first concern for a fishing tour is the weather, he explained. It needs to be good “so that people don’t have a rough time – we don’t want them to go away with a bad impression.” After that you choose a spot not too far from the harbour to throw out the lines, and then you cook the catch for them to eat on the ship. The visitors are of all ages: “We have had 2 to 3-year-olds with their family and last year even a 94-year-old man.”
“Obviously we tell them that the fish can’t be caught to order, we catch what we can. We also catch lagokefalos and drakena [two poisonous species] and we are there every time a hook comes up to make sure nothing bad happens and no-one gets bitten or stung. We usually catch small fish – lithrinia and small fagri [both kinds of bream], and chanos [comber] which are our best ‘friends’ as we can use them to make a nice fish soup. Kakavia is on the menu every day.”
For the Regional Unit of Chania, the head of its fishing section Lina Anezaki said “there is quite a lot of interest from fishermen in this kind of tourism, since it is a solution to existing problems … The positive aspect is that there is a reduction in the amount of fishing being done since they fish less, but can supplement their income from fishing tourism.” Each fisherman sets the price for the visitor according to the distance they will cover on the sea and the amount of fuel which they will use, she added. Among the problems is the lack of suitable berths in some harbours where there is competition from pleasure craft. Visitors are particularly interested in the traditional wooden fishing boats which, she said, are unfortunately not suitable for fishing tourism, mainly for safety reasons.
On the subject of permits, Aliki Karousou, from the Directorate of Rural Economy of the Region of Crete said that their issue is a simple process which is carried out by the fisheries section of each Regional Unit. There is no charge but it entails an inspection by the local harbour board to make sure that the boat is suitable for the purpose. Once they have the permit, fishermen can continue with their professional fishing as well as with fishing tourism. There is no limit to the permit, unless some event intervenes, such as the retirement of the fisherman, or damage to the boat, which requires further inspection to ensure that it is safe to use.
(Haniotika Nea, Zarpa News)
A fishing tourism boat in Kolymbari harbour. Captain Michailis told us that he goes out every day, weather permitting. Trips run from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm and the cost is €125.00 per person, all inclusive, with a minimum number of 5 passengers per trip. The vessel is kept stocked with food, including fresh fish bought on the quay at Kolymbari, so that guests will have something to eat even if the catch is poor. More information from Let’s Go Fishing on +30 695 7509 715 or fishingtripdaily@gmail.com.