Enaleia: The first school for sustainable fishing in Greece – Interview with Lefteris Arapakis

Sustainable fishing? This topic is very controversial and is widely discussed, especially after the documentary “Seaspiracy”. Overfishing is not only a major problem for marine fauna, but also for fishermen, whose survival is threatened by it. What is the solution? Let's ask Lefteris from Enaleia, the first Greek school for professional, sustainable fishing!

Sustainable fishing? This topic is very controversial and is widely discussed, especially after the documentary “ Seaspiracy ”. Overfishing is a major problem for marine fauna and those fishermen whose income is threatened by it. Sustainable fishing is necessary to ensure that fish stocks are not overfished and fish farms do not pollute the environment.

Enaleia is the first school for professional and sustainable fishing in Greece. It provides jobs to unemployed young people and teaches them about sustainable fishing and fishing tourism. It also educates people about responsible disposal of used fishing nets, recycling and the circular economy in collaboration with our partner Healthy Seas.

Enaleia and Healthy Seas have set up a collection point where Greek fishermen can hand in their discarded nets as well as the ghost nets they catch in their active nets. 226 fishing boats and around 1,000 fishermen are involved in this cooperation so far. Enaleia's goal is to educate and empower the local community and to incentivize fishermen to collect plastic from the sea so that both fish stocks and the ecosystem can recover. One of their largest projects to date is the Mediterranean Cleanup.

We spoke to Lefteris Arapakis, a 26-year-old Greek climate activist, entrepreneur, “Young UN Champion of the Earth 2020” and founder of Enaleia about his work and the Cleanup project.

How did the story of Enaleia begin?

It was 2016, in the middle of the Greek financial crisis. I had the idea of ​​creating the first Greek fishing school, which would address the main problem at the time, youth unemployment, to fill the gap in the fishing industry's job market at that time. I am still fascinated by the journey and how things turned out.

What exactly distinguishes you from conventional fishing?

Our fishing school provides knowledge and skills that enable new people in the industry to use modern, sustainable fishing techniques to protect fish stocks and marine ecosystems. A vivid example is the “Fish Smart” project, which enables fishermen to convert their vessels into tourist facilities, thus increasing their income without having to fish.

How did the experienced fishermen react to you?

It is not always easy to manage such a large network of fishermen. However, we have managed to build a relationship based on mutual trust. A big success factor is that our network grows with new fishermen who come to us after other fishermen tell them about us. It is so fulfilling when you see that your project is working so well that someone not only wants to be part of it, but also invites others to join.

When and why did the Mediterranean Cleanup project come about?

During the educational trips we did as part of the curriculum, I noticed that many fishermen were catching plastic and throwing it back into the sea, saying “it’s not our problem”. So I decided to do something about it and that’s how the Mediterranean Cleanup was born.

How has the situation in the Mediterranean developed since then?

The Mediterranean Cleanup started as a small cleanup project in Greece a few years ago. Today it is one of the most successful, efficient and sustainable sea cleanup projects in Europe. Our vision is to clean the seas, protect marine ecosystems, empower local fishing communities and integrate the collected marine plastic into the circular economy to ensure that this plastic does not end up back in the sea. Currently, my organization “Enaleia”, which means “together with the fishermen” in Greek, has the capacity to clean more than 120,000 kg of plastic from the seabed annually through the Mediterranean Cleanup project, involving more than 1,000 fishermen in Greece and Italy.

Greece is traditionally a fishing country, has it been difficult to change the established habits? What do you think are the necessary measures that need to be taken?

Greece indeed has a great tradition in the fishing industry. On the one hand, it was difficult at first to convince professional fishermen to change their decades-old way of working. But on the other hand, our country's fishing tradition helped us to accelerate our project very quickly. The turning point in the whole process was the education and training we offered. Once we explained to the fishermen the benefits that both the environment and they themselves would gain by participating in our action, all we had to do was sort out the logistics.

What was the most unusual or striking thing you have ever found in the sea?

Every catch is a surprise for our fishermen and an even bigger surprise for us. We have found everything from entire refrigerators and caterpillar engines to entire boats and remains of military equipment. However interesting some items may be, unfortunately they do not belong to the marine ecosystem and as long as they remain there, they cause damage.

How widespread is the problem of ghost nets in the Mediterranean?

The Mediterranean has a very developed fishing industry, so it's not hard to imagine how widespread the problem of ghost nets is in this area. For many decades, there were no corresponding legal frameworks or projects like ours. About a third of the plastic we collect is ghost nets or other lost, abandoned or otherwise discarded fishing gear. We therefore incentivize the fishermen in our network to provide us with their fishing gear when they renew it. This way, we integrate them into the circular economy like the rest of the marine plastic we collect and prevent these devices from ending up on the seabed.

What happens to the plastic waste and ghost nets you find?

Today, almost half of the marine plastic we collect is sent to certified partners in our network for recycling. The rest is sent to our upcycling partners in Spain and the Netherlands, who integrate this plastic into the circular economy and transform it into new products. Most notably, the nets we collect are sent to our partner Healthy Seas in the Netherlands, where they ensure that they are upcycled into products such as rugs and socks.

You work with Healthy Seas and Nofir, just like we do. What does the collaboration look like?

It is a great pleasure for us to work with these organisations. Not only because we share a common vision and values, but also because together we can offer a holistic solution to the problem of marine plastic. With these organisations in particular, we can be sure that all our efforts in collecting the plastic from the seabed are worthwhile. Not only are we removing it from the marine ecosystem, but we are also ensuring that it is integrated into the circular economy - with all the benefits that entails. Closing the loop is an important success factor for us and we are implementing it in cooperation with our recycling partners.

Do you plan to expand the network of fishermen in Greece and Italy?

Our organization is in a constant process of growth in terms of partnerships and collaborations. Regarding Greece, our fishing network includes the vast majority of fishermen; however, we plan to operate in other Greek ports soon. In Italy, we currently operate in one port, but have already planned to expand our activities in the country to at least two new ports in collaboration with the local fishing communities.

What are your goals for the next few years?

Our main goals for next year are to increase the upcycled share of collected ocean plastic and to expand our activities beyond Europe. For the former, we are in constant discussions with potential partners from around the world who could use new technologies to make use of all types of plastics we collect, while for the latter we are preparing by sharing our knowledge and experience with projects in Africa, Southeast Asia and the USA.

Do you sometimes feel like the problem is too big?

Actually, we don't feel that the problem is too big. We see it every day and every night when our fishing vessels come into port bringing bags full of plastic. The problem of marine plastic pollution is one of the most important challenges we face in terms of climate action. There is a strong need for holistic approaches that include educating local communities, curbing pollution and proper waste disposal so that we can avoid the re-entry of collected plastic back into the sea. However, as I speak every day to young people around the world who want to replicate projects like ours in their areas, I am more than optimistic that it is not too late to tackle the problem. Of course, to achieve this, all relevant stakeholders from civil society to governments to businesses should do their part, but I feel that the ground is better prepared for something like this than ever before.

We know how big the problem of marine plastic is and that our oceans need new, sustainable fishing techniques to survive. Enaleia tackles both problems with one approach and we are convinced that the project will bring about real change in the fishing industry. Thank you for the interview and good luck on your future journey!

In these articles you will learn more about ghost nets , fishing nets and fish seal .