Kalloni bay
Working with the fishing communities for the implementation of 30x30
Activity category: Marine protected areas
Year: 2026
Type: Advocacy, Awareness raising, Scientific research
Status: Ongoing
Target areas: North Aegean Sea
Target organisms:
Project website:
Partners
Fisher association ''The Makas''
Funders
Activity category: Marine protected areas
Year: 2026
Type: Advocacy, Awareness raising, Scientific research
Status: Ongoing
Target areas: North Aegean Sea
Target organisms:
Project website:
Partners
Fisher association ''The Makas''
Funders
Objectives
The project aims to contribute to the achievement of 10% strict protection within the NATURA2000 site of Kalloni Gulf (GR110004), through the bottom-up development of a strict protection scheme based on available scientific knowledge and the local community needs and active participation.
The main activities are 1) Assessment of species, habitats, fisheries, and threats to identify ecologically important areas in need of protection., 2) Meetings with the local fishers association to inform, identify and codevelop measures and define candidates areas to become Zones of Absolute Protection (ZAP) or Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) along with spatiotemporal restrictions., 3) Development of a proposal that defines critical areas for protection, ensures effective surveillance and monitoring. 4) Engagement with relevant authorities to advocate for the adoption of the proposal and the necessary funding to ensure its effective implementation and continuation.
Description
Kalloni Gulf (Aristotle’s lagoon), is a semi enclosed gulf on the island of Lesbos, in the Northeast Aegean Sea. The gulf is characterized by its brackish waters and hosts two Natura 2000 sites while it is designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) for waterbirds and pelagic seabirds. Due to its unique oceanographic conditions one of the few remaining living populations of Noble Pen shells (Pinna nobilis) in the Mediterranean Sea, can be found.
It also hosts a remarkable cluster of more than 7.800 biogenic oyster reefs covering a total of 3,5 km2 along a rich soft bottom biodiversity, including protected sponges like Tethya spp., Axinella spp., and Vulnerable Benthic Macrofauna (VMB) including Sea Pens, soft and hard corals.
Fishing is still a central activity for the local economy. The fleet consists of around 90 vessels and approximately 250 professional fishers, primarily working with nets, and seasonally traps and dredges. Since the 1970s, fishers have been organized in a local association, while through the years they start collaborating closely with scientists and Environmental NGOs to promote the protection of the marine environment and sustainable fisheries.
iSea started collaborating with the local fisher’s association “The Makar” in 2023, through the Life PanPuffinus project, led by Hellenic Ornithological society (HOS). In the context of the project incidental seabird bycatch in the local fisheries was monitored followed by testing of mitigation measures to reduce the impact.
Following this collaboration, in 2025, iSea co-drafted and submitted a series of measures regarding fisheries within the Natura2000 site in the context of the consultation for the Special Environmental Study (SES) for the National Park of Lesbos – Lemnos; namely SES 7B: Natura 2000 Areas of the Attica Region and the North Aegean Region