Two recreational fishermen experienced moments of terror while spearfishing off southern Evia after coming across a series of illegal dynamite explosions at sea.
The incident occurred in an area of southern Evia, where unknown individuals were allegedly using explosives to fish illegally.
Tasos Halaris and Lirian Doutska, both recreational fishermen, described the moments of terror they experienced.
“I heard it while I was on the seabed. I was shocked and realized it was dynamite,” Chalaris, a representative of the national federation of recreational fishing associations, told Athens-based broadcaster Alpha.
Doutska said another explosion followed before they had fully understood what was happening.
“Before we could realize what was happening, another one exploded. There were four in succession,” he said. “We experienced intense pain in our stomachs and ears. It is painful. You lose your sense of direction and don’t know exactly what has happened.”
Halaris said the use of explosives for fishing was not an isolated phenomenon in the country.
Doutska highlighted the potentially devastating consequences of the practice, both for people and marine ecosystems.
“They cause damage. Either to human lives or to the seabed. They kill eggs and juvenile fish. It leaves a dead place behind,” he said.
Maria Miliou, research director at the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, said illegal fishing with explosives continues to be reported in several parts of Greece.
“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident,” Miliou said. “In southern Crete, Evia, Koufonisia, Kalymnos and other areas, they destroy ecosystems for easy profit and put people’s safety at risk.”
The use of explosives for fishing is illegal in Greece and can cause extensive damage beyond the immediate area of an explosion, destroying marine organisms, fish eggs and juvenile fish and damaging the seabed.
