Non-profit 'Healthy Seas' cleans up contaminated Greek oceans

The operation lasted ten days and tackled a location in Ithaca and another near Patras, where around 30 tonnes of nets and waste were collected.

Transcript

00:00 For the third consecutive year, the Dutch non-profit organization Healthy Seas made

00:05 a return visit to the Greek island of Ithaca. Their mission was to clean up waters contaminated

00:11 by deserted fish farms. The island has two ghost farms which have been abandoned for

00:17 more than a decade. They release debris, plastics and pollutants into the marine environment.

00:23 These pollutants disrupt marine ecosystems, endangering flora and fauna.

00:28 Ghost farms are abandoned, bankrupted, old aquaculture facilities which keep polluting

00:33 the area. It`s not only a problem for marine life and the environment, but also for the

00:38 local communities. For tourism and for recreational purposes, the local communities lose the area

00:46 which are polluted by these ghost farms.

00:49 Sea pollution has a major impact on local fishermen who struggle to find fish in the

00:53 waters around the island. Many fish get trapped in the abandoned farms or leave the area due

00:58 to pollution.

00:59 Every year, the fish are reduced. Every year. Year by year. And in the bottom, there are

01:07 many garbage cans. They want to take everything out.

01:12 The cleanup operation lasted 10 days and two significant locations were tackled, one near

01:17 Patras and another in Ithaca. Around 30 tons of nets and waste were collected in Patras

01:22 while the number in Ithaca estimated to be higher. Local residents have backed the initiative

01:27 in both locations as they have not seen any cleanup efforts by the Greek government.

01:32 The local community was in the beginning and then we are talking about 2021, a little bit

01:38 skeptical like they are cleaning up the fish farm for real. OK, let them go and let`s see

01:44 where it ends. Now, all lights were at green. So, the coast guard, the mayor, everyone,

01:50 all the locals, everybody is supporting us really well and that`s super nice.

01:56 Where you see the endless blue, we are facing an endless garbage dump. With this phrase,

02:04 the volunteers describe the situation in the Greek seas and in some other areas of the

02:11 Mediterranean. That`s why every year, cleaning teams take out hundreds of tons of waste

02:18 and nets from Ithaca.

02:22 [SWOOSH]