Small Scale Fisheries, Dolphins and Societal Challenges: A Case Study in the City of Volos, Greece

Abstract

Existing literature on dolphin-fisheries interaction focused on Greece reveals both an undeveloped area for research, but also a lack of relevant data in this field. Although imperative, relevant research has been slow on innovation and cooperation among universities, official bureaus, and NGOs that are obliged to work together as European and national laws dictate. Most of the research in this new field focuses on the interaction between marine mammals and local fisheries, suggesting that this relationship may be problematic for both parties since the former are being treated (at least occasionally) with brutality, while the latter try to deal with economic loss. Dolphins and fishermen operate within the same ecological niches for their survival, the main area of conflict being nutritious fish. Anthropological research on ethnic identity has long dealt with antagonistic relationships over resources between adjacent groups of people. Marine biologists’ research in Greece focuses on the human factor, and some of its shortcomings may well be seen as the result of limited, or an absence of, training in social sciences. This article attempts to draw from anthropological theory to shed light on a particular symbiosis between humans and dolphins. Multidisciplinary approaches gain ground in a wide range of research interests and seem to be fruitful in terms of theoretical and practical results.

Threats on Marine Mammals: an Anthropological Perspective

“…Many species of marine mammals are threatened and their populations decline worldwide due to the increase of anthropogenic activities such as fishing, shipping, pollution and climate change [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Bycatch has the most important effect on marine mammal populations since it results in the death of the animal trapped in the net [18].…”

Dolphins don't mind hot sauce: testing the effect of gill net coating on depredation rates

“…Evidently the higher acoustic reflectivity of the Metal nets did not affect the dolphins' ability to detect fish caught in them or in any way reduce their attractiveness as a food source. It is plausible that dolphins that associate fishing gear with readily available prey do not use echolocation to detect caught fish, but rather follow other cues, such as engine noise (Pardalis et al, 2021), towards the nets and primarily use vision during depredation events. Alternatively, as suggested by Kratzer et al (2020), the net coating may simply not increase reflectivity enough to be perceived as an obstacle by an echolocating cetacean.…”