Fisheries
traditional low-intensity artisanal fishery
Historically, Amvrakikos Gulf has been a high fisheries dependent area with traditional low-intensity small-scale fishery, operated either in the gulf or in the lagoons stretching across its northern part.
Environmental heterogeneity
The reduced salinity and the abundance of nutrients provided by the rivers flow into the Gulf trigger a large number of fish entering from the Ionian Sea. The existence of an extensive network of lagoons highly contributes in the richness of the Amvrakikos Gulf’s fish stocks.
The high environmental heterogeneity is also reflected in the fishing activity, leading to significant variations in exploitation patterns between different areas. These differences characterize both the north-south axis and the eastern and western basin areas, which display distinct traits. Particularly notable is the area at the entrance of the Amvrakikos Gulf, the communication channel between the gulf and the Ionian Sea, which depicts unique features and exceptional importance.
Important fishing ports include Preveza, Koronesia, Salahoura, Menidi, Amfilochia, and Vonitsa, both in terms of the number of fishing vessels and fishers. Although the number of professional fishers operating in the gulf increased significantly during 1980s, a negative trend depicted in fleet size reduction during the last 30 years similarly with the corresponding observed throughout Greek fisheries. Professional fishing vessels are docked in naturally protected fishing ports a fact that reduces the overall cost of the activity and prevents environmental degradation.
Small-scale fishery
Amvrakikos Gulf is a particularly enclosed area, and therefore, fishing is adapted to the scale of the space. In fact, technical specifications of the small-scale fishing fleet are harmonized with the particular characteristics of the gulf exhibiting low GT/Overall length ratio compared with Greek mean value (at least 50% lower), fishing in shallow waters, short distances, lagoons, and enclosed gulfs. A further characteristic of the small-scale fleet is the low cost of fishing vessels, of which 80% are solely outfitted with a sounder and only 10% have any other instrument. An enhancing to the above factor is that the fact that the mean age of the fishing vessels is rising, with the majority of the fleet (6–9 m) being older than 35 years, linked too with the age of the fishers.
Fishers in the Amvrakikos Gulf spend overall less time engaged in fishing activities, a trend reinforced by the small-size traditional fishing vessels with low engine power and capacity, as well as the specific features of the ecosystem. In addition, the average duration of the fishing trip does not vary significantly between seasons. In contrast, the actual fishing time tends to be higher in spring and summer, while the average time spent preparing the fishing gear is slightly increased during winter.
Amvrakikos Gulf exhibits all the characteristics of a fisheries-dependent area in a critical condition and should be addressed with caution as fisheries are socially entrenched and particularly significant in terms of employment and cultural contribution.
Amvrakikos Alliance partners
