- The Culture Ministry has suspended its May decision allowing trawling inside the protected Alonissos-Northern Sporades National Marine Park.
- Large vessels were reportedly fishing inside the reserve, triggering environmental outcry and a ministerial U-turn.
- A new presidential decree will redefine the park’s rules.
- The Council of State upheld entry fees for boats and visitors, ensuring funds for conservation.
- Total revenue in 2024 reached €127,101, up from previous years.
From “Lifted Ban” to “Ban Lifted Again”
It took less than six months for Greece’s Culture Ministry to realize that letting trawlers into a marine park might not be the brightest idea, akin to using sunscreen. Back in May, the ministry quietly lifted a long-standing fishing ban inside the Alonissos–Northern Sporades National Marine Park, leaving only a two-nautical-mile buffer along the coast.
Predictably, the news reached fishermen faster than monk seals can roll their eyes. Within weeks, large vessels entered the park’s supposedly protected waters — and the backlash was as fierce as a Meltemi wind in August.
Environmental groups, park officials, and just about anyone with a conscience protested. By October, the Environment Ministry and the Coast Guard intervened, prompting Culture Minister Lina Mendoni to pause the entire operation. The decision is now officially “frozen” until a new presidential decree can clean up the mess — ideally without dragging another net through it.
Courtroom Currents and Park Fees
In a separate but equally salty twist, Greece’s Council of State upheld a 2020 rule requiring entry fees for visitors to the marine park — €5.50 per person and €33.50 per vessel. A family from Skiathos had challenged the measure, arguing it hurt small tour operators. The court disagreed, ruling that the fees are “legally justified to ensure conservation funding and park operation.”
The justices did, however, strike down the use of mobile phone data to monitor tourist entries, presumably because even seals deserve privacy. Locals of Alonissos remain exempt from the fees, a rare bureaucratic gesture that actually makes sense.
The park’s ticket revenue reached €127,101 in 2024, a modest yet steady climb since 2022 — proof that protecting nature can, in fact, pay off.
A Park Between Progress and Potholes
For years, the Alonissos-Northern Sporades Marine Park has been one of Greece’s most praised conservation zones — home to the endangered Mediterranean monk seal and a model for eco-tourism. Yet, even sanctuaries are not immune to bureaucratic zigzags.
The recent trawling saga reveals the uneasy balance between economic interests and environmental stewardship. One ministry opens the gates, another rushes to close them, and the sea — patient and indifferent — keeps rolling in.
Still, for the time being, the monk seals can rest easy, the tourists can still take selfies (for €5.50 apiece), and the trawlers will have to find their fish elsewhere.
