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Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
RHODES – Greeks love their fish and with a long history of fishing the seas – some lucky beachgoers can even buy fish right off a fishing boat – there would seem to be a plentiful supply, but much comes from commercial fish farms, not open seas.
There’s also worry about abandoned fish farms and the pollution and marine debris left behind but on the island of Rhodes the Chatzinikolaou family is trying to show that aquaculture and tourism can go hand-in-hand.
They operate Lamar, a commercial fishing area within a Natura protected environment site, and Blutopia, which offers an ecotourism experience near Lamar’s aquaculture facilities, off the southernmost tip of the island.
In a feature, The Fish Site said the operations – Lamar since 2016 and Blutopia for 15 years – have flourished under the husband-and-wife team of Savvas and Mariza Chatziniloulaou and their sons, Lazaros – a diving instructor and commercial boat captain and Christos, also a diving instructor and skipper of the Blunatura.
https://thefishsite.com/articles/can-aquaculture-and-tourism-be-compatible-in-greece
It’s a family-run business, with husband-and-wife Savvas and Mariza Chatzinikolaou supported by their two sons: Lazaros, a diving instructor and commercial boat captain, oversees the fish processing station, while Christos is a diving instructor and skipper of the Blunatura. Together, they lead a team of approximately 15 employees.
“We are proud to show our fish farm and environment to tourists and invite them to taste our fish. Our vision is to become a global showcase for aquaculture sustainability and best practices for a fish farm attraction,” said Savvas.
There are a lot of critics over the practice though. British expatriates living on Poros protested plans to further develop a massive industrial-scale fish farm off the popular island, complaining it will leave slimy fish residue in the waters.
They joined campaigners who say the farms have already killed off sealife by pumping out chemicals, fish waste, bodies and uneaten food pellets, said the British newspaper The Daily Mail Online said.
Greece is one of the world’s biggest fish farming producers and first in the European Union, fish being the second-biggest export and farms turning out 132,000 tons in 2022, mainly sea bream and sea bass for eating.
In 2018 there were 320 fish farms in the country and in 2022 fish farms represented 774 million euros ($860.87 million) in sales with 104,192 tons in exports valued at 600.6 million euros ($668 million.)
“While aquaculture has not always been well-received around the Greek islands, one family has managed to combine fish farming with tourism, suggesting that the two sectors can successfully co-exist,” The Fish Site said.
Lamar covers 10,000 square meters (107,639 square feet) and has 18 cages running up to 80 meters (262.46 feet) in circumference, enabling an annual output of 320,000 tons of fish for sale around the country.
Each harvest yields up to 6 tons and there are three weekly to meet demand for fish in the country, most of that in the summer and the family collaborates with research institutes and universities in Europe and the United States.
The company also operates a fish processing facility, where the fish are gutted, filleted, and packed according to demands, with summer bringing the most customers during the highest tourism season.
Blutopia specializes in environmental education, particularly for the young and said it aims to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the Mediterranean’s natural beauty despite criticisms that the farms spoil areas.
Their team, comprising marine biologists, diving instructors, and a sustainable aquaculture expert, delivers an immersive learning experience through a variety of diving and educational tours, the report said.
Tasos Baltadakis, who leads Blutopia’s marine life experiences told the site that, “We want visitors to understand what aquaculture actually looks like and how it should be done in such a diversified way so that SMEs survive and become profitable in the future.”
He added that, “Through Blutopia, we bring people close to the ocean, making them sense the beauty and complexity of the sea, enjoy marine life experiences, and truly feel its essence,” at the same time.
