MONITORINGMARKETEDELASMOBRANCHSINTHESSALONIKIMETROPOLITANAREA,NORTHGREECE

iSea,EnvironmentalOrganisationforthePreservationoftheAquaticEcosystems

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iSea

iSea isaNon-ProfitNon-GovernmentalOrganisation founded inMarch2016 linedwith theArticles741etseq.oftheCivilCodeandtheapplicablecompanylawlegislationoftheGreekState.TheaimofiSeaistopreserve,protectandrestorethepreciousheritageoftheaquaticenvironment. Its activities are focusing on 4 main pillars: 1) fisheries, 2) alien species 3)marine litter and 4) human and aquatic ecosystems. iSea is willing to contribute to theprotectionof aquatic ecosystemsby sensitizing the state,managers, and general public totakemeasureswhenandwherenorationalactionsareimposed,tolookoutforandinformon the impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems and to promote sustainabledevelopment, based on technical expertise, and to work for social, economic, andenvironmentalwelfare.Theorganisationconsistsofateamofyoung,experiencedscientists,andprofessionalsofvariousdisciplines.Theprojectsof iSeavaryfromawarenesstocitizenscienceandresearch lyingtoallof its fourmainpillars. In thiscontext, iSeahasdevelopedcollaborations with various entities both national (e.g. HCMR, Natural HistoryMuseum ofCrete of the University of Crete, Municipality of Thessaloniki etc.) and international (e.g.UniversityofPadova,UniversityofCanakkale, InstituteofMarineScience inBarcelonaetc.)forimplementingitsscopes.Sinceitsfirstyear,iSeadevelopedaspecialinterestonelasmobranchconservationlaunchingrecentlyseveralprojectsaimingtofillinthegapofknowledgeandprogressivelyconservetheelasmobranch species in the Greek Seas and abroad. The organisation along with theUniversityofPadovaaredirectingtheresearchproject“Evaluatingtheattitudesofcommonpeople towards sharks”. The project is under the umbrella of the European COST ActionOceans Past Platform, aiming to assess the attitude of the public towards sharks andinvestigate differences between regions and countries in global scale. In addition, iSea isparticipatingasthelocalcoordinatorforGreeceintheMediterraneanresearchproject“Past,present and futurepresenceof theelasmobranchs in theMediterraneanSea”utilizing thelocalecological knowledgeof fishermen for identifyingareas important forelasmobranchs.Recently, iSea funded from the GreekMinistry of Environment and Climate Change alongwithMEDASSET, foreducatingprofessional fishermenon the importanceof sharksand fortraining them on catch and release methods when applicable. Moreover, iSea is activelyengagedwithsharkadvocacyinGreece,aimingtocontributetotheimprovementofnationalpolicy among elasmobranchs while is very active though social media in raising publicawarenessandeducatingthepublicthroughthecitizenscienceproject“SharksandRaysinGreece and Cyprus”. Further, the organisation is part of the Angelshark Network and isinvolvedinthe“TrackingSharksForConservation”project.InJuly2017,iSeabecamethefirstNGOinGreecethatreceivedaresearchpermitfromtheGreekMinistryofEnvironmentandClimatetoconductsharktagging.

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Monitoring Marketed Elasmobranchs in ThessalonikiMetropolitanArea(MMETProject)

TheBackgroundGreece host a remarkable biodiversity of elasmobranchs with approximately 70 speciesconfirmed tobepresent in theGreekwaters.Despite this greatbiodiversity, several sharkandrayspeciesareconsideredthreatenedduetointensivepressurefromfishing,asatargetorbycatch.Currently,halfof thesharksandseveralraysareprotected inGreecebasedonnational and international legislation.However, thework of iSea, through socialmedia, aswellas,publishedstudies,revealedthatprotectedspeciesofelasmobranchsarecommonlysold in theGreek localmarketsdue to the lackofknowledgeandawarenessof fishermen,and the poor law enforcement. These illegal catches are sliced andoftenmislabelled, andsold as different species and specifically the legal “Galeos” or “Rina/Vatos” (genuinelyreferring to all large shark and ray species respectively). Thus, consumers are unable toidentifythattheymightbebuyingmeatfromendangeredsharkorrayspecies.Thisemergingissue is of great importance in several European countries as it is compromising sharkconservation efforts. At the same time, it is an issue of public safety since the flesh ofelasmobranchshasbeenfoundtocontainharmfultoxinsandheavymetalsthatareunsafeforconsumptionbypregnantorbreastfeedingwomen,childrenandolderpeople.

TheAimThe MMET project aims at monitoring the landings of sharks and rays in ThessalonikiMetropolitanarea forpresenting robust results regarding theamountofprotectedspecieslandingsandthemislabellingofsharkandraymeat.ThessalonikiisthesecondbiggesttowninGreecewhileatthesametimehoststhesecondlargestfishingport,withthemajorityofthefishingfleetsfishingintheNorthAegeanSea;anareawhichisconsideredashotspotfortheelasmobranchs.

VolunteerAssignments

LocalMarketSurveys(LMS)

Volunteerswillvisiteveryseconddayalocalmarket together with the project managerfor recordingmarketed elasmobranchs andsliced fish throughvisual censusandbiopsysampling. Volunteers will help completingthe survey form, they will photograph thesamples, and they will help with the tissue

sampling.Onceall fishmongersof a certainmarketare surveyed, theprojectmanager candecidewhetherornottovisitotherdependingontheavailabilityoftime.LMSwillnotlastformorethanfourhoursperday.

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AuctionMarketSurveys(AMS)

Onceperweek,volunteerswillvisittheAuctionMarketofMichanionainearlymorninghoursforrecordingthelandingsofsharkandrayspecies.Volunteerswillhelprecordingthesurveyform,photographthespecimensandwiththetissuesamplingifneeded.AMSwillnotlastformorethanthreehours.

WorkintheFieldStation

At the field station, volunteerswill contribute to the data entry and descriptive analysis, .Volunteerswillbetaughthowtofile,name,andstorethedigitalphotos,howtonameandstorethebiologicalsamplesandhowtouploadthedataonanonlinedatabase.

Itinerary

Day Activity Location(SeeMapBelow) Time

Day1 MeetresearchpersonnelofiSea iSeaHeadquarters 12.00-13.00

Day2

Workshoponsharkspeciesidentification iSeaHeadquarters 11.00-14.00

Introductiontotheprojectandthemethods iSeaHeadquarters 17.00-19.00

Day3

VisitKapani,thecentralmarketofThessaloniki

Meetingpoint:Aristoteloussquare 8.00-9.30

Visitfishmongershopsinthecitycenter - 10.00-12.00

LectureonelasmobranchsinGreece iSeaHeadquarters 17.00-18.00

Day4Workondata iSeaHeadquarters 10.00-14.00

Lectureonelasmobranchs’conservation iSeaHeadquarters 17.00-18.00

Day5

VisittheauctionmarketofMichaniona

Acarwillpassbyyouraccommodation

locations3.00-6.00

VisitfishmongershopsandsupermarketsinThessaloniki

Meetingpoint:Kamara 12.00-14.00

LectureonelasmobranchsofGreece iSeaHeadquarters 17.00-18.00

Day6 Workondata iSeaHeadquarters 10.00-14.00

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Goodbyeparty iSeaHeadquarters 19.00-21.00

Day7 Departure

Importantmeetinglocations

AccommodationAccommodation is not included in the project. You should arrange and book your ownaccommodationbeforearriving inThessaloniki. e. iSeacollaborateswithanumberof localhostels,hotelsandAirbnbapartmentsthatdependingonthegroupofvolunteersandtheirrequirements, can help with the accommodation. If you need help to book youraccommodation, please contact Vasilis-Orestis Stoilas (vaorst@gmail.com). Please considerthatthesooneryoubookyouraccommodation,thecheaperoffersyoumightfind.

FoodandbeverageBreakfast, lunchanddinnerarenot includedintheprojectfees.TheiSeaheadquarterswillprovide coffee, juices, fresh water, biscuits and fruits always free of charge. The last dayGoodbye party include food and drinks, fully covered and provided by the project. PleaseconsiderthatThessalonikioffersarangeofniceandinexpensivebakeries,fastfoods,fingerfoods, restaurantsandtaverns (anaverageprice fora lunch inanaveragerestaurantcostsabout12eurosperperson).iSeawillguideyouandprovideyouwithtipsandinformationforniceeateriesonceyouarriveinThessalonikiPleaseprovideuswithinformationonanyspecialdietaryrequirement(e.g.diabetes,lactoseintolerance,nutorotherfoodallergies)toadviseyouaccordingly.

Communications

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• iSeaHeadquarters:(+30)2313-090696,info@isea.com.gr• Vasilis-OrestisStoilas-ProgramManager:(+30)6970-498863,v.o.stoilas@isea.com.grTocommunicatewithfamilyandfriends,volunteersmayusetheirownmobilephones.Freeinternet access will be always available at the iSea Headquarters. Additionally, almost allcoffeebarsandhostingfacilitiesofThessalonikiofferfreeInternetaccess.

GettingtoThessalonikiThe International Airport 'Makedonia' (SKG) is located in Thessaloniki with regular flightsoriginating from all over Europe (for more visit: http://www.thessalonikiairport.com/).Thessaloniki has only buses as Public Transport and taxis. The OASTH buses connect theairportandtheMacedoniaIntercityBusStationthroughoutthedaybythe78,78Aand78Nlines.Thebusjourneydurationlastsforabout30-40minutes.

• Line78departsevery30minutesduringtheday.• Line78Noperatesduringthenight.• Line78Adepartsonlyonceaday,at05:00a.m.inthedirectionoftheairport.

Alongtheroute,youcangetoffinthecitycentre(PlatiaAristotelous)andatthemainrailwaystation of Thessaloniki (Neos Sidirodromikos Stathmos). From these two stations, you canfindmany other buses that can take you to your accommodation location. A single ticketcosts2€(studentsandseniors1€).Youcanbuyticketsfromtheticketmachineonthebus,butkeepinmindthatthemachinedoesnotreturnsparechange.Seedrivingschedulehere:http://oasth.gr/#en/airport-macedonia/.Taxiservice:Ifyou’reupforamorecosyride,thenyoumaytakeataxiinsteadofpublicbus.ThereisataxirankoutsidetheArrivalshall.Onewayridetakesabout30minutesandcostsaround20€.

LifeinThessalonikiThe city of Thessaloniki, located inNorth Greece, is the capital of theregion of CentralMacedonia and isthe second biggest city in Greecewith a population of more than 1million inhabitants. Situated on theAegean Sea, making Thessaloniki aperfect combination of sea andmountains.Thetownispackedwith2,300 years of history: it was firstestablished by the ancientMacedonian dynasty, and numerous surviving ruins, churches and majestic fortress wallsattest to the city’s later Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Nowadays, is acontemporaryEuropeancitywithamulticulturalcharacterandmorethan75.000students!!!

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For the locals, the city ismostly known for its boisterous nightlife and sense of life-style.Thessalonikiisadedicatedstudentcityawithaplethoraofeateries,nightbarsandcafésofallstylesandtypeshavesprunguptocatertoitschicinhabitants.Thiscentreofculturealsohostsmanymuseums,cinemas,concertsandspecialevents.

TheTeam

Vasileios-OrestisStoilas-ProjectManagerBorn in Thessaloniki, Orestis holds a BSc in Fisheries and AquacultureTechnology from Alexander Technological Educational Institute ofThessaloniki. In 2015, he completed a six-month internship at theDepartment of Fisheries at Region of Central Macedonia, where heworked on data recording of inshore fishing vessels. He joined iSea inJuly 2017 and since then is deeply involved in the shark conservation

projectsof theorganisation.Currentlyhe is theProjectManagerofMMETProjectandtheDataManagerofthecitizenscienceproject“SharksandRaysinGreeceandCyprus”.Orestis’scientificinterestsincludeelasmobranchsconservationandadvocacy.

IoannisGiovos-ScientificAdvisorBorn in Thessaloniki, Ioannis holds a BSc in Biology and an MSc inFisheries Biology and Management With a background on cetaceansmonitoringandconservation,Ioannisisdeeplyinvolvedinsharkresearchandconservationinthelast3years.Hedirectsandparticipatesinseveralprojects related to shark conservation in national and global scale,includingtheinternationalstudyofthepublicperceptiontowardssharks

andthemonitoringofsharkfisheriesinIran.Hismaininterestsincludetheresearchonthepublic perception towards sharks, the interaction between sharks and fisheries, and theprotection and conservation measures in national, regional and global level targetingelasmobranchs.

DatesandFeesTheMMET project runs throughout the year. Day 1 starts everyMonday and finishes onSundaywiththedeparture.Pleasecontactustobookyourparticipation.Keepinmindthatthesooneryoubookyouraccommodationthecheaperoptionsyoumighthave.Participation fees are used to sustain the MMET project, thus contributing directly inadvancingelasmobranchs’conservationinGreece!

Participationfee 150euros

Studentfee 100euros

*ParticipantsjoiningMMETformorethanoneweekwillgeta10%discountinanyadditionalreservation.