The Aegean Sea with its extensive coastline and its archipelago of over 6000 islands, large and small, is characterized by a remarkable environmental and cultural variability, which has been shaped by its complex geological and long cultural history. This case study will focus on one aspect of CH: the exploitation of aquatic resources. There are certain areas that developed very rich and long-lived fishing traditions which shaped the identity and worldviews of coastal people, as well as complex economies that were based on the exploitation of marine resources, their processing and their participation in regional and distant markets. The ecological and biological background of these developments is little explored.
A.1 The story of fish: Linking humanities and environmental science to explore fishing traditions and culinary habits from antiquity to present
A.2 Preserving cultural heritage: Fishing communities in a changing world – mapping resilience, adaptations, abandonment and change
A.3 Exploiting cultural heritage: The “fishing stories” of the North-Eastern Aegean in education, tourism and industry
The Greek brunch of PERICLES’s work focuses on fisheries cultural heritage. In Greece, rich fishing traditions have evolved over time, which have largely defined the identity and way of life of coastal communities, but also supported local economies through fishing and fish processing. These communities created a distinct and multi-faceted fisheries heritage, with tangible and intangible dimensions. The rapid environmental, economic and social changes that have taken place in recent decades have led to major changes in the composition of the country’s coastal fishing communities and threaten these long-standing traditions.
The aim of the Greek participation is to record the fisheries cultural heritage of the NE Aegean (from Strymon to the Evros estuary, as well as on Thassos and Samothrace islands) utilizing archaeological, historical, anthropological and biological methodologies and approaches. Archaeological fish bones, ancient and Byzantine written sources, more recent archival sources as well as modern testimonies in the form of photos, stories, songs and more are used in combination to document the material and intangible culture of the region’s coastal communities and make it known to the global research community.
The program places particular emphasis on the involvement of local communities (fishermen, local government, education, restaurateurs, tourism, fish processing, etc.) in collecting information, knowledge and other evidence related to local fishing traditions and in preserving them in order to continue and renew those traditions. The fishing history of the region, the valuable knowledge and skills developed over the centuries as well as the connection with the place, the sea, and the unique identity that has developed will come to the fore of PERCLES’s work.
Nea Peramos
Kavala
PS 64 007
Greece
Tel.: 25940 22691-2
Fax: 25940 22222
e-mail: fri@inale.gr
www.artificialreefs.gr
www.elgo.gr
www.alieia.gr
www.nagref.gr
www.alieia.minagric.gr
