Thracian Sea · Northern Greece · Active Operation
Octopus Traps
Removed
Illegal traps are wiping out Greece's octopus population. The Sea Eagle is pulling them up one by one.
Thracian Sea · Northern Greece · Active Operation
The Seafloor Under Siege
Tens of thousands of illegal traps line the bottom of the Mediterranean. Each one kills. The Sea Eagle is pulling them up and will not stop until they are gone.
The Operation
From Italy to Greece. The Same War.
Sea Shepherd's octopus campaign began in Italy's Tuscan Reserve in 2022, where crews hauled a record 7,672 illegal traps from the seabed in a single season. The effect was immediate: poachers complied out of fear of confiscation, and octopus numbers began to rebound.
In 2024 the Conrad ran a 17-day reconnaissance into Northern Greece and pulled 6,500 traps. The lines of cages stretched to the horizon. The problem was bigger than anything seen in Italy.
In 2025, the Sea Eagle returned at full strength, invited by the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and working alongside the Hellenic Association of Ichthyologists and the Greek Coastguard. The ship launched July 4 with a winch, expanded deck space, and a single objective: remove every trap and replicate what happened in Italy.
MV Sea Eagle
2025 Greece Campaign
75-day operation · 4,650 traps in first 4 days
MV Conrad
2024 Recon · Greece
17 days · 6,500 traps removed
Trap fishing is prohibited in Greek waters from July through September. Every trap found is by definition illegal. Every trap pulled is one less kill.
What the Traps Do
🐙
Industrial Scale Killing
Trap lines run to the horizon. Tens of thousands of cages sit on the seafloor during a period when fishing is entirely banned, harvesting octopuses that have no chance of escape.
🌊
Seabed Pollution
Abandoned and lost traps become permanent pollution. Ghost gear continues killing indefinitely, stripping marine life from the bottom long after the boats that set them are gone.
📉
Population Collapse
Unchecked illegal trapping pushes octopus populations toward collapse across the Mediterranean. Italy showed recovery is possible when the pressure stops. Greece needs the same intervention.
⚖️
Impunity Without Presence
The scale of illegal trapping in Greece was unknown until Sea Shepherd arrived. Without a ship on station, enforcement has no reach and poachers face no consequence.
What Our Crews Do
🪝
Trap Retrieval
Winch-assisted hauling of illegal trap lines — 10-hour days, deck stacked every night with confiscated gear.
🐙
Wildlife Release
Each trap is inspected before disposal. Octopuses and any other marine life are released back into the sea alive.
🗺️
Seafloor Mapping
Working with the Hellenic Association of Ichthyologists to document trap density and guide enforcement priorities.
🤝
Authority Cooperation
Operating under Greek Coastguard instruction, invited by regional government — compliance is the goal, not confrontation.
In 2022, Italy’s Tuscan Reserve became the proving ground for a new kind of direct action. Over one season, 7,672 illegal octopus traps were hauled off the seabed and hundreds of animals were released. Compliance rose as gear was confiscated, and local octopus numbers began to rebound.
The following year the focus shifted to northern Greece. A 17-day push by the Conrad removed 6,500 traps, revealing lines of cages that ran to the horizon. The scale made the problem unmistakable and showed the fishery’s impact reached far beyond a single coastline.
In 2025 the Sea Eagle returned at full strength, invited by the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and working with the fisheries department of Xanthi, the Hellenic Association of Ichthyologists, and the Greek Coastguard. Outfitted with a winch and expanded deck space, the ship began work on July 4. Within the first four days 4,650 traps were recovered, during a period when trap fishing is banned from July through September. The campaign runs for 75 days with a simple objective: remove the traps entirely so octopus populations can recover across the Mediterranean.
The results have been staggering. Decks are stacked each night with bags of confiscated gear, proof of an illegal fishery operating at industrial scale. Every trap lifted means an octopus returned to the sea, pollution stripped from the seabed, and one less weapon against the Mediterranean’s balance.
Our goal is absolute: to wipe out the trap fishery altogether. Working with regional authorities and scientists, Sea Shepherd is demonstrating that relentless action can turn the tide—removing tens of thousands of cages, freeing marine life, and giving octopus populations the chance to recover. Each haul is a step closer to a Mediterranean where octopuses thrive once more.
