He sits sad-eyed on a
bench in front of the Neos Pyrgos pier in North Evia, watching some of the few
remaining kaikia go to and fro. Just a few years ago, his
own kaiki was tied there next to them. Every day, before dawn, he would climb
aboard her to go fishing to
make his living.
He performed this timeless ritual of the
fisherman for over forty years.
But Petros Tzevelekos cannot do it anymore. He
is 75 years old and time lays heavy on his shoulders.
But even if he could physically perform this
arduous labor again, he could no longer use his beloved kaiki, because it was
smashed to smithereens in front of his eyes for a small monetary compensation.
Tzevelekos’ beloved boat was one of about
13,000 kaikia which have been deliberately destroyed since 1994, after a
European Union directive called for the demolition of the small wooden fishing boats which
Greek fishermen have used for centuries.
The directive aims at putting a stop to
overfishing in the Mediterranean, and it applies to other Mediterranean
countries as well.
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