Amorgorama: A Fisher-Led Movement to Revive a Greek Island

Where the azure blues of the Aegean meet the rugged, mountainous cliffs of Amorgos, something quietly remarkable is taking shape. In the remote waters of this easternmost Cycladic island, a fisher-led movement is forging a path to safeguard their sea and reclaim a future on the verge of disappearing.

It’s a familiar story, echoed across coastlines and communities around the world: marine pollution and overfishing have devastated ocean ecosystems.

Amorgos is no exception. Once, fishers relied entirely on their catch to make a living, but as fish stocks were depleted, many were  forced to take on second jobs to survive. The same waters that once sustained them now often send them back to shore with barely enough fish to cover the day’s fuel—or worse, with more plastic in their nets than fish.

As catches dwindled and options narrowed, many fishers surrendered their licenses and dismantled their vessels in exchange for compensation under a 2014 EU overfishing regulation. Among them were Kaïkia—traditional Greek fishing boats, each a testament to generations of craftsmanship. For many, it was a painful but practical trade-off, offering financial stability in place of a way of life that was slipping away.

With fewer boats in the water each year and the prospect of passing their trade to the next generation fading, the fishers of Amorgos faced an uncertain future. Yet, as is true on coastlines around the world, the sea remained more than a livelihood—it was both freedom and life.

And so, a movement was born—led by local fishers determined to revive their small piece of the Aegean and champion sustainable fishing for generations to come. A movement that would bring together fishers, conservationists, scientists, and the local community under one name: Amorgorama.

The Birth of Amorgorama: Counting Every Voice

Michalis Krosman, fisher, President of the Professional Fishing Association of Amorgos, and an active member  of Amorgorama representing the fishers’ board, never thought that this would be part of his life’s work.

“We thought the sea was a source—it will never end,” Michalis shares. “There will be fish forever.”

In the 1980s during his early twenties, Michalis left his homeland of Germany for Amorgos where he learned the trade from the local fishers of Katapola. He has called the island home ever since. For decades, he has lived amid Amorgos’ rugged, mountainous landscape, where fishing has not only been a way of life but one of the island’s few enduring livelihoods.

“We had to learn for many years to help each other, to face the problems that are common,” Michalis shares. “Problems for our fishers—they are common problems. It’s not only for me; it’s also for my colleagues, my friends, and all the fishers…In our fishing association, we count every voice, and we are trying to find a solution for all of us.”

Though he would never say it himself, Michalis has been a driving force behind Amorgorama work at the local level, quietly and collectively steering the initiative from the very beginning. He recalls the early efforts of the Professional Fishing Association of Amorgos and the birth of AMORGORAMA—a time when fishers were the first to recognize the crisis and take their future into their own hands, determined to find a solution.

In 2013, the association ventured beyond its small island to attend the 2nd European Low-Impact Fishermen (LIFE) conference in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. There, Michalis discovered other small-scale fishers facing identical challenges. For the first time, they realized not only that solutions existed, but that they were not alone.

Fishers across different regions were confronting the same struggles. The tools for change were accessible, and the stories of coastal communities throughout Europe and beyond weren’t isolated incidents but deeply interconnected experiences. What had seemed like an inevitable fate for Amorgos now contained a spark of possibility—a vision for a different future that had yet to be imagined.

In 2019, the association, together with German artist and scientist Florian Reiche, co-founded Amorgorama. The initiative was the first to bring the challenges and proposals of the fishers of Amorgos into the public eye. With a successful crowdfunding campaign and a key partnership with the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF), the project gained visibility, funding, and new partnerships beyond Greece, including with the Blue Marine Foundation (BMF).

During this formative period, Michalis was also monitoring developments along another Aegean coastline. In the neighboring waters of Gökova Bay, successful marine protection efforts were becoming a reality. Michalis and his fellow fishers observed closely how community-driven marine protection and management could work, drawing inspiration for their own emerging conservation journey.

Building Interest: No-Take Fisheries Restricted Areas

After long discussions and hard won consensus, in 2015 the fishers of Amorgos landed on a four pillar master plan.

First, they decided to pause fishing during April and May, the peak months for reproduction of some fish species of commercial importance. During this time, they repurposed their boats to clean up coastal areas inaccessible by land, addressing marine pollution on the island. Next, they began transitioning to more sustainable fishing practices, adopting measures such as using larger net mesh and hooks to prevent the capture of small young  fishes.

The final step of their approach was to declare three no-take Fishing Restricted Areas (FRAs) – or no-take MPAs.

“We needed to create marine protected areas to give time and change for the fishes to recover,” Michalis explains. “It was months of discussions because it’s not easy for a fisherman to say, ‘Okay, I want to close this area’… We realized we had to sacrifice; we had to change, because otherwise we had to quit…There was no option for us in Amorgos.”