Crete is an island with a coastline exceeding 1000 Km and fishing was traditional occupation of its people. Today though, things are a little different. There are still plenty of fishermen, both professional and amateur, but the fish stocks, and catches, are getting lower and lower. There are a number of reasons for this including: - Overfishing, a common problem in many countries, is the main reason for the scarcity of fish. - Secondly, environmental damage, like the now outlawed fishing with dynamite, has also had a detrimental effect.

Many of us who live in Crete used to go fishing in the past but the poor catches have dampened our enthusiasm for the hobby and now our fishing rods lay forgotten in some storage room. There is little enjoyment in driving for one or more hours to reach the "perfect" place, spending several hours there but only to return home with a few tiny fish. Finally, like many others, I ended giving up fishing for the joy of snorkelling. Of course there are still some lucky (or perhaps they are just better than me) fishermen who continue to catch some big fish. There are still fish in Crete waters and fishing may offer you some relaxing hours if it is your kind of hobby. And remember, though the fish of Crete may not be so big these days, they are still very tasty!