Nicole Godsil emerges from the murky pre-dawn light and strolls down the dimly lit jetty. As she approaches the small wooden fishing vessel, Markos and his son, Nikos, welcome her with a broad smile while preparing the boat for another long day at sea. The engine’s sudden rumble breaks the morning’s silence. “Kalimera. Are you ready?” asks Markos, the fisherman. “Let’s go.”

It’s 5am in Keri Lake, a small fishing town on the southwest side of Zakynthos (also known as Zante) island, Greece, and the pitch-black water is streaked with silvery-blue hues reflecting the changing light of a new day.

Godsil is a marine environmentalist collaborating with Greek fishers to protect biodiversity. She has been working alongside Markos for almost a year. And today, she is accompanying him and Nikos as they head out to haul the nets at the west side of the island.

Markos has been fishing in these waters for 34 years, but every year he brings home less fish. “Fishing is my whole life; I was raised and grew up with fishing. But the situation isn’t good for the industry as fish populations have declined by 70 percent in this region alone, and every year it decreases,” he says.

Fishing is woven into the very fabric of Mediterranean life, and small-scale fishers like Markos –those with boats less than 12 metres in length, fishing close to the shore – have significant social importance, especially in rural areas along Greece’s extensive coastline. In these parts, fisheries are often molded around family, and the profession is passed down through the generations. But the spread of invasive species, climate change, centuries of overexploitation, and recent rising fuel costs are all taking their toll on these long-standing fishing communities. As a result, the size of Greece’s infamous fishing fleet – the largest in Europe – is in decline, down by 13 percent since 2008.

“I want my son to follow in my footsteps, but I’m worried for the future,” says Markos.