Boating on the lagoon

One of the most excellent ways to get to know the area is to explore it by a boat tour of the lagoon. Thus one can admire the beauty of the landscape, the tranquility of the lagoon and the rich diversity of the birdlife. At the same time, the proposed maritime route will bring out the intangible cultural heritage and historical events directly linked to the lagoon – all reflections of the role played by the aquatic element in the dissemination of culture.

Organised guided tours on traditional boats are now offered, by which one can visit the islets in the lagoon, go bird watching or visit the fishermen’s fish-pens and their huts (pelades). Moreover the Messolonghi Nautical Club (https://nommes.gr/) organises canoeing activities in kayaks almost all the year round. Therefore, depending on the activity and the route being followed, one goes to the appropriate starting point – and immerses oneself in the history, culture and development of the Sacred Town and its relationship with the lagoons.

The Messolonghi lagoon complex comprises six individual lagoons, the depth of which ranges from 0.30 m to 1.60 m, except for the Aitoliko lagoon, whose maximum depth exceeds 30 m. The difference here is because of its different manner of formation from the rest. The lagoons of Messolonghi and Aitoliko communicate through a narrow opening and so do function as a single system. The formation of the Aitoliko is due to the existence of fault-lines in the geology, the subsequent submergence of a large irregular basin after the Pliocene age and its inundation by sea water. Initially open to the south, it was subsequently cut off, mainly by the sediment brought down by torrents off the Arakynthos mountain range. It is less salty than the Messolonghi lagoons, as freshwater springs flow into it.

The shallow lagoon of Messolonghi is separated from the open sea by sand dunes and sandbars, that form a long front of about 25 km, running from the island of Tourlida to Koutsilaris, formerly known as ‘Ramma’. Their role is decisive for the wildlife and vegetation, the maintenance of the coastline and of the underground aquifer. It embraces a number of uninhabited small islands, such as Vassiladi, Kleissova, Agios Sostis, Komma, Schoinias, Prokopanistos, Dolmas, Tholi, Palaiopotamos and Poros, where fish farms, known as ‘ivaria’, operate. The lagoon is characterised by its raised salt content, as it does not receive any fresh water input and in summer there is a high evaporation rate due to its shallow depth. Its waters are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, which correspondingly affects the movement of fish.

The lagoons have been an important source of wealth since ancient times. Strabo refers to the Roman colony of Patras as having exploited the lagoon of Kalydon (Kleissova), which he describes as fertile, i.e. rich in fish, while Athenaeus, who draws his information from the poet Archestratus, also refers to the quality of the fish.

The area was subjected to significant man-made interventions in the 1960-70s, mainly related to the separation of Kleissova off from the rest of the lagoons and the construction of the port of Messolonghi. Until then, the complex covered an area of 54,363 acres and included three main components:

(a) the Aitoliko lagoon,

(b) the Kleissova lagoon in the south-eastern part of the complex, which had been divided off from the rest of the complex at the end of the 19th century. It had a maximum depth of 1.5 m and formed an integral part with the present-day lagoon of North Kleissova and Diavlos,

and (c) the Central Lagoon, being the central and southern part of the complex, which included the areas that today form the Tholi and Palaiopotamos lagoons.

The two rivers in the area, the Evinos and the Acheloos, together with the sea currents and waves, are responsible not just for the creation of the lagoon complex, but also for their enrichment with organic matter. Their delta-areas provide shelter and food for many species of birds, while their banks are home to a rich wetland vegetation of willows, oleanders, reeds, water lilies, and sundry water-loving shrubs and trees. The Messolonghi-Aitoliko Lagoon is the second largest wetland in terms of the number of individual living creatures it hosts, as its area and its particular morphology attract a large number and species of waterfowl and wading birds during their migration, breeding or over-wintering phases. For these reasons it is protected by the ‘Convention on Wetlands of International Importance as Waterfowl Habitats’ (RAMSAR Convention). Over 20,000 waterfowl may be counted in the area in winter on a regular basis. On the western bank of the central lagoon, enclosed and very shallow basins have been formed with dykes, where the largest concentration of wading birds in Greece is to be observed every winter.

Coastal wetlands in general are under particular pressure from human activities. The main factors responsible for the degradation of wetlands are the construction of irrigation works and river diversions causing changes in water flow, excessive water pumping, land reclamation and illegal hunting, run-off from agricultural crops and urban sewage, which causes water pollution.

The lagoon of Messolonghi covers an area of approximately 135 square kilometres. Its shallow waters help to sustain a rich flora of algae and marine macrophytes (plants), which provide food for its wealth of birdlife. It is estimated that its ecosystem can support more than 25,000 birds.

Aitoliko and Messolonghi were ports that experienced increased commercial traffic and benefited from the economic measures of the Venetians and in particular from the reduced customs duties. They were accessed through deeper channels in the lagoon, which were artificially maintained until the 19th century and especially so during the heyday of the port of Messolonghi in the 18th century. These are the avlemones, natural trenches in the bottom of the lagoon, probably remnants of old river beds, whose passage was often marked by piles driven into the base of the lagoon. The channels served for a long time to provide access to the open sea for boats, as well as for abetting the movement of food and ammunition during the Revolutionary struggle. The main entrance to the lagoon is to this day the channel between Vassiladi and Ai Sostis, which is called the “Vassilikia Porta”. A natural canal, it runs for 2.5 km southeast of Ai Sostis whence it branches off in various directions, with channels leading to Messolonghi and Aitoliko. Others such are the Komma and Prokopanistos routes, which are wider and deeper, while there is also the so-called Secret Bouka, an artificial cutting through which the sea communicates with the lagoon at Skrofa.

The main products that were traded from the 17th century on from the ports of Messolonghi and Anatoliko (Aitoliko) were raisins, oil, wine, fish and roes from the fish farms, acorns, wool, wax, honey, silk, grain, salt, all products exported to the Venetian regions and elsewhere. Citrus fruits, rice and tobacco were also cultivated in the wider area, while inland there was also a rich livestock production.

However, the great development of shipbuilding and merchant shipping took place in the 18th century, when ships were built in co-operation with Ithacan seamen. The settlements then experienced greater prosperity and the rise of the urban class, and their naval fleet grew significantly. Messolonghi became a major transit centre for western Central Greece and a shipping hub for the Ionian Sea, where ships arrived from Livorno, Naples, Genoa, Marseilles, Trieste, Ragusa and other ports. At the same time, from 1735 it was the seat of a French vice-consul.

Τhe port of Messolonghi in particular, experienced its greatest prosperity between 1740 and 1770, when its fleet consisted of 75 ships out of a total of 615 Greek ships. It was a prosperous small maritime town, enjoying close relations with the Ionian Islands. Its economic development was related to the growth of its population, its administrative improvements and its geographical position, but also to the decline of the port of Nafpaktos.

Despite the destruction of many ships of both cities in 1770, during the Orlofika debacle, the Messolonghians managed to build a new fleet. From the forests of Aitoliko-Messolonghi (Galatas, Neochori, Kryoneri, Lessini and Katochi) timber was exported for crafts (like barrel making), construction or domestic use – and even reached the Ionian Islands.

At the beginning of the 19th century, E. Dodwell notes that local products (oil, corn, raisins, wool, cotton, rice, fish, salt, flax, acorns and fish-roe) were exported to Sicily, Genoa and Livorno. Shortly before the Revolution, Messolonghi had about 5,000 inhabitants, enjoyed economic prosperity, having developed social stratification, an advanced education system and culture. Shipping and commercial activity though had declined significantly, a fact attributed to the policies favouring the ports of Patras and Galaxidi and to the tax demands of Ali Pasha, although in his time there was a significant degree of prosperity and security.

The struggle for independence halted the city’s economic prosperity and resulted in its near total destruction in 1826. In the post-revolutionary years, after its reconstruction, it – being a provincial centre – initially faced a decline of shipbuilding, shipping and commercial activity, a phenomenon more generally observed throughout Greece. After the liberation, the construction of a harbour was started in 1830, eventually to make it one of the top five ports in the country.

From the end of the 16th century until about 1876, the original port of the city was sited on the island of Vassiladi, at the entrance of the lagoon. This is where the ships drew up, and whence the passengers were transported by small boats to the town. D. Vikelas vividly describes how, at the end of the 19th century, boatmen competed with each other to ‘book’ the routes, meeting the steamers in the open sea and quickly climbing on board before they were well and truly moored.

In addition to the externally-situated port at Vassiladi, from the 18th century an internal port was created at Molos, achieved by opening of a side-branch from the main canal that connected the Gulf of Patras with the Anatoliko (Aitoliko), so that small merchant keel ships could reach Messolonghi. Smaller anchorages operated on the islands of the lagoon at Tholi and Prokopanistos, mainly to serve fish farms. Transport was then carried out on foot, by small boat or by cart (for transporting food).

From 1876 the port of the town was situated on Tourlida. After the construction of the sea road that connected it to the town, and where the traffic was conducted by cars, there was almost daily transport to Patras. In 1885, the port was transferred to Kryoneri, from where a steam-boat, the Kalydon, conveyed passengers to Patras in one hour and fifteen minutes.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the present port of Messolonghi was constructed and a channel was built to reach it. It was intended for steamships and sailing-barques (caiques) alike. Initially, its basin was but a quarter of its present size, increasing by 1970 to a third; later it was enlarged by undertaking major interventions in the lagoon.

Today Messolonghi also has a tourist port (marina), which is the only one such in a lagoon in Europe. Its current capacity is 200 mooring-berths and 230 places on land.

The Regional Unit of Aitoloakarnania is one of the most important in the country with respect to the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The fish-farming activity, together with that of the Echinades Islands, accounts for a quarter of the national production. Annual production is between 150 and 230 tonnes of fish per year. In the Messolonghi-Aitoliko lagoon complex, fishing is inextricably linked to the area’s very identity, is part of its intangible cultural heritage and contributes to the local gastronomy.

The lagoon has shallow, calm waters, rich in nutrients for fish and at the same time offering the human community rich resources for its survival. It communicates with the waters of the open sea of the Gulf of Patras. In this way it is renewed, through the occurrence of low and high tides, which allows the removal of toxic substances – the polluting products from the metabolism of aquatic organisms, and of course permits the coming and going of the fish themselves. Today, less than 700 people are employed in the fishing profession, and the involvement of young people in traditional fishing is limited and declining.

Local fishing techniques and exploitation of the lagoon have developed based on the movement of fish and its control, which is made for the purpose of searching for food and more favourable environmental conditions and for reproduction. Thus, in the spring months, the water temperature rises due to the shallow depth of the lagoon. This increase in ambient temperature lures fish in from the open sea to enter the lagoon, following the counter-currents of the water as this leaves the lagoon at ebb tide. On the other hand, in winter, when the water temperature is very low, fish leave the lagoon en masse until spring, waiting for the water temperature to rise once more.

Due to its idiosyncratic character, the area sustains strong elements of the traditional fishing approaches. The fishermen follow the accumulated experience of several generations of family involvement, and so form part of the overall cultural character of the area. The fishing practices of the Messolonghi-Aitoliko Lagoon National Park constitute a traditional art and professional activity that has been followed for centuries in the wider region. These practices – with their methods, forms and cultural origins – go back to the Byzantine/medieval period, and in particular to the Venetian occupation. It has common features with how things are done in the Venetian lagoon, evidence of the cultural exchanges between the two areas. To date, only a few necessary adaptations have been made to accommodate today’s realities, as in the modernization of some of the materials used.

Traditional fishing as practised within the boundaries of the Messolonghi-Aitoliko Lagoon National Park was set down in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021, as “a set of interrelated traditional expertise and practices that contributes to the sustainable use of natural resources, the production of quality traditional food products and the sustainability of local communities“.

Fishing in the Messolonghi Aitoliko lagoon complex is carried out either by individual fishermen (skapouloi – free fishermen) or by groups of fishermen, in the form of cooperatives that rent fishing places (divaria/ivaria) or entire lagoons, where they have the exclusive fishing rights. In this way they provide, among other things, significant revenues to the Greek State.

The dangers of the sea in the life of fishermen have given rise to the development of a popular religiosity around fishing activities (at the start and end of fishing events, at times of harvests, etc.). This is manifested in religious celebrations related to fishing and in pilgrimages to the ivaria and islets of Messolonghi and Aitoliko, to places such as the chapel of Panagia Prokopanisti, Agia Triada at Kleissova, the Monastery of St. John in the islet of Tholi, and many others.

Apart from fish in general, and ones of high quality, an important product is the fish-roe of Messolonghi, whose production is estimated at 600-700 kg per year. Since 2013, the roes produced in the public fish farms of the region has been given a certificate; a small quantity of it is marketed as a product of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The preparation of the roe takes between 5 and 11 days, depending on the weather conditions, and involves salting, air-drying and packing the roe in a beeswax shell. As a local product, and a sought-after one at that, it has been known at least since the Ottoman period: Evliya Çelebi mentions it as a good gift for sultans.