Since his earliest presence on Earth, Man was affiliated to the sea.
For him it was a mystery, an object of adoration , a residence, a route of communication,
a symbol in art and religion.
Soon he turned to the sea seeking food, and invented hunting, and
later, fishing techniques. In a primitive stage he caught fish with his bare hands,
only later devising the first tools [spear, hook, net].In his endeavour to catch
large quantities of fish, man has invented a whole host of techniques. He created
vessels and sailed far from familiar coasts, to explore new places.
The exhibits of the Moudania Fisheries Museum trace this long relationship
between Man and sea.
Ancient anchors, spears for catching sea urchins, cotton nets and
longlines, fenders and mallets, planes, compasses, lamps and celestial spheres
-these are just some of the items on display. Three-dimensional models of fishing
techniques such as the pound net, the beach seine, purse seining; models of ships,
such as the oar-propelled trawler and the engine-powered trawler with karavoskaro
hull; rich illustrative material and plain texts to complement the rare items
of fishing equipment gathered here from all over Greece.
One of the Museum' s most extraordinary exhibits is the bouyiande,
a traditional fishing vessel constructed specially for the Museum on the basis
of testimony taken from elderly fishermen and craftsmen' s experience on traditional
vessels.
However, this is not all the Museum has to offer. A visitor has also
the chance to explore the magic world of the deep sea and discover more about
the underwater communities and marine organisms, from microscopic seaweed to large-bodied
animals. The wealth of the sea is illustrated through photographs, films, movies
and even an impressive old-fashioned diver' s suit.
The perfect structure and beauty of shellfish living in Greek waters
emerge from this colorful and unusual underwater world. One of the Museum`s highlights
is the collection of shells belonging to the Moudania Nautical Club- a collection
which represents 40 years of work by Stavros Kovrakis and the Club members.
The Fisheries Museum established by the Municipality of Moudania is
the only fisheries museum in Greece a country in which fishing is an old tradition.
Traditional techniques and tools are gradually lost. The fishing grounds
themselves are constantly shrinking. The purpose of the Museum is to converse
and reveal this important part of Greece' s culture heritage and also to increase
the public awareness of marine life and the need to converse it.
Yet the Museum does not only confine itself to conversing the testimony
of the collective memory. It also acts as a communication medium in a live and
dynamic environment, which attracts a visitor to participation , learning and
enjoyment, providing a variety of stimuli.
Apart from the exhibition area, there is also a room for multifunctional
uses[educational activities, meetings e.t.c. as well as a library reading room
available to visitors and researchers who may wish to use the facilities. The
concept of a fisheries museum belongs to the Moudania Nautical Club, which offered
the Municipality of Moudania an important collection of shells from Greek waters
and contributed to the conservation of old fishing equipment.
The Municipality of Moudania embraced the idea with enthusiasm and,
with funds from the EU PESCA programme and the support of the Ministry of Agriculture,
proceeded to implement the idea. The creation and organization of the Fisheries
Museum was entrusted to the Greek Biotope/ Wetland Centre [ EKBY ] of the Goulandris
Museum of Natural History. A team of specialists was set up to work toward this
goal. The Museum is housed in a modern, newly constructed building
at the western edge of the Municipality of Moudania in the Prefecture of Halkidiki.
Its position near the centre of the municipality and close to the main road from
Thessaloniki to
Halkidiki
makes it easily accessible to visitors. The outside area of the Museum provides
a variety services for the visitor' s convenience.
