On the occasion of World Fisheries Day 2025, the Italian Apostolate of the Sea organized moments of reflection and prayer in Lipari. The evocative scenery of the Aeolian Islands has allowed us to delve deeper into the value of the fishermen’s work from different points of view. The theme of the healthy state of fishing in the Islands was discussed – which are characterized by small-scale fishing, which today suffers from generational turnover and regulations perceived as oppressive and incapable of intercepting the real problems of families – highlighting problems and prospects; Politicians and managers of trade associations and cooperatives attended. It was also possible to learn about the biodiversity of the Aeolian fish and present its nutritional value for appropriate nutrition.
Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, intervened remotely in the proceedings to present the recent chirograph of Pope Leo A fruitful dialogue followed between the fishermen, introduced by the touching experience of Pietro Ricci and Carlo Di Domenico, coming from the San Benedetto del Tronto navy: they talked about the initiative to clean the sea through plastic fishing and the multiple difficulties to which their work is subjected from a regulatory point of view.
The Aeolian community has 98 fishermen, with a significant decline in boats in recent years, favored by laws that push for scrapping and which seem to discourage artisanal fishing. An important contribution was offered by the mayor Riccardo Gullo, by the archbishop of Messina mons. Giovanni Accolla and the bishop emeritus of Mazara del Vallo mons. Domenico Mogavero. The local community then gathered in prayer with the fishermen, with the blessing of the fishing tools and the celebration of mass in the church of San Giuseppe in the port of Marina Corta. The Aeolian days have brought attention to small-scale fishing, which risks ending up neglected by legislators, treated more as a problem than an asset and an added value for the fish market and for local restaurants. It is always worth asking yourself, in fact, if the food is right, as well as good, that is, respectful of people’s work and profitable for those who work day and night.