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Autumn is here. I love the sea at this time of year. Plus, I have some good news! My friends in Foca tell me that the "Godspeed, Fisherman and Marine Documentaries Festival" went very well. Now that schools have opened, the AFAG are visiting classes to teach children about us seals.
Now, I want to tell you about another organisation that is helping us seals: the MOm or Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal. The MOm was set up in 1988 by a group of environmental engineers and marine biologists. Its aims are the research and the study of the biology, ecology and behaviour of the Monk Seal, and its conservation through any legal means. Their research boat, the IFAW-Odyssia, regularly patrols the Greek Islands and coastal areas. The MOm played an important role in establishing Greece's first National Marine Park in Alonnissos - Northern Sporades. Its speedboat, the Alonnissos, patrols the Park daily. They established the Seal Treatment and Rehabilitation Center to rescue seals in trouble. The MOm Rescue Team is always standing by to help save seals.
The MOm Information Network was set up in 1991 to share information with its more than 1500 Members throughout coastal Greece. The MOm Summer Information Programs and Environmental Education Programs inform hundreds of thousands of adults and children about the problems endangering the Monk Seal and the efforts to save it. Isn't the MOm wonderful! They work just as hard as the AFAG to help us. Sadly, the AFAG doesn't have as much backing or financial support as they do. Hopefully, they will one day get all the support they deserve. If you want to learn more about the MOm, see www.mom.gr.
Sleepyhead
