Molyvos, Lesvos

Molyvos (Μόλυβος) is the next city around the headland from Petra. Officially it is call Mithymna (Μήθυμνα) but I dont think anyone calls it by that. It was called Molyvos during the Ottoman period and the name has stuck. Aparently was from a frankish word, Mont d'olives, obviously due to the areas vast amount of olives.

There is a nice hike around the hills behind petra to get there and thats what we did. There is a tremendous amount of wildlife around here, which I will blog about in my wildlife blog, but after a few hours walk, we arrived at the city with a castle on top of a hill. We had lunch in the newly built marina having a fish platter as well as more prawns.


Mediterranean Spearfish - Tetrapturus belone


Mediterranean Spearfish - Tetrapturus belone

After lunch, we watched some local fisherman spearing a Mediterranean Spearfish (Marlin) for almost an hour and there were many spectactors. They had to spear it a second time to bring it in. It was a magnificent looking fish and would be happy to catch and release such a beast, but Im sure it made a good meal to many. We watching it being slaughtered and it had dozens of gar in its belly. There was also a remora as well, but I wasn't able to get a photo before it was returned to the water.

I obviously, I didn't bring my fishing gear as we had to walk several miles, but I did bring a spool of line and some size 18 hooks and the bread that I didn't use on the previous day's fishing. First cast I got a small annualar bream which I wasn't able get a decent photograph before mades its dash for freedom. I moved to the carpark to try for some mullet that I saw cruising about and landed one. It had a weird looking lip and yellow stripes. I was not able to identify it until I checked my books back in the hotel, but it was a Boxlip Mullet [#105].


Annular Seabream - Diplodus annularis


Boxlip Mullet - Oedalechilus labeo #105


Boxlip Mullet - Oedalechilus labeo

Next was a Salema [#106], these are a species of bream as well, but are known to be hallucinogenic. Its said that the romans may have used it as a recreational drug. They are a pretty looking bream with many yellow stripes. I had seen these before in turkey and the canaries but was never able to catch them.


Salema - Sarpa salpa #106


Salema - Sarpa salpa

The final species of the day was golden grey mullet [#107]. I had also seen these previously in the Canaries. It but up a pretty good scrap too, on a handline!


Golden Grey Mullet - Liza aurata #107


Golden Grey Mullet - Liza aurata


So after 2 days of fishing, I had caught 5 new species.