Fish n’ Ships Aegean Sea

How can we teach marine sustainability and ecosystem dynamics in a way that’s fun, interactive, and scientifically grounded? That’s exactly what Fish n’ Ships Aegean Sea sets out to do—a new educational tabletop game where 2 to 4 players compete to manage their own slice of the Aegean Sea, Greece, all while navigating the complex trade-offs between sustainable fishing and conservation in warming waters.

Designed to be both engaging and educational, the game invites players to build and protect their marine food webs using real-world ecological relationships. As they fish, apply management tools like Marine Protected Areas, and deal with adverse environmental pressures like climate change, players quickly learn how fragile marine ecosystems can be—and how strategic choices can lead to profit or losses, resilience or collapse.

What makes Fish n’ Ships especially meaningful to me is that I had the privilege of co-designing and scientifically revising the game alongside Prof. Athanassios C. Tsikliras, and our collaborators, Diego Manna and Dr. Simone Libralato. The gameplay is grounded in the Ecopath food web model we developed for the Aegean Sea in 2022 with our colleague Dr. Ioannis Keramidas—bringing real ecological data to life through interactive play. It is available in English and Greek.

The development of the game was supported by the Horizon 2020 “EcoScope” project (Contract No. 101000302), which aims to improve ecosystem-based fisheries management across European seas. Being part of this initiative and seeing science translated into an educational tool like this has been a rewarding and joyful experience.

If you’re a student, educator, marine enthusiast, or simply love games that challenge you to think critically about the environment, Fish n’ Ships Aegean Sea offers a unique and meaningful way to explore sustainable ocean management—one card at a time.

You can find more about the game here:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/440922/fish-n-ships-aegean