Fishing industry calls for a ban on horse mackerel fishing

Ramazan Özkaya, Chairman of the Board of the Central Union of Fisheries Cooperatives, stated in his assessment that the fishing season has been progressing positively for both fishermen and citizens.

Reminding that fish production in the country is carried out in two ways, "fishing" and "aquaculture," Özkaya pointed out that Turkey stands out in Europe in terms of fisheries.

Özkaya reported that the country ranks among the top in Europe, particularly in aquaculture, and noted that Turkey is the world leader in sea bass and sea bream farming.

"THE AMOUNT OF FISH CAUGHT HAS DECREASED"

Drawing attention to the decline in the amount of fish caught despite the increase in aquaculture in the fishing sector, Özkaya said, "Due to climate change, overfishing, and failure to comply with the relevant regulations, fish stocks in the seas have declined. For this reason, there has been a significant drop in the amount of fish caught. While the amount of fish caught in 2015 was 432 thousand tons, it fell to 330 thousand tons in 2023."

Özkaya emphasized that adhering to the rules set for fishing is extremely important for the recovery of stocks, stating, "It is observed that most of the horse mackerel caught in recent days are below the legal size. Because they grow slowly, it takes time for horse mackerel stocks to recover; to prevent further damage to the stocks, fishing for this species must be stopped."

FISHERMEN MUST PAY ATTENTION TO FISH SIZES

Stating that it is the fishermen who must protect the seas, Özkaya said, "The seas are the bread and butter of our fishermen. Therefore, fishermen, above all others, must take care to ensure the continuity of fish populations. Fishermen need to pay more attention to the sizes of the fish they catch."

Özkaya noted that the fishing season in the seas will end shortly and emphasized the importance of citizens not purchasing fish that do not meet legal criteria.