Fishermen cast lines as seasonal fishing ban ends

SİNOP

Hundreds of fishermen are set to cast their diligently prepared nets into the sea as the four-and-a-half-month fishing ban draws to a close on the midnight of Aug. 31.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı are also expected to attend an opening event of the fishing season in Istanbul’s Beykoz district as the fishing boats will head back to the sea with the official lifting of the seasonal ban.

After the ban that started on April 15, the fishermen who pulled their boats ashore and prepared for the new season weeks in advance have already completed net repairs and boat maintenance efforts. The fishermen, who spent the fishing ban period in preparations, started loading their mended nets onto the boats on Aug. 31.

A fishing ban is imposed every year between April 15 - Sept. 1 to preserve fish eggs and ensure sustainable fish farming.

Namık Ünlü, the head of the Sinop Central Fisheries Cooperative Union, noted that in the waning week prior to the advent of the fishing season, a palpable blend of eagerness and flurry enveloped the entire fishing fraternity, citing that the Black Sea's biggest source of income could be affected by climate change this year.

Anticipating a decrease in the catch of bonito, which was plentiful in previous years, Ünlü noted that the fishermen will be quite fortunate in terms of anchovy and horse mackerel, which are among the most consumed fish in the country.

He stated that despite the arrival of September, the water temperature in the Black Sea still exceeds the realm of seasonal norms due to climate crisis and global warming, preventing the fish from approaching the shore.

"A decrease in seawater temperatures to 15 or to 17 degrees increases the abundance of fish in the sea. Currently, due to the high sea water temperature, we estimate that the fish are 40-50 miles offshore. In order for the fish to come closer to the shores, the seawater temperature needs to decrease by half from its current state. This is a significant factor in fishing. When fish comes near to the shores, the season can be longer and more productive," Ünlü explained.

Fisherman İsmail Pekdemir, while talking to the Demirören News Agency while repairing his nets on his boat for the new season, pointed out that an increased catch from the sea will reflect on market prices, allowing citizens to have the fish they couldn't afford during the ban due to high prices.

In a statement in April, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry noted that Türkiye ranked first among European Union countries in aquaculture, generating $1.7 billion in revenue by exporting fisheries to 103 countries in 2022.