August 7, 2024

Turkey's fish farming faces risk of lower fish stock as fishing volume declines, expert highlights

The number of fish caught in Turkey has significantly dwindled compared to 2000, with a 50% decrease observed over the past 24 years, an expert warned.

Professor Dr. Mustafa Sarı from Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University stated that the total production of aquaculture resources in the country amounts to 800,000 tonnes, with 300,000 tonnes coming from fishing and 500,000 tonnes from farming.

"But if we travel back in time to 2000, about 600,000 tonnes of fish were obtained by catching, while about 60,000 tonnes came through farming. In other words, fishing has decreased from 600,000 tonnes to 300,000 tonnes, falling by half over these 24 years," Sarı said.

While Turkey has strong momentum in fish farming, this development is not exclusively an affirmative one, the expert noted. He stated that as 2.5-6 kilogrammes of fish are needed to raise one kilogramme of sea bream, sea bass, or trout, there will be no more prospects for farming if the fish stock in the sea runs out.

"In terms of (aquaculture) resources, Türkiye leads Europe right now. If you order a sea bream in Belgium, there is an 80% chance that it came from our South Aegean region. While this is positive, we must safeguard our stocks to ensure the long-term viability of fish populations in our seas," the expert said.

Sarı warned about the ongoing problem, stating that the number of fish produced through hunting would progressively decline, and species including anchovies, horse mackerel and bluefish would go extinct if ecosystem-based fisheries management is not put into practice.

"Fishing populations will continue to decline and species we have never eaten or appreciated will be on the market if we do not transition to ecosystem-based fisheries management," the expert said.

He underlined the necessity of establishing a plan to temporarily limit the quantity of fish caught, while also maintaining a certain level of support for the farming industry as a precaution.

- Hurriyet Daily News