Osman Sari, a fisherman involved in seine fishing and head of the Sile Aquaculture Cooperative, works on his boat in a harbor in the Black Sea coastal town of Sile in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 5, 2021. The Black Sea is packed with local bottom fishes, including haddock, mullet, and turbot. There are also migrating fishes from the Atlantic Sea, such as bonito, bluefish, anchovy, and horse-mackerel. However, climate change, overfishing, and other natural causes have had tremendous adverse impacts on the stocks of fisheries and aquaculture. Restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the rising costs of labor, fuel, and equipment also preoccupy the fishermen. (Photo by Osman Orsal/Xinhua)
by Zeynep Cermen
ISTANBUL, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Gliding silently over the water, Abdullah Yagci's fishing boat slowly entered a harbor in the Black Sea coastal town of Sile in Istanbul after the sunset.
Yagci and his crew of five were content about the haul of the day as the sea is filled with plenty of fishes during these days.
"Our only livelihood is fishing. We are completely dependent on what the sea offers us for a living," Yagci told Xinhua, while stuffing the fishes into boxes for shipment to central Istanbul.
For the last 25 years, his moderate-size fishing boat leaves the port at 5 o'clock each morning. The crew cast the nets about an hour later and wait for the best till the sunset.
The Black Sea is packed with local bottom fishes, including haddock, mullet, and turbot. There are also migrating fishes from the Atlantic Sea, such as bonito, bluefish, anchovy, and horse-mackerel.
However, climate change, overfishing, and other natural causes have had tremendous adverse impacts on the stocks of fisheries and aquaculture, according to Yagci. Restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the rising costs of labor, fuel, and equipment also preoccupy the fishermen.
Osman Sari, a fisherman involved in seine fishing and head of the Sile Aquaculture Cooperative, said conditions at the seas are challenging.
"Negativities, impossibilities, and poverty can be seen more in the sea than those on the ground," he told Xinhua at his medium-size fishing boat anchored at the Sile port.
"There were days we sailed to the sea in calm weather but had to return due to a storm, abandoning our nets. There were times when we could not get any fish at all," he said. "These have an economic impact as well as a psychological burden."
In Sari's view, one of the most serious concerns for the fishermen in the country is overfishing.
There are 18,000 fishing vessels, including 1,500 big industrial boats affiliated with the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, according to the figures of the cooperative.
"Overfishing is mainly triggered by the pressure of these 1,500 boats, which significantly decrease the stocks in the seas," said Sari, adding the presence of unregistered fishermen adds to the impact of overfishing.
Sari also criticized local municipalities for destroying the natural structure by sea fillings to gain space from the coasts, which has disrupted the migration routes of fishes, their spawning periods, and the spawning terrains.
With a series of measures and widespread intense inspections, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry plans to protect the stock of endangered fishes in the seas and prevent illegal fishing, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.
The pandemic-related restrictions also hit fishermen's revenue in the region as 80 percent of the fish caught are delivered to restaurants across Istanbul and sometimes to those in neighboring cities, according to Yagci.
But the pandemic caused the closure of restaurants from November 2020 until last week. Thanks to the gradual normalization efforts, they resumed their operations at a limited capacity in low and medium-risk provinces.
"We keep struggling. The fishermen are generally contented ... In case of a deficiency, we wait for the next time, hoping for the best," Yagci said. Enditem
