Academics find solution to mucilage invasion in Marmara Sea

Beyazıt Şenbük - ISTANBUL

Academics from Istanbul University have found a solution for the mucilage problem in the Marmara Sea with a mixture obtained from beneficial bacteria.

With the emergence of marine saliva (mucilage) in the Marmara Sea from time to time since 2021, the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry launched a “clean-up mobilization.” Academics also rolled up their sleeves to find a solution to the problem with the Mucilage Scientific and Technical Committee.

Istanbul University Faculty of Water Sciences succeeded in destroying mucilage without harming the environment with a mixture obtained from beneficial marine bacteria.

Prof. Dr. Gülşen Altuğ, a faculty member of Istanbul University’s Department of Marine Biology, stated that if people were to think of mucilage as an allergic reaction of the sea to the increasing organic load and pollutants, with the bacteria they are putting in the waters, they are supporting the nature with this study, like natural supplements to people with a decreased immune system.

“Bacteria that will be a solution to the environmental problem were selected and given to the environment as an auxiliary force,” Altuğ said.