Bluefin tuna fishing season begins

ISTANBUL

Turkish fishermen have thrown their nets into the sea to catch 2,600 tons of bluefin tuna in the international waters of the Mediterranean and off Malta within the framework of the quota allocated to Türkiye until July 1.

Bluefin tuna fishing is carried out within the framework of the rules set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), to which 52 member countries, including Türkiye, are parties.

Turkish fishing vessels catch bluefin tuna within the quota allocated to the country in accordance with these rules. For 2023, ICCAT allocated a quota of 2,600 tons to Türkiye.

Bluefin tuna fishing will be carried out by 29 fishing vessels that have received permission from the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry between May 15 and July 1 in the eastern Mediterranean and off the coast of Malta Island.

Another 47 fishing vessels will be in charge of transferring the caught tuna to cages for aquaculture and transporting them to farms.

In total, 76 fishing vessels will take part in bluefin fishing activities. The fishing vessels will set sail from the western province of Izmir and the southern province of Antalya on May 15.

The vessels authorized for bluefin tuna fishing are monitored instantly via satellite, and this data is transferred to ICCAT. After being caught, bluefin tuna are transported to farms in special cages and exported when they reach a certain size.

Türkiye earns approximately $70 million a year from bluefin tuna exports. Most of the bluefin tuna are exported to the United States and Far East countries, especially Japan.