Bosphorus witnesses abundance in bluefish

ISTANBUL

With the fishing season entering its second month, the Istanbul Strait is currently experiencing an abundance of a highly consumed fish, the bluefish, widely referred as the "prince of Bosphorus," for the past 10 days.

Fishermen noted that they catch bluefish on the Black Sea side of Bosphorus, citing the abundance seems to be accompanied by an increase in the size of the fish. The smallest bluefish weigh around 300 grams, with some reaching up to 600 grams. They told daily Milliyet that prices for bluefish start at 200 Turkish Liras.

"Bluefish is abundant, but for the price to drop further, it needs to become even more plentiful," said fisherman Yaşar Çay.

Providing information on the last two months of the fishing season, Hamdi Arpa, a fish market manager in Istanbul, noted that the size of the fish, which is influenced by temperature, also affects the price.

"As bluefish grows, its price rises. To make it more affordable, we need even more abundance, but we can't predict the weather conditions," Arpa stated.

Reminding that Türkiye’s annual bluefish production is approximately 5,000 tons, Arpa noted that the price per kilogram averaged 360 liras last month, rising to 370 liras in October.

Arpa pointed out that not only the price but also the demand and consumption of bluefish are influenced by the weather conditions, citing that the high temperatures persisting until the end of October have decreased the demand.

Fisherman Kenan Aktunç stated customers have given positive feedback that this year's anchovies are more flavorful than in previous years.

"I don't know if it's due to longing, but they generally say that the fish is very delicious. Even customers from the Black Sea region come to buy it from the market in Istanbul. As you know, people from the Black Sea usually don't buy Marmara anchovies, but they say they really like this anchovy and buy it repeatedly," Aktunç expressed.

The fisherman also stated that they expect to see smaller species of the bluefish on the market in November.

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

In the first nine months of this year, Türkiye obtained more than $313 million from fish exports to approximately 35 countries.

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.

The ministry recently initiated efforts to introduce oyster farming in Türkiye, aiming to claim a significant stake in the global aquaculture market.