Fishing season ends in Turkey

ANKARA/ISTANBUL

AFP photo

Turkey’s fishing season will close on April 15, with a countrywide ban effective until Sept. 1.

Agriculturalist Chambers Association of Turkey (TZOB) head Şemsi Bayraktar said in a statement on April 14 that fishing bans are necessary for a “healthier and more sustainable fishing industry.” 

“It is of great importance for the protection of fishes’ lives to comply with the ban,” Bayraktar stressed. 

Environmentalists have called for the fishing ban to be extended until Oct. 1, saying the period from April to October is the most crucial time for fish to lay their eggs.

Bayraktar also noted that fish consumption per capita in Turkey was lower than the world average and new measures were needed to increase this. 

“While annual fish production per capita is 20 kg in the world, it is around 7 or 8 kg in Turkey. New measures should be taken to boost consumption,” he said. 

Around 110 million tons of fishery products are produced annually in the world and 25 million tons of this come from fish-breeding farms. Some 200,000 tons of Turkey’s 700,000 tons of fish produced come from farms, according to previous reports.