Ministry bans hunting, collection, sale of seven species

ISTANBUL

The hunting, collection and sale of seven marine species, including the great white shark has been banned by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

“Protecting great white shark is important to preserve equilibrium of the ecosystem as the decreasing population of white sharks cannot easily recover due to its sexual maturity features,” Hakan Kabasakal, an official from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Türkiye and an aquaculture engineer, said.

He also noted that the Gulf Edremit in the Aegean Sea, one of the breeding areas of the great white sharks, should be protected.

“I have worked for 25 years to investigate this amazing fish. I have written about 20 articles and two books about this shark. It is a wonderful result to protect the species,” he explained.

The other protected species are Mediterranean coral, abalone, white bush gorgon and yellow, white and purple sea branches.

The endemic coral is collected illegally, especially for taking into aquariums, Eda Topçu, a lecturer from Istanbul University, said, adding that a total of 397 invertebrate species live with the coral in the Mediterranean.

“This species has an important role in the carbon cycle of the Mediterranean ecosystem,” she said, noting that the coral is endangered and on the red list.