Number of fish caught drops by half, expert warns

ISTANBUL

The number of fish caught in the country has significantly dwindled compared to 2000, with a 50 percent decrease observed over the past 24 years, an expert has warned.

Professor Dr. Mustafa Sarı from Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University stated that the total production of aquacultural resources in the country amounts to 800,000 tons, with 300,000 tons coming from fishing and 500,000 tons from farming.

“But if we travel back in time to 2000, about 600,000 tons of fish were obtained by catching, while about 60,000 tons came through farming. In other words, fishing has decreased from 600,000 tons to 300,000 tons, falling by half over these 24 years,” Sarı said.

Though the country has excellent momentum in fish farming now compared to the past, this development is not exclusively an affirmative one, the expert pointed out. He stated that as 2.5 to 6 kilograms of fish are needed to raise 1 kilogram of sea bream, sea bass, or trout, there will be no more prospects for farming if the fish stock in the sea runs out.

“In terms of aquacultural resources, Türkiye leads Europe right now. If you order a sea bream in Belgium, there is an 80 percent chance that it came from our South Aegean region. While this is positive, we must safeguard our stocks to ensure the long-term viability of fish populations in our seas,” the expert said.

Sarı issued a warning on the ongoing problem, stating that the number of fish produced through hunting would progressively decline, and species including anchovies, horse mackerel and bluefish would go extinct if ecosystem-based fisheries management is not put into practice.

“Fishing populations will continue to decline and species we have never eaten or appreciated will be on the market if we do not transition to ecosystem-based fisheries management,” the expert said.

He underlined the necessity of establishing a plan to temporarily limit the quantity of fish caught, while also maintaining a certain level of support for the farming industry as a precaution.