Project against puffer fish delights local fishermen

ANTALYA - Demirören News Agency

Alamy Photo

Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has started a project against the poisonous puffer fish, which started being seen in the country since the 2000’s and invaded the Mediterranean coast.

Fishermen will receive five Turkish Liras (80 U.S. cents) from the authorities in exchange for a tail of the puffer fish they caught within the scope of the project.

While Mehmet Gökoğlu from Akdeniz University said that there are seven types of puffer fish in the region and the struggle will be to a limited extent, the project pleased fishermen from the Mediterranean province of Antalya.

Behlül Ağır, who has been fishing for 15 years by boat in the region, stated that he welcomed the project and said that he can catch 150 to 200 kilograms a day.

“If encouraged, we will try to catch more. It becomes a livelihood. With this method, the number of these fish can be reduced in the Mediterranean,” Ağır said.

Reaching the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, a nightmare for fisherman, the puffer fish attack people after it expels local species and shreds fishing nets.

This summer in the Mediterranean province of Mersin, a puffer fish bit off a child’s finger in the sea.

Turkey also plans to export the fish to Canada for medical use.