Fisherman releases rarest fish species back into sea

BARTIN

A video has gone viral of a fisherman showing a surprising catch of a Siberian Sturgeon, one of the rarest and endangered species to have survived from the time of the dinosaurs to the present, only to release it back into the sea.

Cem Yavuzyiğit, who went fishing off the coast of Amasra district in the northern province of Bartın, caught Siberian Sturgeon, whose caviar is worth 2 million Turkish Liras. 

Stating that he came across the same fish for the second time this season, Yavuzyiğit said, "Actually, I was very surprised when I saw it. It is not a fish normally found in this region." 

"I held it for a very short time because I knew it was endangered and then immediately released it back to the sea," he added. 

"If we catch fish that are forbidden to catch, if we cannot protect these rare species, we will not only destroy the fish diversity in the Black Sea but also leave a depleted sea to future generations," he stated.