Fishermen cast nets in Bosphorus despite anchovy ban

ISTANBUL

Despite the 10-day ban on anchovy fishing in the Bosphorus announced by the Agriculture Ministry, the strait was again invaded by boats looking for other species, daily Hürriyet reported on Jan. 9.

“We have increased our inspections on Istanbul Strait. We follow the vessels with the tracking devices and drones,” said Ahmet Yavuz Karaca, the head of the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department.

According to the law, fishermen cannot hunt in the region with a depth of less than 24 meters.

Only anchovy fishing has been banned as the species has not grown to the desired sizes, Karaca stated.

“Fishermen can hunt other species. We remind them of the anchovy ban,” he added.

However, anglers in the city are happy with the anchovy ban.

“Big vessels used to cast nets and take away all the fish. We could not catch any. Now there is plenty. Officials should ban fishing all species,” said Süleyman Kargı, an angler.

Meanwhile, World Wide Fund for Nature Turkey (WWF-Turkey) has made a call to Turkish officials to enhance the 24-meter-limit to 50, as in the European countries.

“Limit must be raised. The depth of 50 meters is the place where the fish can live and reproduce,” the WWF-Turkey said in a statement.