Fish of Marmara Sea can be consumed despite mucilage: Minister

Turkey's agriculture and forestry minister has said fish caught in the Marmara Sea can be consumed without any doubt amid public worry that the fish weren't edible due to "sea snot," or mucilage, that has invaded the sea over the past weeks.

Bekir Pakdemirli defused concerns among the public on whether fish brought from the Marmara Sea could be toxic after weeks of mucilage, a slimy gray substance made up of compounds released by marine organisms, reached alarming levels this year.

He said there should be no concerns resulting from the mucilage, having formed in a sheet layering the sea, and that fish from the sea are "edible."

"There is fishing ban at the moment. The ban for professional fishermen will be lifted on Sept. 1. However, people can fish, and they can consume the fish," he said.

According to the minister, there is no evidence at hand that the fish of the sea have been poisoned by the mucilage.

Mucilage is a jelly-like layer of slime that develops on the surface of the water due to the excessive proliferation of microscopic plants called phytoplankton caused by untreated waste dumped in the Marmara Sea and climate change.

On June 6, Turkish authorities announced a 22-point action plan to clear the surge of mucilage, which has travelled as far as the northeastern parts of the Aegean Sea.