Sustainable fishery

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry aims to increase the catches of Turkish vessels and obtain new fishing grounds, especially in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, by completing fisheries agreements with 12 African countries and continuing negotiations with 15 more countries.

The European Union will spend 3.5 billion euros ($3.71 billion) to protect the ocean and promote sustainability through a series of initiatives this year, the EU's top environment official said on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Water, has enacted a comprehensive ban on fishing activities.

Fines of more than 37 million Turkish Liras ($2.1 million) were given during inspections for illegal fishing, while 480 tons of fishery products and 169 ships without fishing licenses were confiscated in 2022, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has announced.

The ministry stated that 199,702 inspections were carried out against illegal fishing last year.

Turkey could have launched an eco-fishing approach in the wake of the marine mucilage that invaded Turkish seas early summer due to rising temperatures and pollution, but it missed the opportunity, according to an expert.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will take part in the inaugural meeting of the High Level Conference of the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation held in Marseille, at the formal invitation of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron.

A once-rich fishing ground, Turkish seas have seen a sharp decline in fish production, the result of overfishing, environmental factors and destructive fishing practices, according to experts, fishermen and restaurants.