Regulations are compatible with scientific, environmental, and social considerations
This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 1 2024.
The fishing sector in Türkiye is a provider of significant employment and a source of aquatic products that supply the public with healthful proteins, fats, and other nutrients. The main goal of Turkish stewardship of this sector is the sustainable management of fisheries resources. Rapid developments in fishing technology and the increase in the capacity of fishing fleets over the years, when examined together with environmental and climatic factors, pose a threat to fisheries resources.
Rather than increasing production from capture fisheries the Turkish administration seeks to maintain it at a constant level and has placed the responsibility for this on the fisheries management authorities. One of the outcomes of this responsibility has been that Türkiye has prevented the growth of its fishing fleet by banning the entry of new vessels into the Turkish fishing fleet, one of the largest in the region, since 2002.
Fisheries management practices
The General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has the authority and responsibility to create and implement policies for the sustainability of fisheries in Türkiye. As in all countries that seek to manage their fisheries responsibly, Türkiye also has a sustainability-based and detailed legal framework to manage its fisheries.
The regulations determine the characteristics of the fishing gear, catch limits, species, quotas, and spatial and temporal restrictions, among other limitations. During the drafting of legislation, the opinions and suggestions of all stakeholders are considered and are implemented after being discussed and examined in detail. The decisions of regional fishing organisations and other international organisations of which Türkiye is a member are also considered in the legislation, taking into account Türkiye’s own fishing dynamics. When these decisions are adopted into domestic legislation, they are compared with Türkiye’s current regulations and the more protective ones are preferred.
Combating illegal, unregistered, and illegal (IUU) fishing
The General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture is aware that, while formulating and implementing fishing rules is important, monitoring and controlling the implementation of these rules is critical. No matter how well-meaning the fishing rules are, they will have no impact if they are not followed. To ensure that rules are respected, sanctions for non-compliance must have a deterrent effect. Turkish legislation against IUU includes deterrent sanctions such as administrative fines, temporary and permanent cancellation of fishing licenses, confiscation of products, fishing gear, and vessels, and imprisonment, and they are applied without hesitation. In addition to enacting legislation, it is necessary to ensure effective control and inspection. For this purpose, control and inspections are carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, coastguard, and other authorised institutions in marine and inland waters, on board fishing vessels, at landing points, retail outlets, cold storages, and along transportation routes. Infrastructure is being improved to increase the effectiveness of control and audit activities. Sophisticated vessels boasting power and manoeuvrability are added to the fisheries control fleet every year. In addition, unmanned aerial vehicles and remote sensing systems such as the fishing vessel monitoring system are actively used in inspections.
One of the important developments in recent years is the plan to establish a control and inspection centre with its own institutional structure in the Marmara Sea. This is an inland sea of Türkiye that connects the Mediterranean and the Black Sea through two straits. This feature makes the Marmara Sea an important fishing area and vital for the migration cycle of fish stocks. The new centre for control and inspection activities will serve not only the entire Marmara Sea but also other waters. It will be equipped with the technology necessary to conduct activities such as monitoring, rapid intervention, and training, and will begin to operate in the coming years.
Digitalised tracking and tracing of vessels, gear, and catches
Traceability and registration are also important fisheries management tools. Monitoring and registration are provided through applications such as E-Navigation and E-Transfer, which enable fishing data to be recorded and monitored digitally. In addition, to prevent the use of fishing gear for illegal fishing, it is registered against a vessel and data on both gear and vessel can be accessed through serial numbers and QR codes. Thus, fishing regulations prescribe not only the protection of fish stocks and the sustainable management of fishing resources but also the economic welfare of fishers. It is an indispensable element of proper ecosystem and human-based fisheries management that any regulation made for this purpose is compatible with scientific, environmental, and social issues.