Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
FAO, Rome , Rome, 2022
The North Aegean Sea is heavily influenced by both the Mediterranean and Black Sea waters, and is thus very rich in terms of biodiversity. Gökçeada is Turkey’s largest island, and acts as a natural center for the transition points of migrating fish, located at the entrance of Saros Bay, and at a point where the Marmara Sea and the North Aegean waters meet. The banks surrounding Gökçeada, create rich fishing beds. It also hosts Turkey’s only marine park, which was established in 1999, with efforts from Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TÜDAV). A lack of stock assessments, as well as co-management, has impeded fisheries management capabilities in the region. This study presents a first baseline report on the fishers, fishing gear and fisheries of Gökçeada to facilitate its transition to incorporating the principles of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. The goals of an ecosystem approach to fisheries are: (a) to plan, develop and manage fisheries in a way that addresses the multiple needs and desires of societies, without jeopardizing future generations’ options to benefit from all the products and services provided by aquatic ecosystems, and (b) to balance various societal goals by taking into account the interactions of biotic, abiotic and human components of ecosystems and by applying an integrated approach. This report was prepared as part of the project “Transition to Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management and Designing a Management Plan in Gökçeada, Turkey”. It is carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and managed by Ege University with the
participation of many other stakeholders and financed by the FAO within the scope of the FAO EastMed Project. The first part of the report presents information on the fisheries, and the second section, presents threats to the sustainability of fishing. A review of all existing relevant data was completed in addition to fisher interviews performed in 2020 to properly understand the current state of the fisheries and threats affecting sustainability. In 2020, there were 51 registered local fishing vessels in Gökçeada, with 50 of these of small-scale nature and one new 13.5 m large-scale trawler that began fishing in 2019. However, there are numerous non-resident vessels that also fish in this region, and this puts exceptional pressure on the fish stocks. The small-scale vessels mostly use gillnets, trammel nets and handlines for fishing, and target different migratory fish such as bonito and bluefish. Sparidae are commonly targeted in colder months. Saddled seabream nets are unique to this island. Gökçeada is also the only place in Turkey where traditional swordfish fishing by harpooning still continues. Fishery catches peaked in the mid-1990s and have been declining ever since, but according to fishers, the decline has been much stronger in the last five years. Illegal fishing is also commonly reported around the island, and sadly, there have been recent commercial extinctions for white grouper, dusky grouper, and bluefish. Fishers, who do not have alternative livelihood options other than fishing, require a multidisciplinary (environmental, biological, socio-economic) approach to fishing around the island. The example of the “Gökova Marine Protected Area Small Scale Fisheries Management Plan” prepared in 2018 can serve as a guide here. Within this framework, under the leadership of scientists and the FAO, with the approval and support of Directorate General of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DG-Fish) of Ministry of Agricultre and Forestry (MoAF) and provincial organizations, with the contribution and cooperation of the Gökçeada fishery cooperative, diving center, TÜDAV and all other stakeholders, the preparation of a fisheries management plan is being undertaken. The success of this initiative requires
the joint willingness and determination of all stakeholders, especially from the official institutions and the fishery cooperative.