A week into the fishing season, palamut (Atlantic bonito) has been almost absent from the Black Sea, worrying fishermen in northern Türkiye's Trabzon, who say they are pinning their hopes on anchovy and horse mackerel instead.

In past years, palamut appeared in abundance at the start of the season. This year, however, it is nearly invisible in local markets. Instead, horse mackerel and whiting have been filling the stalls, with fishermen saying they don’t expect much of a change.

"Palamut hasn’t shown up yet. Sometimes it comes late in the season, but this year it’s really behind,” said Mustafa Çanakçı, a fishmonger. "Right now, we have plenty of horse mackerel and whiting. Prices are TL 100 ($2,4) for horse mackerel and TL 250 for whiting. We’re hopeful palamut will appear later, but the signs suggest anchovy will be abundant this year.”

Another fishmonger, Ahmet Çoğalmış, was more skeptical. "It looks like there won’t be palamut this year. Usually, even if just a little, it shows up at the beginning of the season. This time, it hasn’t at all,” he said. "Our prices are TL 200 for whiting and TL 300 for anchovy. Palamut seems unlikely – if it comes, it will be in very small quantities. Horse mackerel is the most plentiful right now, and it will probably continue. This season will likely be carried by anchovy and horse mackerel, which are already favorites in Trabzon.”

Fisherman Mehmet Örseloğlu said the difference compared with previous years is striking. "In the past, the season started with plenty of fish. This year, palamut is very rare,” he said.

"Horse mackerel dominates our stalls now at TL 150 per kilo, with whiting at TL 200, red mullet at TL 300 and sarıkulak at TL 100. We’re not optimistic about palamut, but hopefully we’ll get through the season with anchovy and horse mackerel.”