The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has announced a significant environmental achievement – the removal of 1 million square meters of ghost nets from inland waters and seas over an eight-year period as part of the Ghost Fishing Gears Removal Project.
These ghost nets, equivalent in size to 150 football fields, were successfully removed by dedicated teams since the inception of the project in 2014. In addition to this cleanup effort, the project also extracted 40,000 abandoned fishing traps, nets and similar discarded fishing equipment from Türkiye's waters.
The Ghost Fishing Gears Removal Project was initiated in response to academic research and field studies that revealed the harm caused by ghost nets and abandoned fishing gear to marine life.
These findings highlighted that these lost or discarded fishing items contribute to the deaths of numerous marine organisms. Over the eight-year cleanup and retrieval period, the project has successfully prevented the deaths of over 2.7 million marine organisms.
The ministry is deeply committed to addressing the issue of ghost nets. They conduct educational activities, including Ghost Net Awareness Events, which take place annually and involve local authorities, commercial and amateur fishermen and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). As part of the project, discussions with fishermen in various coastal areas along the Marmara Sea coastline led to the identification of the locations of ghost nets.
The ministry has already removed 84,650 square meters of ghost nets as part of the Marmara Sea Action Plan. They are dedicated to continuing these efforts regularly. With a sustainable approach, functional nets are recycled for use in various sectors.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye Ibrahim Yumaklı emphasized that their goal is to remove an additional 100,000 square meters of ghost nets from seas, lakes and rivers by the end of this year.
He highlighted the collective responsibility of the ministry, scientists and fishermen in the conservation of biological resources and sustainable management. Yumaklı stressed that collaboration and solidarity are essential to ensure the well-being of current and future generations and to protect finite natural resources.
