Antalya Metropolitan Municipality organized a Balloon Catching Contest to raise awareness about the puffer fish, which is among the invasive species in the Mediterranean. For the competition held for the first time in Turkey, 86 fishermen waved fishing rods. Prizes were given to those who caught the most puffer fish.
Antalya Metropolitan Municipality organized a Balloon Fish Catch Contest on Konyaaltı Beach to raise awareness about the invasive species in the seas, which has increased in the Mediterranean Sea in recent years. 09.00 fishermen participated in the competition held between 12.00 and 86.
AWARDS GIVEN
At the end of the competition, which was held for the first time in Turkey by Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, an award ceremony was held at Konyaaltı Beach Olbia Square. At the end of the competition, the jury consisting of the Mediterranean Fisheries Institute and the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry made an evaluation. Veli Serttaş won the first place with 790 grams of puffer fish.
Tamer Ovalioğlu took the second place with 710 grams and Melik Soydal won the third place with 260 grams. The winners of the competition were given a medal and a meal for 2 people at the Ekdağ fish restaurant. It was stated that the two most poisonous species of pufferfish, spotted and dwarf pufferfish, were caught in the competition.
AWARENESS TO TOXIC AND INVASIVE SPECIES
Speaking at the award ceremony, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Advisor Lokman Atasoy noted that the people of Antalya showed great interest in the balloon fish catching competition, which was held for the first time in Turkey. Atasoy said, “As a municipality, we are leading such a study for the first time in Turkey. We are running a campaign to raise awareness and reduce the population of puffer fish, which causes great damage to the biodiversity of our seas. The puffer fish, especially with climate change, is causing great harm to fishermen as an invasive species. It is also destroying our native species. Balloon fish, which contains a marine toxin called Tetradotoxin, can be deadly because it has no antidote. But we see that products such as bags and shoes can also be made with the skin of puffer fish. In fact, as Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, we will work to make gift products such as wallets and business card holders.”
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