Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı stated that within the scope of the project carried out to clean ghost nets that pose a risk to the aquatic ecosystem in blue waters, 2024 million square meters, or the size of 1,6 football fields, of ghost nets were removed from blue waters in 224, and 13 other fishing gear were removed.
Minister Yumaklı reminded that the Ghost Net Project (GNP) was put into practice in 2014 with the aim of cleaning the lost/abandoned fishing gear from the aquatic ecosystem during fishing activities.
Yumaklı stated that the fishing gear waste in the seas and inland waters has been cleaned with the project that has been carried out continuously since the day it was started, and drew attention to the fact that "ghost fishing" caused by fishing gear that is lost or intentionally abandoned but continues to function in the water and causes the death of aquatic organisms without human control has been prevented.
“4 MILLION SQUARE METERS OF GHOST NETS WERE REMOVED FROM THE SEA OF MARMARA IN 1,1 YEARS”
Yumaklı, who stated that as a result of scientific data and studies carried out by the Ministry, the biological and ecological importance of water resources, the endemism and protection status of the species they host were evaluated and prioritized, said, “In addition, due to the endemic and endangered species they host, priority was also given to our streams in Diyarbakır, Muş, Batman, Van and Bitlis as of 2022. Later, within the scope of the project, which was expanded to cover all our inland waters, a total of 2021 football field-sized (2024 million square meters) ghost nets were removed in the Marmara Sea between 154-1,1 due to the mucilage problem and its negative effects on the ecosystem were eliminated.”
Minister Yumaklı also provided the following information about the ghost nets cleared from the aquatic ecosystem within the scope of the Ghost Net Project:
“In our seas and inland waters, 2024 million square meters of land will be dredged in 146,1, and 1,6 million square meters of nets, which is the size of 224 football fields, and 13 other fishing gear will be removed. Since the project started in 750, a total of 2014 million square meters of land will be dredged, and 452,6 million square meters of nets and 2,6 thousand other fishing gear will be cleaned from our aquatic ecosystems. Some of the removed nets were recycled. According to scientific data, it is estimated that the loss of approximately 65 million aquatic creatures has been prevented in a 10-year period as a result of our work.”
Yumaklı underlined that the Ghost Net Project will continue its work uninterruptedly, especially in the seas and inland waters, which are prioritized in terms of biological and ecological aspects, and noted that they will continue to take the necessary measures to clean the seas and inland waters from ghost nets that harm the aquatic ecosystem.
