Turkey – Screening Fisheries Acquis Answers to Non-exhaustive List of Issues and Questions to Facilitate Preparation for Bilateral Meetings Resource management 1) What is your evaluation of the status of marine resources exploited by your fleets in the various GFCM geographic sub-areas, including Black Sea? A distinction between demersal, small pelagic and large pelagic species as well as between coastal and offshore species is advisable. Turkish fishery presents artisanal and off-shore type of fishery. The quantity of production obtained by fishing activities from the seas has not shown significant changes over the last years due to the non-allowance of additional fishing vessels into the fleet. As shown in the table below, 10 species account for approximately 90 % of the total marine catches. Small pelagic species constitute an important portion in total catch amount. Table: Composition of marine fishing by species and years (tons) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Species Quantity % Quantity% Quantity % Quantity % Quantity% Anchovy 280 000 61 320 000 66 373 000 72 295 000 64 340 000 67 Grey mullet 27 000 6 22 000 5 12 000 2 11 000 2 12 424 2 Hake-European Hake 18 180 4 20 810 4 10 500 2 7 500 2 4 380 1 Whiting 18 000 4 10 000 2 8808 2 8 000 2 8 205 2 Pilchard 16 500 3 10 000 2 8684 2 12 000 3 12 883 3 Horse mackerel-Scad 22 200 5 26 180 5 26 482 5 28 000 6 27 405 6 Atlantic bonito 12 000 3 13 460 3 6 286 1 6 000 1 5 701 1 Chub mackerel 9 000 2 4 500 1 1500 0 1 480 0 1 402 0 Sprat 7 000 1 1 000 0 2050 0 6 025 1 5 411 1 Blue fish 4 250 1 13 060 3 25 000 5 22 000 5 19 901 4 Other 46 391 10 43 400 9 48434 9 66 069 14 67 185 13 Total 460 521 100 484 410 100 522 744 100 463 074 100 504 897 100 Source: TURKSTAT More than 70% of marine catches is from the Black Sea . 2004 data regarding quantities and their ratios for the selected species by geographic sub-areas are given in the Annex 1. 2) How do you think to strike a balance between fleets’ capacity, fishing effort and status of exploited resources in the main fisheries? What scientific monitoring strategies are in place or are going to be established to ensure that such a balance is achieved and maintained? In order to ensure the sustainability of stocks; • Further growth of the fleet capacity has been frozen by not allowing the introduction of additional vessels to the fleet, • Time restrictions on the fishing season are implemented, • The results and findings of the research carried out by universities and research institutes are referred to and taken into account in policy development processes, • Works for setting up a system for continuous monitoring of the biological parameters of the catches at the landing ports are being carried out. 1 Turkey – Screening Fisheries Acquis Answers to Non-exhaustive List of Issues and Questions to Facilitate Preparation for Bilateral Meetings 3- How much of the small pelagic resources exploited by your fleet has been or is going to be devoted to the maintenance of the bluefin tuna fattening plants? Bluefin tuna kept in captivity for fattening are fed on pilchard, chub mackerel, herring and squid. A high percentage (95 %) of the prey fish is provided through import while the rest is supplied from local resources. Aquaculture companies prefer to import the above mentioned species due to price, quality, and supply problems encountered in the fattening period. 4- How are you going to ameliorate the exploitation pattern of your demersal and small pelagic fisheries? Technical measures on fishing in Turkey are of a dynamic structure and are re-evaluated by the Fisheries Advisory Board twice a year with the participation of public institutions, scientific organizations, fisheries organizations and other stakeholders. The decisions taken here are duly implemented. Introduction of legal arrangements are foreseen for • increasing the selectivity of trawl nets, by starting to use systems such as windows and panels that enable by-catch to get out of the net, • decreasing net depth and length, and increasing fishing depth in purse seining • limiting passive fishing gear used in the fishing of pelagic and demersal species based on the evaluations made in the area, • extending the measures which decrease the pressure on the stocks in the areas critical for reproduction, nursery and migration of fish. 5) How the fishing effort is going to be controlled both in terms of capacity, activity and dimension and number of fishing gears to ensure a sustainable fishing mortality? Number of vessels is currently frozen by preventing new entries in order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of the stocks. It is envisaged • to monitor every step of fishing related activities by keeping records accordingly, • to further adjust the period of seasonal fishing bans when necessary, • to limit the size and number of fishing gear and to increase their selectivity. 6) Is there any distinction between professional, subsistence and recreational fisheries? What is their relative importance in terms of people involved and exploitation of marine resources? Fishing activities in Turkey are divided into two categories, namely “commercial fishing” and “recreational fishing”. They are regulated by two different Circulars (Annex 2, Circulars No 36/1 and 36/2). Commercial fishing and recreational fishing differ from each other in terms of fishing permit, catch amount and the use of gears. While it is obligatory to obtain for commercial fishery a license, it is not required for recreational (amateur) fishing activities. An identification document is issued for the recreational fishermen, upon request. Catch amount of recreational fishing is too low compared to the amount obtained from commercial fishing and is estimated to be below 1%. 2 Turkey – Screening Fisheries Acquis Answers to Non-exhaustive List of Issues and Questions to Facilitate Preparation for Bilateral Meetings 7) What type of measures, both in terms of selectivity of fishing gears, minimum legal size and restricted access to fishing gears in certain areas, are in place to protect nursery areas and to reduce fishing mortality on juveniles of exploited resources? In the Circular on Commercial Fishing, prohibitive provisions are set forth about mesh size, depth, and distance from the coast, fishing gear, region, area, species, length and time (Annex 2, Circular No 36/1). Besides, every kind of fishing activity is prohibited in the area with a radius of 500 m off the river estuaries. Capture of wild fry for aquaculture purposes is prohibited. 8) What resources are subject to a minimum landing size regulation? Rules on the minimum length of allowable catch and/or fishing gear are set by circulars. Please see the Article 15 of Circular No. 36/1 given in the Annex 2 for allowable types of species and minimum length of catch. To ensure the catch of only allowable length, minimum mesh sizes are defined to ensure the selectivity of the nets. Related rules are set by the provisions of Article 4/3/a, 7/3/a, 7/3/c, 7/5, 8/1/b, 10/1/a, 10/2, 11, 12/2 of Circular No. 36/1 given in the Annex 2. 9) Where and how many areas of restricted access to fishing gears have been established for fisheries management? Which species or group of species areas have been established for? What management measures are implemented therein? Trawling is completely prohibited in the Marmara Sea in order to protect demersal species. In other seas, on the other hand, trawling is prohibited in some bays and gulfs and in certain areas. Related provisions are set forth in Article 3 of Circular No. 36/1 given in the Annex 2. In the areas where trawling is permitted, prohibitions related to distance from the coast are applicable (Articles 4/2/a, 4/2/b, 4/2/c of Circular No. 36/1). Depth prohibition applies to purse seining (Article 16/1 of Circular No. 36/1). Purse seining is prohibited in certain areas. Only small-scale fishing is permitted in the areas, which are prohibited for trawling and purse seining. There are also some areas that are prohibited for any types of fishing activities (Article 20 of Circular No. 36/1). 10) What type of catch limitations is in place to control the fishing mortality on exploited stocks? For which stocks? Main fish species caught by commercial fishing in Turkey include anchovy, grey mullet, hake, whiting, pilchard, horse mackerel, Atlantic bonito, chub mackerel, sprat and blue fish. 3 Turkey – Screening Fisheries Acquis Answers to Non-exhaustive List of Issues and Questions to Facilitate Preparation for Bilateral Meetings Currently there is no quota management system set for commercial fishing industry, except for the bluefin tuna. For sustainable exploitation of stocks, technical measures regulating fishing gear and/or type of fishing have been imposed by a Circular. Technical measures included in the circular are prohibitions and limitations regarding mesh size, depth, distance from shore, fishing gear, fishing region, fishing area and fish size. Fleet management 1) Have you measured the characteristics of all your fishing vessels in accordance with the Community provisions (R2930/86), particularly tonnage and power? Tonnage measurement of fishing vessels is subject to two different regulations. Tonnage measurement of fishing vessels less than 24 m in length or fishing vessels navigating in the territorial and inland waters regardless of their length is subject to Implementing Regulation on Tonnage Measurement for the Commercial Vessels.