15 Million Lira Support Will Be Provided to Blowfish Fishing

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will provide a total of 15 million lira support for three years to the invasive species of puffer fish. In this context, 5 liras will be paid for the number of spotted puffer fish and 50 cents will be paid to other species. Thus, a total of 16,5 million puffer fish will be disposed of from water sources.

Within the scope of combating aquatic invasive and alien species, the Communiqué on the Support of Balloon Fishing was published in the Official Gazette and entered into force.

For the first time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry had purchased support for the disposal of the most common spotted pufferfish in Turkey last year in order to reduce the damage to the country's fisheries and economy, to protect aquatic biological diversity, and to ensure the sustainable and rational use of resources.

With the regulation published today, the scope of the support given for a single species last year has been extended to cover all pufferfish species in Turkish territorial waters and will be valid until the end of 2023, due to the increase in their density, the risks it poses on the ecosystem and the damage caused to the fishing gear by the fishermen.

Accordingly, balloon fishing will be supported by fishing vessels registered in the Fisheries Information System and holding valid licenses in the provinces covering the coasts of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.

With the published communiqué, the Ministry will pay 5 liras for the number of spotted pufferfish and 50 kurus for other species.

In this context, a total of 15 million liras will be paid to the fishermen for three years for the puffer fish caught. Thus, a total of 1,5 million puffer fish, including 15 million spotted pufferfish and 16,5 million other pufferfish species, will be disposed of.

Blowfish purchases will begin shortly.

With the Communiqué, it is planned to contribute to the national economy and to make the fight against pufferfish more effective and sustainable by encouraging the use of pufferfish in different industries other than food/feed.