The fishing season has opened in Bodrum: 40,000 baby sea bass have been released into the sea.

The opening ceremony of the 2024-2025 Fisheries Season was held in the Bodrum district of Muğla. During the opening ceremony, 40 thousand juvenile sea bass were released into the sea.

The fishing ban in the seas has ended as of tonight. In this context, the event organized by the Muğla Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry took place at the fishermen’s harbor in Torba neighborhood, attended by Muğla Governor İdris Akbıyık, Bodrum District Governor Mustafa Çit, Bodrum Mayor Tamer Mandalinci, Muğla Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Barış Saylak, Bodrum District Police Chief Mehmet Darendeli, President of the Central Union of Turkey’s Fisheries Cooperatives Ramazan Özkaya, Bodrum District Agricultural Director Durmuş Çakır, Head of Agricultural Services Department of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Buket Kallem, political party representatives, fishermen, and many citizens.

At the event, 40 thousand juvenile fish were released into the sea by Muğla Governor Dr. İdris Akbıyık, protocol members, and fishermen.

Later, an exhibition consisting of photos taken during the seabed cleaning conducted by the Muğla Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry was visited. It was reported that very little garbage was collected during this year’s seabed cleaning, and no garbage was found within the Torba Fishermen’s Harbor. During the ceremony where the ribbon was cut for the launch of the fisheries control boat put into service in Bodrum, fish auction took place after the speeches. After prayers and the cutting of the opening ribbon for the fishing season, fishermen and participants symbolically set sail into the sea.

Speaking at the ceremony, Muğla Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Barış Saylak expressed, “With a coastline of 1,500 kilometers, Muğla is a paradise on earth with the longest coastlines in Turkey. Undoubtedly, both fishing and aquaculture, along with the advantages of raising fish in earthen ponds, make this province a leader in fish production and export in Turkey. The biggest share in this undoubtedly belongs to our fishermen and my colleagues who work together diligently. In the last 4 years, Muğla has been breaking records in fish exports consecutively. Please gather the nets left in the seas. They remain on the seabed, continuing to passively fish. They desertify the seabed. These seas and lands were inherited from our ancestors, and we must leave them for future generations in this manner.”

Bodrum Mayor Tamer Mandalinci wished for a prosperous fishing season, stating, “I hope our fishing season will be beneficial for our homeland, our nation, our seas, and of course, our hometown. It is our duty to protect, develop, and pass on the blessings of the seas more valuably to future generations. Along with our slogan ‘Blue suits the sea best,’ we continue our efforts to clean the waste materials in the seas through seabed cleaning conducted in 11 neighborhoods, ensuring the abundance of blue is preserved for future generations.”

Muğla Governor İdris Akbıyık reminded that Muğla’s fish export has reached 1 billion dollars, saying: “We all share the excitement of reopening our seas after a 4-month longing. A day when our fishermen will reunite their nets with the blue waters of the Aegean and Mediterranean, the start day of the 2024-2025 fishing season, may it be beneficial for all of us. With a coastline of 1484 square meters, Muğla has the longest beaches and coves in Turkey. We are ranked third in tourism in Turkey after Istanbul and Antalya, but our potential is in the first place. We lead in fish products in Turkey. Our export is nearly reaching 1 billion dollars, and we are in first place.”