The Difficult Work of Fishermen

As of September 1st, the fishermen who set sail saying ‘Vira Bismillah’ are continuing their challenging work. After 54 days of labor, the fishermen who have been catching plenty of bonito in the waters of the Black Sea are waiting for good news regarding anchovy.

For 54 days, the sailors have been navigating the seas with their radars on 24/7, seeking shelter in the nearest port during storms, and setting sail again as soon as the storms calm down, in pursuit of fish. Fishermen, who will spend 7.5 months away from their families during the fishing season, work shoulder to shoulder to pull the fish caught in their nets onto the deck of the boat. While the bonito caught by the purse seine boats fishing between Artvin and Zonguldak brings smiles to the fishermen’s faces, they are pursuing fish dozens of miles away from land, not leaving their boats for even a moment to earn their daily bread.

Boat owner Mustafa Şen noted that the bonito season is going well, stating, “Citizens are eating plenty of cheap fish. But for us, the costs are high, so it’s not very pleasant. There are too many fishing boats in the Black Sea. That’s why prices are low. Bonito is going well, but we do not have the same hope for anchovy. However, you never know with the sea,” he said.

“We expect there to be anchovy, but not in abundance”

Eren Yurt, who fishes on a purse seine boat that came from Fatsa district of Ordu to Trabzon, said, “We said ‘Vira Bismillah’ and set sail as of September 1st. The season is manageable but the costs are heavy. There are 33 people working on this boat. This year there is bonito, but it doesn’t pay off. The cost of transportation from here to Istanbul is 100,000 lira. We get the last piece of the pie. We expect there to be anchovy, but not in abundance. For there to be anchovy, the weather needs to cool down. The sea water is still warm. The seasons greatly affect this work,” he mentioned.

“We are searching for fish like looking for a needle in a haystack among 150 boats”

Fisherman Cengiz Yüksel noted that the fishing season has been lively this year, stating, “Fish is plentiful, but it doesn’t pay off. The costs are heavy. We haven’t made much money this season. There are too many fishing boats. We fish between Trabzon and Giresun. There are about 150 boats. We are searching for fish like looking for a needle in a haystack among 150 boats. The season is not going as we hoped. We have no expectations for anchovy. Since bonito eats anchovy, it is not thought that there will be much anchovy fishing. If there is, it will be a surprise. Sometimes anchovy comes into our nets, but no one knows if that will continue or not. We are on duty 24/7. Night is different from day. We have gone as far as Zonguldak from here. We returned from Ereğli. For now, fishing is going back and forth between Trabzon and Zonguldak. Anchovy fishing starts after December. But we are curious about how much there will be or if there will be at all,” he expressed.