The nets of the trawl boats hit the squid.

Professor Dr. Mehmet Gökoğlu, a faculty member at Akdeniz University, captured images of squid eggs during a dive at Konyaaltı Beach. He stated that the number of squids has decreased due to trawler boats dropping their nets into the sea, saying, “Every creature has an enemy, but the biggest enemy is humanity itself. When trawler boats drag their nets, a large portion of the eggs sinks to the bottom, gets covered in mud, and dies due to the lack of oxygen exchange.”

Professor Dr. Mehmet Gökoğlu from the Faculty of Fisheries at Akdeniz University dives several times a week at different points in the city. Using an underwater camera, he captured images of the underwater world and this time he recorded squid eggs. A pigfish that did not leave his side while he was observing the squid eggs became a symbol of the friendship between humans and marine creatures underwater. While examining the squid eggs during his dive at the world-famous Konyaaltı Beach, Gökoğlu provided information about the squids emerging from the eggs and blending into nature.

The larvae inside the eggs turn into squids.

Professor Dr. Mehmet Gökoğlu stated, “The eggs we encounter at Konyaaltı Beach are squid eggs. Squids lay their eggs on objects that rise from the ground and try to avoid contact with strings. The eggs are segmented like the fingers of a transparent glove where each segment contains a larva, active larvae. They become more pronounced as they open up; the egg swells, and after reaching a certain size, the larva breaks out of the egg. It secretes an enzyme, emerges from the egg, and is born into nature as a baby squid.”

Proposal for string buoys at Konyaaltı Beach

Emphasizing that every creature in nature has an enemy, Professor Dr. Gökoğlu pointed out that the biggest enemy is humanity itself. He continued, “Every creature has an enemy, but the biggest enemy is humanity itself. When trawler boats drag their nets, they destroy the squid eggs that rise from the ground. A large portion of the eggs sinks, gets covered in mud, and dies due to the lack of oxygen exchange. This leads to a decrease in their population. String buoys should be placed at certain points on Konyaaltı Beach in a way that prevents them from surfacing. There should be a buoy that rises 5 meters from the bottom so that squids can lay their eggs on the strings. In winter, you can see them blooming like flowers in the shape of gloves.”