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Turkey launches 2026-2027 fishing season with record production
The 2026-2027 fishing season has officially commenced in Turkey, following the end of a 4.5-month ban on industrial fishing in the Black Sea, Marmara, and Aegean seas on September 1. Ceremonies were held across various coastal regions, including Izmir, Çanakkale, Muğla, Samsun, and Tekirdağ, to mark the reopening of the waters.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced that Turkey reached a record production level of 1.037 million tons in the previous year. To support the sector, the government has increased the business credit limit for fishermen from 15 million to 40 million TL. The Minister also noted that Turkey's seafood exports reached 2.3 billion dollars, with plans to expand operations to Somali waters in October.
Şemsi Bayraktar, President of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB), reported that total seafood production rose by 11.1 percent in 2025, reaching 1.037 million tons. While aquaculture accounts for over 60 percent of this production, wild-caught marine fish production reached 410,428 tons. Early reports from the new season suggest an abundance of bonito (palamut), which is expected to positively impact market prices.
Entities
Ahmet Çelebi · Black Sea · Ibrahim Yumaklı · Meftun Dallı · Mehmet Aksoy · Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry · Tahir Büyükakın · Tahir Şahin · Turkey · Turkish Union of Chambers of Agriculture · Türkiye Ziraat Odaları Birliği · Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture