Türkiye to expand fishing horizons with new deals

ANKARA

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry aims to increase the catches of Turkish vessels and obtain new fishing grounds, especially in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, by completing fisheries agreements with 12 African countries and continuing negotiations with 15 more countries.

The ministry is actively negotiating fisheries partnerships with Gabon, Djibouti, Angola and several other African nations. These agreements follow existing deals with Morocco, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, bringing Türkiye's total fisheries cooperation agreements to 12.

This strategic move comes after a record-breaking year for Turkish fisheries in 2023. The country produced nearly 1 million tons of fish and maintains its global leadership in sea bass and sea bream breeding. However, recent fluctuations in domestic aquaculture due to climate change have pushed the industry to seek new opportunities abroad.

"We're enabling Turkish fishermen to access new fishing grounds," declared a ministry spokesperson. "These agreements will ensure sustainable fishing practices and open doors for our fishing fleet in Africa."

The expansion plans to expand beyond African countries. Negotiations are also underway with Indonesia, Panama and Georgia, demonstrating Türkiye's commitment to diversifying its fishing partnerships. This international focus complements a thriving aquaculture export sector, which surpassed $1.6 billion in 2023. Russia, Italy and the U.K. remain the top destinations for Turkish-farmed fish.

While dozens of fishing boats with more than 2,000 crew members are fishing outside the territorial waters of Türkiye, the fluctuations in the production of aquaculture products due to climatic changes and environmental factors in our country in recent years have caused the fishing boats engaged in industrial fishing to fall into a difficult situation. As the hunting ban season began in mid-April, many Turkish vessels set sail for the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, ready to explore the rich fishing grounds offered by these partnerships.