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An Istanbul fisheries union has sparked consumer outrage after calling for a fishing pause when a surge in bonito catches drove prices down, leading to accusations of price gouging.
The Istanbul Provincial Union of Seafood Fishers and Producers (Istanbul DEMBİR) set the requested pause from midnight until 8 a.m. on Oct. 12, saying a short break would help fishers earn a fair return without amounting to a ban.
Some social media users called the appeal opportunistic and urged authorities to investigate. One wrote fishers resented earning from one bonito what they had previously made from two.
Central Union of Seafood Fishers and Producers (DEM-BİR) Deputy Board Chairman Mehmet Aksoy opposed a ban, citing rising personnel wages and fuel costs. “Conditions have become harder. When we catch too much, fish sells cheaply. We do everything we can to provide people with affordable fish. No boat should catch 3,000 to 5,000 crates a day,” he said.
Aksoy said bonito is a migratory fish and could move to Georgia and return, making it harder to catch in November. He urged fishers to limit catches, saying excess fish loses value and can be crushed and spoil aboard boats. He said the goal was to balance supply with demand, not make consumers pay more.
The Istanbul DEMBİR notice said lower prices led fishers to catch more to offset losses, adding to supply and driving prices down further. It called the cycle economically unsustainable.
Türkiye’s commercial fishing season reopened on Sept. 1 after an annual ban from April 15 to Sept. 1 to protect fish stocks during spawning. Fishermen along Türkiye’s Black Sea coast had forecast an abundant bonito harvest, expecting larger catches to lower prices for consumers.
