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Best Bosporus fish yields come in month of October
Dursun stated that the identification of fish, best fishing times and the knowledge of different ways to prepare fish for eating is a culture all its own, and noted that the İstanbul straits are a natural pathway for fish and that fish from the Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean seas all used the Bosporus as a passageway to and from the Black Sea. For this reason, there are standard periods when fishing is better in the Bosporus, he said. “Fish traveling from south to north in the month of May make their way back in September and October. As in the past, during these periods of migration they are fished heavily in the Bosporus,” he noted.
The fish fatten in the Black Sea, he said, and so are especially delicious in the months of September and October as they pass back through the Bosporus. The favorite of these fish season after season is the bluefish (lüfer in Turkish), he stated. “Fishermen take Oct. 29 [Republic Day] as both a holiday for the republic and for the bluefish. It's said that on Oct. 29 bluefish will certainly pass through the Bosporus. They are caught with bait, sometimes even using needlefish as bait to catch them,” he explained.
The professor said that throughout İstanbul's history aristocrats and gentlemen would follow fish movements in the Bosporus throughout the seasons and go fishing at the most advantageous times. “There is an established culture of identifying fish, fishing times and cooking methods. But in today's İstanbul there is a fish culture that stretches back for centuries and is about to die out. It's important that those who live in İstanbul learn about this subject,” he said, adding that “if there aren't men out enjoying the experience of fishing on the Bosporus, then they aren't really living in İstanbul.”
First fish will be Indian mackerel
Recalling that the new fishing season officially opened on Sept. 1, Dursun said: “First, the Indian mackerel will swim in from the Black Sea. Later in October will follow the bluefish, in November it will be the mackerel and after December gable fish will pass through the Bosporus.”
The professor also noted that some changes in fish migratory habits, saying in the past around the Kandilli area a kind of sardine unique to İstanbul could be found, but that now the formerly Bosporus-only fish can be found in the Gulf of Saros as well.
Noting that in the past bottom feeders like codfish were not acceptable to eat, Dursun said: “The only people that used to eat these fish were poor Jews because it was cheap. For this reason, they used to call it the ‘Jewish fish.' But today, they're among the most preferred fish,” he said. He also noted that swordfish used to be highly sought after but these days aren't fished for much.
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