Turkey learns to share seas with neighbors

The competition between Turkish and Greek fishermen for gilt head bream near the Kardak Islands has led to awkward situations. Turkish fishing boats, arguing that these islands belong to Turkey, urge the Turkish coast guard to expel Greek fishing boats from the islands while their Greek counterparts reciprocate. However, the Turkish and Greek coast guards prefer not to involve themselves in this fishing competition. Aware of the fact that gilt head bream tend to be around the Kardak Islands between Nov. 30 and Jan. 15, the coast guards just wait for the period to end. There are also reports that the indifference of the coast guards in this issue has led Turkish and Greek fishermen to arrive at a de facto compromise: sharing the islands, which consist of two pieces. The bigger island is taken by Turkish boats while the smaller one is left to the Greeks.

Turbot crisis with Ukraine

As the row over gilt head bream continues in the Aegean Sea, another conflict has broken out in the Black sea over turbot. Turkish and Ukrainian fishermen, who last year competed for anchovy, led to a confrontation of the two countries' coast guards in connection with turbot fishing. As two Turkish fishing boats netted about five tons of turbot in Ukrainian territorial waters, tension rose between the two countries, which eventually led to the involvement of the countries' foreign ministries in the issue. Currently, diplomatic relations between the two are on considerably friendlier terms. However, Russian fishermen have joined Ukrainian fishermen, complicating the issue further.

In an effort to eliminate further confrontation, the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has developed two projects. The ministry is planning to bring Black Sea countries together in İstanbul for a conference on aquaculture and fishing. The conference, to be held in February, is expected to put an end to conflicts between fishermen in the Black Sea. Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia and Georgia are expected to attend the conference, at the end of which a joint declaration on aquaculture and fishing will be issued. The Turkish Foreign Ministry supports both initiatives.