Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumaklı stated that they scanned an area of 146 million square meters in the seas and inland waters by 2024. Yumaklı used the expression “We retrieved 1.6 million square meters, which is equivalent to the size of 224 football fields, of nets and 13,750 other fishing tools from our seas.”

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumaklı announced in a written statement that the Ghost Net Project (GAP) was implemented in 2014 to clean fishing gear lost or abandoned during fishing activities from the aquatic ecosystem. Yumaklı pointed out that the project, which has been uninterruptedly carried out since its launch, has been cleaning the fishing gear waste in the seas and inland waters, preventing the “ghost fishing” caused by fishing gear that has been lost or deliberately abandoned but continues to function within water without human control causing the death of aquatic organisms.

“1.1 MILLION SQUARE METERS GHOST NETS” Yumaklı stated that based on scientific data and studies conducted by the Ministry, water resources are prioritized considering their biological and ecological importance, the endemic and conservation statuses of the species they harbor. He stated, “In addition, we focused on our rivers in Diyarbakır, Muş, Batman, Van, and Bitlis since 2022, due to the endemic and endangered species they harbor. Later, the project was expanded to cover all our inland waters. Due to the mucilage problem experienced, a total of 154 football fields in the Marmara Sea (1.1 million square meters) were cleaned from ghost nets between 2021-2024, resolving the negative impacts on the ecosystem.” Minister Yumaklı also provided the following information regarding the activities carried out under the GAP: “A total area of 146.1 million square meters was scanned in our seas and inland waters by 2024, and 1.6 million square meters, equivalent to the size of 224 football fields, of nets, and 13,750 other fishing tools were removed. Since the project started in 2014, a total area of 452.6 million square meters has been scanned, and 2.6 million square meters of nets and 65,000 other fishing tools have been cleaned from our aquatic ecosystems. Some of the retrieved nets were recycled. As a result of our efforts, we prevented the loss of approximately 8.5 million aquatic creatures over the course of 10 years.” Yumaklı emphasized that the activities carried out within the framework of the project will continue without interruption, stating that they will continue to take the necessary measures to clean the seas and inland waters from ghost nets that harm the aquatic ecosystem.