DEVELOPING A ROADMAP FOR TURKISH MARINE AQUACULTURE

FAO-MARA 2008 TCP/TUR 3101 Project

Hayri Deniz-Güzel Yücel Gier

Mariculture potential in Turkey• Turkey has 2nd longest coast line (7,000 Km) in the

Mediterranean – (46,000 km) with 15.2% of the coastline after Greece with 29.7 %

• Food Needs of Turkey– Turkey has an estimated population of 73 million (2008) – Population is increasing by 840,000 per year (or 1 million new moths to

feed every 15 months) – Increasing spending power and increasing health eating will mean

increase in quality fish demand.• Needs of marine aquaculture

– The production of freshwater aquaculture is/will be increasingly limited by the availability of good quality freshwater (therefore localities with suitable marine environments have more opportunities)

– Mariculture needs proper legal framework and long term sites for present and future production

– Needs supporting logistics on coastline (jetties, service sites, decks etc.)

Turkey’s Marine Fish Farms

Mersin 4

15

207

74

Trabzon 7Rize

8

6

(20.4%)

(17.3%)

(41.8%)

(%20.5)

From old farms to new farms

Old Style Cages

New style

Entrepeneur

Aquaculture Department or Provincial Directorate of MARA

Provincial Directorate of MARA(Pre-study report)

Permission fromUnder secretariat of maritime

affairs on marine traffic

Pre-Licensing

Ministry of Environmentand Forestry

(EIA)evaluation

Main Project Preparation phase

Ministry of Health

Ministry of Culture-Tourism/Authority for the Specially/ Protected Area

Provincial Directorate of MARA

Provincial authority/governor (leasing the area)

Technical studies (a fortnight)

8 months

12 months

Aquaculture Law No Date

Fisheries Law 1380 1971 (MARA)

Fisheries Law 3288 1986 (MARA)

Aquaculture Reg. 25507 2004 (MARA)

EIA Regulation 25318 2003 (MEF)

Aquaculture 26 413 2007 (MEF)in sensitive bays Reg.

These are the new criteria for the relocation of cage farms in sensitive bays .Regulation : 26 413 (24 January 2007).

It is forbidden to locate a fish farm

≤ 0.6 nautical miles from land

≤0.1 m/sn current speed

≤30 meters depth

These are the new criteria for the relocation of cage farms in sensitive bays.

(Regulation: 26 413 / 24 January 2007).

Scale of eutrophication risk: Trix Index (TI)

TI < 4 No risk of eutrophication

4 ≤ TI ≤ High risk of eutrophication

TI >4 Eutrophic

Definitions, principles and scales (from FAO EAA Mallorca workshop 2007)

• “An Ecosystem Approach for Aquaculture is a strategy for the integration of the activity within the wider ecosystem such that it promotes sustainable development, equity, and resilience of interlinked social-ecological systems”.

Present Conflicts of Aquaculture

Conflicts not always based on scientific factsoften blown out of proportion by pressure groups

The EAA is guided by three main principles:

1. Aquaculture should be developed in the context of ecosystem functions and services (including biodiversity) with no degradation of these beyond their resilience

2. Aquaculture should improve human-well being and equity for all relevant stakeholders.

3. Aquaculture should be developed in the context of other sectors, policies and goals.

Site selection and Monitoring to minimize negative effects

• Site selection becomes very relevant as one of the most important management tools

• Finding easy indicators of significant environmental impacts to avoid further biodiversity loses– At the local level early hypoxia detection,

other indexes (e.g. AMBI, etc.)– At the watershed level there is a need for

proper indicators!!!

• Global Monitoring Programs including other contaminating activities are a MUST

Feeds

Artificial reefs

Bivalve beds

Coupling aquaculture with other users of coastal zoneCoupling aquaculture with other users of coastal zoneMultitrophic aquacultureRecreational fisheriesAquaculture and fisheries

Activities and outputs• Two stakeholders workshops to increase awareness

and social acceptability of mariculture within the coastal environment.

• Cage culture farmers trained in the application of commonly agreed upon site selection criteria and relocation options, using the ecosystem approach to mariculture management.

• A draft pilot zoning plan for mariculture zones with short, medium and long term options

• A road map of actions to define mariculture areas and to move farming to offshore and open sea areas.

• Advocacy brochures about mariculture in Turkey• A project proposal for the further development of

sound mariculture built in a multi-stakeholder environment (suitable for funding as UTF or other funding mechanisms).

Stakeholders identifying the problems and agreeing on potential solutions

Problem: coastal farms have to move off the coast

Muğla Workshop 2008 : working with the farmers TCP/TUR 310 1Project

Field study of Gerence Bay-Izmir

Advocacy Brochures

Identifying the problems

• Institutional/administration issues– Coordination gap between Ministries, some legislative conflicts,

cumbersome licencing and permitting process, no integration of aquaculture in coastal management programs and lack of ICM

• Site selection and logistics– need to identify new sites, need to agree on criteria, there are

insufficient land facilities, jetties etc. new more expensive technologies will be needed, farmers require proper users rights

• Conflicts with other users – conflicts between users but not clearly funded, environmental

issues not well documented, environmental requirements are not equally relevant for other users (e.g. summer houses in the coast)

One conflict area: Gerence Bay-Izmir

Integration of aquaculture with other usersA consultative process of agreeing aquaculture sites (or zones)

Long term planning using ICM and GIS as a tool

• Some carrying capacity estimates must be made beforehand

• Adequate infrastructure must be in place

• Farmers will require assistance with more expensive and more sophisticated technology

•Once the zone is identified and cages are moved it is necessary to continue with some permanent monitoring programs.

• Impacts of other coastal users must be considered and monitored

Road map for

• Identifying issues with all stakeholders• Informing and training farmers• Strengthening Institutional Framework/capacity

– Identifying and implementing mariculture zones– Simplifying licensing process– Implementing adequate EIA for all activities in the

coastal zone (including mariculture)• and implementing Strategic Monitoring and assessment

• Assisting farmers that are required to move and facilitating the coming of new farmers

Identifying and implementing mariculture zones

• Expand the aquaculture strategic development plan

• Review of the integration of mariculture into Coastal Planning– Improve the interaction with tourism

• Review of zoning for mariculture specially open seas– Data collection of essential parameters for open sea site

selection– Review models that can be used for production, carrying

capacity estimation– Develop and adopt simple tools for planning; e.g. GIS

Such Process requires TIME and adequate FUNDING

Thank you