Mersin may be the right place to establish fish farms, a state minister has said.
Fish farms have been a source of debate as the farms in the Aegean, located near the shore, create heavy onshore pollution.
State Minister Kürºat Tüzmen told the Anatolia news agency that fish farms can damage the environment when not done properly and the government will be cautious on granting new licenses.
The fish farms near the shores of Bodrum, Didim and Akbük have severely damaged the sea, Tüzmen said, adding that he has firsthand information being himself a diver. “Of course domestic waste creates pollution too,†said Tüzmen. “But when you add the pollution caused by the fish farms to that, the results are unacceptable. I am totally against such fish production.â€
The state minister said the applications for fish farm licenses in Mersin are being investigated. According to Tüzmen, Mersin is an available spot for off-shore fish farms, but it can be expensive.
“I have dived in tuna farms,†recalled Tüzmen. “Tuna farms can be established in the middle of the Mediterranean where they will not cause pollution. The closer the farms are to the shores, the more pollution they cause,†he said.
Tüzmen said the income from the export of the fish farms is at an amount that cannot be sacrificed. “Of course we will make exports, even the tourists coming to Turkey will want to eat fish. But we must do it in a way that will not damage tourism,†the minister said.
