The study evaluates the status of small-scale fishermen and fishing operations, using socio-economic indicators and economic viability estimates in six selected fishing areas of Turkey during the 2002–2003 fishing season. Fifty-six percent of all small-scale fishing boats investigated achieved a positive net profit, fully recovering their operational and investment costs. Considering the viability of the fishery, 56% can be considered as economically viable. Percentages of negative gross cash flow (GCF) for each of the vessels in the district was 56% in Foça, 57% in Karaburun, 15% in Mordoğan, 16% in Akyaka, 65% in Akçapınar, and 44% in Marmaris. On the other hand, when sustainability is defined with more than an economic performance ratio of 10%, only 41% of the small-scale fishing vessels seem to have shown favourable results. Criteria such as comparatively higher catch, smaller crew size and lower labour costs, structure of the fishery or misreporting might have had a slight role in affecting the overall results which indicate that livelihood and economic viability are threatened by irregular and relatively low income levels in the small-scale fisheries sector. Given the economic conditions of small-scale fishing communities, it is suggested that all persons concerned at the community, industry and government levels should take a fresh look at the problem of sustainability. As such, more attention needs to be paid to the fishery management option by looking at performance data and having long-term monitoring of the socio-economic indicators.

Tr en Akdeniz’in sorunlu 100 işgalci türü arasında gösterilen Benekli balon balığı (Lagocephalus sceleratus) (Gmelin, 1789), Türkiye denizlerinde ilk defa 2013 yılında görülmüş ve o tarihten bugüne kadar ekosistemi olumsuz yönde etkileyerek tüm küçük ölçekli balıkçılar için büyük bir sorun haline gelmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Akdeniz ve Ege’nin Türkiye kıyılarındaki küçük ölçekli balıkçılar tarafından karşılaşılan benekli balon balığının sosyo-ekonomik etkilerini belirlemektir. Araştırma, 1 Ocak 2013 – 1 Ocak 2014 tarihleri arasında, Orta Ege’de İzmir-Çeşme’den Suriye sınırında Hatay-Samandağ arasında kalan 7 adet kıyı kentinde 215 balıkçı ile yapılan yüz yüze görüşmelerden toplanan verilere dayanmaktadır. Çalışmada elde edilen veriler, daha önce de aynı araştırmacılar tarafından 2011-2012 yılları arasında aynı bölgelerde gerçekeştirilmiş olan tek çalışma ile karşılaştırılarak iki yıl içinde meydana gelen değişiklikler ve oranları anlaşılmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonuçları, benekli balon balığının küçük ölçekli balıkçılığa zarar verdiğini ortaya koyan diğer araştırmalarla örtüşmektedir. Görüşülen balıkçıların tamamına yakını (%97) bu türün av araçlarına ve ağlara takılan balıklara zarar verdiğini belirtmiştir. 2013-2014 arasında benekli balon balığının sebep olduğu kayıpların, 2011-2012 dönemindekine oranla iki kattan daha fazla oranda artmış olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmada ortaya konan sonuçlar sayesinde karar vericiler arasında farkındalığın artması umulmaktadır. Buna bağlı olarak, benekli balon balığının olumsuz etkilerinin azaltılması ya da ortadan kaldırılması yönünde politikaların geliştirilmesi ve önlemlerin alınması yönünde bir ihtiyaç olduğu açıkça belirlenmiştir. Eldeki en doğru bilimsel veriler ışığında, balıkçıları destekleyecek acil kararların alınması (örn. prim sistemi, yılın belirli zamanlarında avlanmasına izin verilmesi) gerekmektedir. Benekli balon balığı, diğer türler, ekosistem ve bu türün sosyo-ekonomik etkileri arasındaki ilişki ve etkileşimin izlenmesi konusunda daha fazla çalışma yapılmasının gerekli olduğu düşünülmektedir. The silver-cheeked toadfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789), which is enlisted as one of the problematic 100 invasive species in the Mediterranean, entered the Turkish waters in 2003 and since then it has negatively affected the ecosystem and became a major concern for the small-scale fishers. The aim of the present study is to assess the socio-economic impacts of silver-cheeked toadfish on small-scale fishers operating along the Turkish-Mediterranean and the Aegean coast. The research is based on a dataset collected between January 1^st, 2013 and January 1^st, 2014 using face-to-face interviews with 215 fishers from 7 coastal cities from İzmir-Çesme in the Middle Aegean region to Hatay-Samandağ in the Syrian border.The data obtained in the present study were compared to the data of the only existing previous study carried out by the same researchers in the same coastal cities between 2011-2012 in order to understand the proportion and the direction of the change after two years. The results of this study support other literature, which indicates that silver-cheeked toadfish damage small-scale fisheries. Almost all of the fishers (97%) stated that this species damages their fishing gears and the fish entangled to these fishing gears. The loss caused by silver-cheeked toadfish in 2013-2014 increased by more than double compared to the 2011-2012 period, and in this regard, we hope that such results increase awareness amongst decision-makers. Consequently, there is a definite need for policies and measures (e.g. bounty system, permission of fishing in certain time of the year) to reduce or eliminate the negative effects of the silver-cheeked toadfish on fishers. Imminent decisions to support fishers should be taken based on best available scientific data. We think that further studies should be implemented to monitor the association and interaction between silver-toad fish, other species, the ecosystem, and the socio-economic impact of the pufferfish.

Non-native pufferfish have been a part of the Mediterranean marine ecosystem since the 1930s. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the by-catch of these species. This study aimed to compare the by-catch of pufferfish species between different types of fishing gear and to determine the monetary losses due to pufferfish on the Aegean (west) and Mediterranean (south) coasts of Turkey. A total of 467 commercial and recreational fishers (n= 244 and n=223 respectively), based in the 7 coastal cities were interviewed in the period of June - December 2017. A semi-structured questionnaire provided detailed information on by-catch amount of pufferfish in fishing gears, and economic loss caused by pufferfish. The most commonly caught pufferfish species was Lagocephalus sceleratus . The by-catch amount of pufferfish is higher on the Mediterranean coast in comparison with the Aegean coast. The highest pufferfish by-catch was recorded in purse seines and trawls on the south coasts, but in set nets on the west coasts. When seasonal changes were considered, the highest by-catch was occurred in the summer months for both commercial and recreational fisheries. Regarding the damages caused by pufferfish species in the small-scale fisheries, 92% and 90% of fishers, who fished on the south coasts, claimed that pufferfish species damage their fishing gears and fish entangled to these fishing gears, respectively. In conclusion, pufferfish species (e.g. L. sceleratus ) are part of the ecosystem with their unknown quantified impacts. In fact, such information is required for fisheries management to mitigate the impacts of these species. The present study contributes to filling the gaps in this area. 

This study aimed to determine the catch composition and compare the catch per unit effort (CPUE) of indigenous and non-indigenous species in longline and trammel net fisheries in the Mediterranean coasts of Türkiye. The data were collected weekly from May 2020 to September 2021 by commercial fishing vessels (n = 62 days for trammel nets, n = 75 days for longlines). The results of the study indicated that more than 90% of the catch composition consisted of non-indigenous species in trammel net fishery and Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828), Siganus rivulatus Forsskål et Niebuhr, 1775, Siganus luridus (Rüppell, 1829), and Scarus ghobban Forsskål, 1775 were the most commonly caught species. Although indigenous species were more common in longlines compared with trammel nets, non-indigenous species Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) and Lagocephalus suezensis Clark et Gohar, 1953 were represented by relatively high catch ratios. The results also revealed that the CPUE of non-indigenous species exhibited seasonal differences. Although some non-indigenous species caught within this study have a market value, some other highly invasive species do not. Therefore, it is critically important to develop effective management tools to control bio-invasion. This study provides the first comprehensive research by utilizing basic data with relatively long-term surveys in the small-scale fishery on the Mediterranean coasts of Türkiye. The outcomes of this study can provide guidance to decision-makers.