As previously reported on this blog, Turkey's stock of lufer (bluefish), a staple of Istanbul fish shacks and restaurants, is rapidly dwindling. In response, the government has now set a new size limit on commercially caught lufer, a move which provoked a sea-borne protest by Istanbul fishermen. From Hurriyet:
A group of fishermen yesterday protested a decision by the Ministry of Agriculture to ban the catching of small-sized bluefish.
Vessel traffic on the Bosporus Strait was briefly interrupted as some 150 fishing boats set sail on the strait to protest the recent regulations.
The Food, Agriculture and Livestock Ministry in September increased the minimum catch size from 14 to 20 centimeters for bluefish and from 30 to 45 centimeters for grouper.
The boats carried banners that read “Chaos in the sector,” “Do not touch my bluefish,” “1 million fishermen are victims” and “There is no research, just a ban.”
The Treehugger blog, meanwhile, reports about ongoing efforts to save the lufer, including the recent launch of the first annual "Bluefish Holiday." From the blog, which also provides more background on the new lufer fishing policy:
Istanbul marked its first "Lüfer Bayramı" (Bluefish Holiday) this weekend with fishing competitions, environmental talks, showings of fish-themed films and artwork by students, and storytelling by fishermen who have experienced 50 years of ups and downs off the coast of Turkey's largest city. The inaugural event also provided an opportunity to cheer a victory in the fight to save the popular local fish from extinction."The lüfer that migrates from the Black Sea to the Marmara [Sea] and back again is unique," Defne Koryürek of Slow Food Istanbul, the leader of the "Don't Let the Lüfer Go Extinct!" campaign, told Slow Food International earlier this fall. "Loved for its flavor, the lüfer was known as a 'democratic' fish as anyone with a line and hook could catch a good-sized fish to feed their family. This led to the species becoming an important part of Istanbul folklore, with literature, poems, and songs talking about [the fish], the fishermen, and [lüfer's] culinary preparations."
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