There was a protest with a clear message of “No Fish Farm in Sigacik” against the fish farm of a yearly capacity of 8500 tons planned to be constructed at Sigacik Bay.
The people of Seferihisar and Izmir, activists, fishermen, NGO’s, together with union members with the initiation of Seferihisar Municipality gathered to demonstrate against the planned fish farm. The legal authorities not only accepted the relocation of a fish farm from Urla to Sigacik to the same place with the previous fish farm project, but also with an expansion of area of nine folds! The people sailed on fishermen boats chanting slogans and displaying banners to the area, where the fish farm would be built.
TOURISM AND FISH FARMS DON’T FIT TOGETHER
Seferihisar Mayor Tunc Soyer commented on the fish farm project: “We decided to form the development of Seferihisar as a farming and tourism city. These two sectors can not survive along some others like heavy machinery or tuna fish farming. If a city has a blue flag marina, increasing number of blue flag beaches and attracting new tourism investments, there mustn’t be any fish farm nearby. I can name you some famous samples, for example, there are numberless amount of fish farms near Hong Kong, but there aren’t any sailboats or yachts on sea. They made a choice for fish farming. But on the other side, you can’t point even a single fish farm near Portofino, but there are thousands of yachts, boats and sailboats on sea. These two sectors can’t exist together.
SIGACIK BAY IS HOME FOR MEDITERANNEAN SEAL
I would like to read a statement to you from a report of the legal experts dating back to 2011, during our legal fight against another fish farm. Prof. Dr. Orhan Yenigun, Prof. Dr. Turgut Onay and Dr. Ayse Tomruk of Bogazici University reported as follows: “Since Sigacik Bay doesn’t have the conditions of open sea and the related area is inside the natural habitat of the Mediterannean seal, according to the national laws and international contracts, it must be preserved as a naturally critical area.” But in Turkey, it is essential to make your voice heard and not trust on the rightness off your cause. We managed to succeed that time and the previous fish farm project was re-located before the establishment.
THEY ARE MOCKING ON US OR SIMPLY DON’T CARE
The Ministry of Environment approved the environmental impact report (CED) of a new fish farm. We old facility had a capacity of yearly 900 tons, whereas the new one will have a relentless capacity of 8.850 tons! They are either making fun of us or they simply don’t care about us and the environment. We must preserve the land we inherited from our ancestors. We will do our best to protect the sea as long as possible.
A FISH FARM OF A YEARLY 8.850 TONS
The new fish farm transferred from Gerence Bay in Urla will have a capacity of 8.850 tons. The production company will expand its breeding area to 88.200 sqm from 9.600 sqm.
Additionally the legal experts made a research today regarding the ongoing lawsuits of Seferihisar Municipality, Teos Marina and hotels against the tuna fish breeding farms.