Readers mail….
From Damla Beton….
The value of goods crossing the Green Line is around five million Euro; fresh fish is the second most significant product. In 2008 when this trade opened, it was an important lifeline for the Turkish Cypriot fishing fleet and has supported many hundreds of livelihoods in some of Cyprus’ most rural and isolated communities. However, as much of the fish sold locally in North Cyprus is imported from overseas, or is from fish farms, many fishers are now finding it hard to sell their catch, because due to the Coronavirus outbreak, trade across the Green Line has been suspended.
For more than ten years, SPOT (North Cyprus Society for Protection of Turtles) has enjoyed close collaboration with fishermen in every harbour in North Cyprus. All fishermen have been exceptionally welcoming of our research into by the catching of sea turtles, sharks, rays, seals and cetaceans. So, in solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot fishers and rural economies, as we enter peak fishing season, consider asking your supermarket for locally caught fresh fish. And to support sea turtles, ask for Izmarit, Menula (Picarels) and Voppa (Bogue), and Barbun, since these fisheries have lower rates of by catch of vulnerable species as they are usually caught with target-specific gillnets and are set for short periods.”
North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT) – (photos by Olkan Ergüler)
