Suspicious Activities of 32 Turkish Fishing Vessels in the Aegean and Ionian Seas Over the Past Month

Over the past few weeks, 32 large Turkish vessels, fishing purse seiners and tugboats, have been towing cages with unknown quantities of live tuna. They are traveling from Malta to Turkey and are showing suspicious activity through unjustifiably long stopovers, staying for at least 2 weeks each, in areas of the Aegean and Ionian Seas. The Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation is diligently monitoring and recording this activity, through observation from its research vessels, citizen network reports, and the electronic monitoring of the paths of these boats.

These extended stays in the Aegean are occurring under the pretext of continuous technical vessel malfunctions. Within the timeframe of their extended stays, it has been observed that the vessels have had repeated encounters with each other, which prompts a closer investigation. Furthermore, some vessels claiming malfunctions attempt to cross the Aegean under previously predicted intense northerly winds, which contradicts standard vessel behavior. Therefore it appears as if they are seeking a deliberate passage under rough sea conditions to avoid inspection vessels. 

Questions are also raised about how these large amounts of tuna are being fed during these prolonged transport periods, as they require thousands of kilograms of fish daily.

Throughout this current period, there has been no visible presence of inspection vessels in these regions of the Greek seas. Official control agencies, in particular the so-called “Joint Inspection Scheme”, organized by Frontex, the European Border Agency, and the European Fisheries Control Agency, are responsible for enforcing vessel compliance under ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) in European waters. This includes monitoring vessels, as well as checking documents to prove where each stock was caught, in what quantities, etc. 

According to ICCAT, the annual tuna fishing quota for Turkey is 2,600 tonnes in weight. As for Malta, its annual quota is not specified, but it is allocated a part of the EU annual quota (21,503 tonnes per year). In addition to the established quota regime, informal procedures, transactions, and black market networks are carried out. Countries including Malta, Italy, and Turkey have been proven participants for years, resulting in violated quotas, and false pretenses which allow large quantities of tuna to be “legally” exported to Asian markets.

Turkey’s tuna quota is divided into both direct export to Asia as well as maintenance of their tuna fish farms. The fattening up of the caged tuna requires 9 tons of feed (i.e. wild fish) to achieve 1 ton of fattening up. This involves a network of intensive overfishing of suitable fish (e.g. halibut, mackerel, sardines, etc.), whose stocks have already been depleted in many areas of the Mediterranean. The locations and methods used to supply such a great demand of wild fish are therefore called into question.

Overfishing, wherever it comes from, is one of the greatest scourges of our seas and addressing it is an urgent priority. This report aims to raise awareness of these issues, and not participate in a nationalistic agenda by any means. Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation’s sole purpose is the protection and continuous defense of marine ecosystems, which have never been as pressing as they are today.

The gap in policing observed throughout this period demonstrates the shortcoming of agencies’ ability to control their domains, but also the lack of political will to address the problem of overfishing. The implementation of European and international regulations seems to be, once again, applied at will, especially at a time when it is recognized that a large part of the Mediterranean’s fish stocks are nearing collapse. While significant public resources are allocated to the control of fishing activities, especially regarding tuna fishing, and while Frontex has a fleet of several dozen vessels throughout the Aegean and the Mediterranean, it focuses only on immigration and ignores its other responsibilities, violating its institutional role. Reasonable questions are also raised regarding the absence of the European Fisheries Control Agency.