Implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries for the small-scale fisheries in Gökova Bay, Turkey: baseline report

Book excerpt: Gökova Bay is situated in the eastern Aegean Sea, southwest of Anatolia, Turkey. In 1988, a considerable part of the land and marine areas of Gökova Bay were incorporated into a Special Environmental Protection Area. In addition, six nofishing zones were established in 2010. With over 723 identified marine macroscopic species, 34 of which are protected under national and international treaties, the biodiversity in Gökova Bay is considered to be high. Fishing is an important economic activity in the region and has developed as a small-scale enterprise because of the conditions of the coastline, geography and productivity of the bay, and the conservation status of the area. The fishery in the bay is characterized as a typical multispecies and multigear smallscale fishery that targets both demersal and pelagic species, as in many other Mediterranean countries. To secure the sustainability of the fisheries in the Gökova Bay marine protected area (MPA), a pilot case study on the implementation of the EAF in Gökova Bay was initiated in 2016 within the framework and with the financial support of the FAO Mediterranean Project EastMed. Various stakeholders, including fishery cooperatives, non-governmental organizations, several ministerial and other governmental and public institutions, as well as universities contributed to, and collaborated with, the project. This technical paper presents the EAF baseline report that was prepared to complete the planning phase of the project by defining the scope of the case study. It outlines the available information on the small-scale fisheries in Gökova Bay and documents relevant information about the fishery, the species and geographical areas covered in the case study, the socio-economic profile of the fishery and the institutional arrangements for its management.