Ghost fishing that is an expected result of fishery activities is the catching realized by fishery equipment that has lost or abandoned in the marine ecosystem. Ghost fishing equipment cause high mortality on the marine organisms such as fishes, crustaceans, marine birds, mammals and turtles regardless of ecological or economic importance. Beside the habitat occupied by lost fishing equipment become an inconsumable area. Due to the mentioned negative effects United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notified that ghost fishing is a factor that negatively affects fishery areas that can be considered renewable natural sources, and biodiversity. Thus FAO suggests that equipment?s have to be collected. In this respect, European Union imposed on obligation to fishers that they have to inform related establishments about amount and locality of their lost fishing equipment because of mentioned equipment could be collected.
The main aim of this project is to contribute to conservation of marine biodiversity and fishery sustainability. For this purpose, collection of lost fishery equipments from a pilot area in Yumurtal?k Coasts of ?skenderun Bay where is one of the most important fishery area in Eastern Mediterranean, and visualization of the increased biodiversity and fishery resources with objective data have been intended. Beside, for the purpose of the pervasive effect increasing, the crucial substructure for legislative arrangements about ghost fishing will be prepared and presented to related establishments with objective data. It is clearly known that a comprehensive documentation is needed about amount and localities of lost fishing equipments so that mentioned equipments could be collected. Therefore a database framework will be prepared with the contribution of the local people who mostly handles from fishery. This database framework will be presented to related establishment.
It is anticipated that the project results will contribute some of the SGP 5. Operational Phase priorities such as protection and sustainable usage of marine ecosystems (4), protection of some marine species consisted by IUCN Red List (5), providing sustainable fishery activities (17).