Mersin province, with its 321-kilometer coastline, is one of the cities with the longest
coastline in Türkiye. It constitutes a large part of country's marine biodiversity and greatly supports meeting the need for fish consumption. The opening of the Suez Canal and the increase in sea water temperature and salinity caused the tropicalization of the Mediterranean, which has coasts to 20 Mersin provinces, with its 321-kilometer coastline, is one of the cities with the longest coastline in Türkiye. It constitutes a large part of country's marine biodiversity and greatly supports meeting the need for fish consumption. The opening of the Suez Canal and the increase in sea water temperature and salinity caused the tropicalization of the Mediterranean, which has coasts to 20 countries.
The change which occurred with the climate change, caused the emergence of alien
aquatic organisms living in warmer seas in the Mediterranean, and alien species that entered into
food competition increased their population and created pressure on the local species in the
Mediterranean. Due to overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea, the population of local species with
high economic value is also decreasing day by day, therefore, the income of fishmonger?s is
decreasing. The alien species which entered into the Mediterranean's biodiversity are increasing
their population day by day and they have been identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry as one of the principal threats to Türkiye?s marine biodiversity. Among the new alien fish
species that populate in the fauna of the Mediterranean, the edible ones have no economic value
because they are not known by both the local people and the fishmongers. As a result of the
interviews with the fishmongers, it has been determined that these species are released back to the sea when they are caught in the fishmongers? nets during their fishing activities. On the other hand, it has been determined that the role of women fishers in cooperatives should be strengthened and the fish they catch should be processed in order to add value. The meetings to be held in this context, within the framework of the objectives of ?slowing down, directing and adapting to the changes in the marine and coastal ecosystem of the Mediterranean?, will bring the population growth under control by creating fishing pressure on them through the commercialization of alien species, and create a new source of income for fishmongers by processing the fish they catch. These meetings will serve as a guide for establishing the infrastructure of the project and determining the project
indicators, aiming to create new local recipes by determining the gastronomic evaluation possibilities of the fish that economic value will be revealed, and to reduce the pressure on local
species and strengthen the resilience of the Mediterranean ecosystem against the negative impacts of alien species.