The tunas, which are transported to farms in Izmir by Turkish fishermen who have completed the fishing process off the Mediterranean coast, are carefully cared for to be exported to Far Eastern countries.
Bluefin tuna is caught within the quota determined by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT).
Of the 48 thousand 403 tons of catch quota determined for this year, 3 thousand 95 tons allocated to Türkiye was allocated to purse purse boats that meet the necessary conditions by the General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Tuna caught off the Mediterranean coast in May and June are taken alive into special cages at sea. These cages are towed by fishing vessels at a speed of approximately 2 kilometers per hour and delivered to 5 tuna farming facilities in Izmir.
The fish, which arrive at the farms and are transferred to the cages where they will be fed until the harvest period, are counted and length measured with underwater camera systems.
The tunas, which are fed with fish such as sardines, anchovies, coyote and mackerel for approximately 7 months, are exported to Far Eastern countries, especially Japan and South Korea, after the harvest in December and January after reaching the desired weight and fat rate.
Some of the tuna caught in the Mediterranean reached the tuna fattening facility in the Ildır-Gerence gulfs, off the coast of İzmir's Karaburun district.
The transportation of tuna to feeding areas and pools was captured by underwater documentary producer and cinematographer Tahsin Ceylan. Underwater background recordings of the shots were made by diving instructor Murat Kulakaç.
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Deputy General Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Dr. Hüseyin Akbaş also dived into the water and witnessed these moments with Ceylan.
"We are an important species in terms of fisheries management and economy."
Deputy General Manager Akbaş told the AA correspondent that they diligently fulfilled their duties of observation and control of all stages, from the hunting process of tuna in the Mediterranean to their transfer to cages and harvest.
Stating that tuna is a valuable species, Akbaş said:
"It is also a very important species in terms of fishing and ecosystem. We manage it with a quota. The quota allocated to our country was 2,600 tons last year, but it increased to 3,095 tons with this year's negotiations. It constitutes a serious commodity. Its trade last year was approximately 2.7 billion lira. In other words, we are an important species in terms of fisheries, fisheries management and economy."
Akbaş added that the tuna caught by amateur fishermen should be registered by applying to the provincial and district agriculture and forestry directorates, otherwise the fishermen may face administrative sanctions.
Cenk Yurttaş, the general manager of the facility, explained that the tunas arrived at the facility from Malta via a towing boat in approximately 25 days and were transferred to the cages to be fed.
Stating that the transfer is a detailed job, Yurttaş said, "While they are being transferred from one cage to another, images of the transfer are taken with various underwater cameras under the supervision of an international observer and ministry officials. These fish are then counted, their weight is determined and the feeding period begins. We do not experience any losses because they are taken very slowly." he said.