Bosphorus witnesses abundance in bluefish

With the fishing season entering its second month, the Istanbul Strait is currently experiencing an abundance of a highly consumed fish, the bluefish, widely referred as the "prince of Bosphorus," for the past 10 days.

Fishermen noted that they catch bluefish on the Black Sea side of Bosphorus, citing the abundance seems to be accompanied by an increase in the size of the fish. The smallest bluefish weigh around 300 grams, with some reaching up to 600 grams. They told daily Milliyet that prices for bluefish start at 200 Turkish Liras.

"Bluefish is abundant, but for the price to drop further, it needs to become even more plentiful," said fisherman Yaşar Çay.

Providing information on the last two months of the fishing season, Hamdi Arpa, a fish market manager in Istanbul, noted that the size of the fish, which is influenced by temperature, also affects the price.

"As bluefish grows, its price rises. To make it more affordable, we need even more abundance, but we can't predict the weather conditions," Arpa stated.

Reminding that Türkiye's annual bluefish production is approximately 5,000 tons, Arpa noted that the price per kilogram averaged 360 liras last month, rising to 370 liras in October.

Arpa pointed out that not only the price but also the demand and consumption of bluefish are influenced by the weather conditions, citing that the high temperatures persisting until the end of October have decreased the demand.

Fisherman Kenan Aktunç stated customers have given positive feedback that this year's anchovies are more flavorful than in previous years.

"I don't know if it's due to longing, but they generally say that the fish is very delicious. Even customers from the Black Sea region come to buy it from the...