Mucilage

Marine mucilage, a thick layer of glop that invaded Turkey's Marmara Sea last year, has reappeared off Istanbul's Maltepe coasts, while experts noted that the natural phenomenon may affect the region this summer again.

A mysterious smell that emerged on Istanbul's Asian side during the day on Dec. 6 stirred panic and frightened its residents, with locals calling provincial institutions to warn them.

The presence of marine mucilage in the depths of the Marmara Sea has not been in an alarming situation but continues to be a threat, according to the latest exploration studies carried out on the surface and bottom of the sea by an expert.

Mussels will be used in line with a massive cleanup campaign launched by authorities to eliminate the problem of mucilage that has severely threatened the marine biome of the Marmara Sea, a senior official has said.

Fish caught in Turkey's Marmara Sea can be consumed without any doubt unless it's raw, a senior official has said, amid public worry that the fish weren't edible due to marine mucilage, a jelly-like layer of slime that invaded the sea this summer.

Mucilage that invaded and threatened the marine biome of the Marmara Sea alarmingly is no longer seen on the surface of the sea thanks to the intensive cleaning efforts, Turkish Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum has said.

Turkey could have launched an eco-fishing approach in the wake of the marine mucilage that invaded Turkish seas early summer due to rising temperatures and pollution, but it missed the opportunity, according to an expert.

A field study conducted to examine the marine mucilage, which invaded the Marmara Sea a few months ago, has revealed that though the sea's surface is now clean thanks to the ongoing efforts, the threat is not over yet.

The study has once again brought to the horizon the need to address the problem of pollution that has become a grave environmental concern.

There is no danger in consuming the fish caught from the Marmara Sea that was cleaned of mucilage in a nonstop operation in three months as authorities did not detect any risks after making countless tests, two experts have said.

class='cf'>

Large globules of mucilage which had been sighted since March in the Sea of Marmara offshore Turkey's largest city of Istanbul are now absent.

class='cf'>

Work initiated by Turkey's Environment and Urbanization Ministry to combat mucilage, also known as sea snot, has yielded significant results.