Mackerel 



The mackerel migrates from the Black Sea after the first fort- 

 night of November and hibernates in the Sea of Marmara from whence it 

 returns to the Black Sea in the spring for spawning. In some years it 

 is caught in abundance in the Bosphorus. This happens when the Bosphorus 

 is free from pelamids and bonito which are its principal enemies or when 

 there are strong north winds. 



Mode of Fishing 



The mackerel is caught with purse seines and in traps. It is 

 caught also with beach seines. One end of the beach seine is attached to 

 the shore while the seine itself is set from a rowboat which circles the 

 school of mackerel as the net is set. When the boat returns to the shore, 

 a rope attached to the other end of the net is brought ashore, thus 

 completing the surrounding of the fish. 



Processing, Sale, and Consumption 



Mackerel caught during the late autumn and winter is processed 

 in the same manner as bonito, except that it is not canned. Fish caught 

 in the spring is for the most part dry salted. 



Total production for 1948 has been estimated as follows: 



Salted - 600 tons 



Fresh - 200 tons 



There have been years when the amount of mackerel salted has 

 reached 2,000 tons. 



Bluefin tuna 



The bluefin tuna starts migrating from the Sea of Marmara to 

 the Black Sea in the early spring and continues to the end of April. The 

 migratory movement in this direction is again resumed at the beginning of 

 July and lasts for a period of about one month. It is during this last 

 period that the tuna is most abundant in Turkish waters. Quite often 

 large schools of young tuna weighing 20 to 30 kilograms are observed in 

 the Sea of Marmara heading for the Black Sea. Tuna is also abundant in 

 the vicinity of Cesme, Bodrum, and the Gulf of Mersina. 



The migration of the bluefin tuna along the Turkish coasts i6 

 in general the continuation of their voyage from the Atlantic Ocean, 

 through the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Marmara Seas towards the Black 

 and Azov Seas, a distance of some 2800 miles (Gibraltar to Azov Sea) from 

 where they start returning to their starting point towards the end of 

 November. The fish, when traveling in either direction, is said to keep 

 the coast to its right. 



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