Our University carries out educational, awareness-raising, stakeholder-engagement, and applied environmental protection activities for local and national communities on the promotion of sustainable fisheries, protection of fish stocks and marine biodiversity, reduction of the impacts of uncontrolled and destructive fishing practices, prevention of ghost nets, mitigation of the environmental impacts of abandoned or lost fishing gear, and sustainable use of marine resources.
A significant proportion of these activities is carried out by the Department of Marine Sciences and Technology Engineering and the Department of Fisheries Technology Engineering within our University’s Sürmene Faculty of Marine Sciences. These activities involve local fishers and fisheries cooperatives, as well as students, children, local authorities, public institutions, sector representatives, and other national stakeholders.
The 2025 activities of our University’s Department of Marine Sciences and Technology Engineering demonstrate that comprehensive community outreach activities were undertaken particularly within the scope of the BlackNETs – “Eliminate the Black Sea’s Silent Killers” Project, focusing on reducing the impacts of ghost nets and abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG).
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/denizbiltek/haberler
BlackNETs Project: Combating Ghost Nets that Continue Uncontrolled and Destructive Fishing
One of our University’s most comprehensive initiatives in 2025 was the BlackNETs Project. Ghost nets may continue catching fish and other marine organisms even after being lost or abandoned at sea, thereby causing uncontrolled fishing, additional pressure on fish populations, habitat damage, and loss of biodiversity.
Information shared publicly by our University emphasised that abandoned or detached fishing nets may continue to fish uncontrollably after the original fishing activity has ended, cover the seabed, disrupt ecosystem balance, and threaten fish populations.
During a BlackNETs activity organised for children in March 2025, participants were informed about fisheries and fishing gear, marine pollution, water footprint, and the adverse effects of ghost nets on marine organisms. Students also participated in activities related to the recycling of fishing nets.
Sustainable Fisheries and Responsible Consumption Education for Children
On 29–30 April 2025, practical educational workshops were organised for students through cooperation between the BlackNETs Project and the “Every School Should Have a Project (HOPO) – Children of the North Love Fish” initiative.
The activities aimed to raise students’ awareness of the protection of marine ecosystems and the principles of sustainable fisheries. Particular emphasis was placed on:
Raising awareness of seasonal fish consumption is particularly important because it encourages consideration of fish reproduction and growth periods, helps reduce fishing pressure on stocks, and supports the sustainable use of marine resources.
Students also participated in practical activities such as net making, visits to marine biology laboratories, and coastal clean-ups, enabling them to directly experience the environmental dimensions of sustainable fisheries.
Direct Education and Awareness Activities with Yomra Fishers
One of our University’s strongest 2025 activities in relation to this indicator was an environmental and sustainability workshop held with local fishers and hosted by the Yomra Fishers’ Cooperative.
The workshop was organised through cooperation between Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Marine Sciences, Ortahisar Municipality, and Yomra Municipality. It directly engaged the fishing community and raised awareness of abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets, ghost nets, and other marine litter threatening the Black Sea ecosystem.
Our University academics delivered a presentation on the protection of the Black Sea ecosystem and informed fishers about the work carried out under the BlackNETs Project to identify and remove ghost nets and reduce future fishing-net losses.
At the end of the meeting, fishers and local residents were invited to share their questions, opinions, and suggestions, ensuring active community participation. Following the meeting, awareness campaigns and educational activities on the recycling of fishing nets were initiated.
This activity represents a concrete example of institutional education and community outreach aimed directly at local fishers, who are both the primary practitioners of fisheries and key stakeholders in addressing unsustainable fishing practices.
2025 BlackNETs Environmental Awareness Workshop
On 21 May 2025, a comprehensive environmental awareness workshop was organised for students of FazıoÄŸlu Mahmut Bıçakçı Secondary School in Sürmene-Çamburnu.
During the programme, academics from our University explained:
The event was not limited to one-way information transfer. An interactive session was also organised in which students discussed possible solutions to environmental problems, and the programme concluded with a coastal clean-up activity. Students had the opportunity to directly identify and collect marine litter and discarded fishing equipment.
The participation and observation of representatives from Interreg TESIM NEXT, the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, and the District Directorate of National Education further strengthened the institutional and community outreach dimensions of the activity.
Removing Ghost Nets from the Sea: From Awareness to Action
Our University supports its community awareness activities with practical conservation actions.
On 20 May 2025, a ghost-net removal operation was conducted within the BlackNETs Project to protect sensitive benthic ecosystems. A remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) was used to map the seabed, identify areas containing ghost nets, and support their removal by divers.
Since ghost nets may continue catching marine organisms for years, this activity is directly relevant to preventing uncontrolled fishing and reducing unnecessary fishing pressure on fish stocks.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/baltekmuh/haber/blacknets-projesi-ile-ag-temizleme-operasyonu
Community-Scale Education with Local Authorities: Zero Waste and Ghost Nets
Our University also works with local authorities to reach broader segments of society on sustainable fisheries and marine conservation.
On 19 June 2025, the BlackNETs Project participated in World Environment Day activities organised by Ortahisar Municipality, where awareness activities on zero waste, marine pollution, and ghost nets were shared with the public.
These initiatives ensure that the environmental effects of fishing-related waste and lost fishing equipment are communicated not only to fishers but also to the wider public.
BlackNETs Workshop with National Stakeholders
Our University’s community outreach and stakeholder-engagement activities are not limited to the local level.
On 22 October 2025, the BlackNETs Project National Stakeholder Workshop was held in Trabzon. Through this workshop, scientific knowledge and practical experience relating to ghost nets, abandoned or lost fishing gear, and reducing their impacts on marine ecosystems were shared with stakeholders at the national level.
Such national workshops are important for bringing together academic expertise on sustainable fisheries with the experience of public authorities, industry, and other stakeholders.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/denizbiltek/haber/blacknets-projesi-ulusal-paydas-calistayi-gerceklestirildi
2025 Results of the BlackNETs Project: More Than 9 Tonnes of Fishing Gear Removed
The results of the BlackNETs Project, completed at the end of 2025, demonstrate the scale of our University’s educational and applied activities in this field.
During the project’s 18-month implementation period, a total of 9,344.9 kg of fishing gear was removed from the Black Sea, and areas with high concentrations of fishing nets were mapped.
In addition, more than 15 educational workshops for young people were organised on marine environmental protection. National workshops were held in Black Sea partner countries, together with a regional workshop entitled “From Awareness to Action: A Regional Approach to Tackling Abandoned, Lost or Discarded Fishing Gear.”
These results demonstrate that our University’s activities were not limited to isolated awareness events, but formed a systematic programme incorporating:
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/denizbiltek/haber/blacknets-projesi-aralik-2025-basin-bulteni
Relationship with Overfishing, IUU Fishing and Destructive Fishing Practices
Overfishing and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU Fishing) are among the major threats to the sustainability of marine resources and fish stocks.
Although the term “IUU fishing” was not explicitly used in every 2025 activity organised by our University, a substantial proportion of these activities was aimed at promoting responsible and sustainable fishing behaviour, reducing uncontrolled fishing, and preventing the adverse impacts of fishing activities on marine ecosystems.
In particular, activities aimed at:
contribute to raising public awareness of the need to reduce overfishing and destructive or unsustainable fishing practices.
Our University carries out comprehensive educational and community outreach activities to raise awareness among local and national communities of the impacts of overfishing and destructive or unsustainable fishing practices on marine ecosystems.
In 2025, these activities were concentrated particularly within the BlackNETs Project and directly engaged local fishers, fisheries cooperatives, children and young people, local authorities, public institutions, and national stakeholders.
