The seashore in Sarıyer was filled with garbage and jellyfish. Citizens walking on the beach in Sarıyer stated that they could not swim in the sea and that coastal fishing is gradually decreasing and asked for a solution from the authorities.
Pollution in the sea in Sarıyer caused bad images on the beach. Due to the pollution, garbage floating on the sea surface and jellyfish were seen. Citizens who swim and walk on the beach from time to time also reacted to the pollution and asked for measures to be taken.
“Plastics have proliferated unpredictably in Sarıyer”
Evren Kotoğlu, General Coordinator of the Recyclers and Reclaimers Association (GEKADER), said that the cause of marine pollution is the unconscious society, “These are not things we want to see at all. Here in Sarıyer, plastics have proliferated in an unpredictable way. There are not only those we can see but also microplastics that we cannot see. Today, it is seen that between 40 and 60 percent of sea fish contain microplastic fragments. We can say that this sea filth is caused by the current, but the main reason for this is our unconscious society. If they actually sort the waste they throw away at home or bring it to recycling centers, which are now in every province, they will also contribute to the circular economy. They also say mucilage or its derivatives for foaming, many universities take samples from the seas and examine them. However, I can say that the sea cannot complete its cycle because we throw too much waste again. Therefore, we see pictures that we do not want to see.”
“The main cause of marine pollution is the ships passing through the strait”
Tuna Serter, Vice President of Istanbul Fisheries Cooperative, said, “The main cause of sea pollution is the ships passing through the Bosphorus. They throw too much waste. Since we do industrial fishing, the waste is caught in our fishing nets. Dishwashers, refrigerators, pieces of iron. There is this problem offshore as well as on the coasts. There is such a problem in Marmara. The anchorage areas are very big. Ships passing through the Bosphorus wait in line before passing through and leave their garbage in the anchorage areas. They are one of the biggest causes. There is also sewage flowing into the sea from the coasts. Treatment facilities are not sufficient. There are big sanctions and fines for fishermen in this regard. We are asked to discharge our wastes to the treatment plants. That is actually the right thing to do, but we do, but the houses here can release their wastes directly into the Bosphorus. When we do it, we are fined, but when the houses do it, there is no penalty. We are doing our best but the state of the sea is obvious. There is no fishing right now, but the coast is full of garbage again. The problem with jellyfish is more related to the current. When the current is from upstream and downstream, they get stuck at one point because they cannot go in one direction, and when there is a storm, there is nothing left,” he said.
“I cannot go to the sea because the sea is very dirty”
Saying that he wanted to enter the sea but could not because it was dirty, sportsman Yüksel Kılıç said, “I came here to sunbathe. I cannot enter the sea because the sea is very dirty. There are quite a lot of jellyfish and 80 percent of them are dead. Why are they dead? There is also such a question. It has to live, after all, it is a living organism, but dead means the water is dirty. There is also a lot of garbage in the sea, Sarıyer Municipality cleans it from time to time but it is not enough. I think they need to take more precautions. Foam is also seen. A few years ago they were calling it mucilage, the seas are getting polluted. After all, there is a lot of waste. We see it on top but we don’t know how it is underneath. We need to be informed about this. I don’t swim for this, I just sunbathe and take vitamin D. It’s not like we can go in even if we want to. In these months of the year, everyone was fishing, dolphins were seen, but now the seas are dirty. Before the pandemic, I always used to go to the sea during these months, but now I can’t. My son is here too, he is sitting in the car. He looked at the sea and said, “Dad, I don’t go in this water”.
“It is not humanity to pollute the sea”
Tuncay Ay said, “If the people who throw garbage into the sea sat in their own homes, it wouldn’t be like this,” and added, “I don’t think it is humanity to pollute the sea. I grew up here in İstinye Bayırı and we used to swim here all the time. The only places to swim in Istanbul are here and places with current like Sarayburnu. There is garbage in the sea, you cannot swim here right now, but you can swim offshore. You can’t say anything about the pollution here anymore, people throw it away. It wouldn’t be like this if they sat as they sit in their own homes,” he said.
“In this city where the eyes of the world are on us, we are incapable of collecting the garbage in our eyes”
Cengiz Tekin, who said that he was saddened to see the sea of Sarıyer filled with garbage, said, “The pearl of the world is Istanbul, and the pearl of Istanbul is Sarıyer. The beaches of such a beautiful district deeply upset all of us as a society and those who live here. Especially this pollution is unfortunately more. Both the garbage thrown from the boats in the sea and the garbage thrown from the beaches are collected with the wind and currents and affect our 35-kilometer coast. There are also jellyfish. It is possible to fix this problem. These cleanings can be done in all seaside towns in the world. I think there is a lack of human resources and projects in this regard. In this city where the eyes of the world are on us, we are incapable of collecting the garbage in our eyes.”
“Garbage washed ashore is one of the biggest problems of Sarıyer”
Saying that for 30 years he has not been able to swim in Sarıyer, Cem Tanfer said, “The garbage on the shores is one of the biggest problems of Sarıyer and a deficiency of our municipality. It is being cleaned, but to what extent. As a born and raised Sarıyer resident, I used to swim here in my childhood and youth. Old Sarıyer residents know this place, I am 46 years old and I have not been able to swim here for 30 years. Why can’t I swim? The municipality’s inadequacy. I don’t know whether the equipment is insufficient or the service is insufficient. There has been foaming in the sea for 10-15 days. I think this is due to illegal wastes from passing ships. I don’t want to blame anyone, but I want to tell our elders and our municipality that the necessary analyzes should be done. There was not much of such a problem in the past years, but especially this year there is a problem with the fish. Unconsciousness, lack of education,” he said.
“Coastal fishing has decreased by 70-80 percent in recent years”
Volkan Girim, who was fishing on the beach, said, “To say that the sea is dirty would be optimistic here. After fishing, we throw the fish into the water and wash them, otherwise we cannot expect hygiene. Fish have to live in this pollution, there is no other place for them to live. They will either die or live. If they had the opportunity to get out, I am sure they would go out. In recent years, coastal fishing has decreased by 70-80 percent. We don’t take care of our resources, they are not inspected, nothing happens. I do not isolate ourselves either, there is an incredible negligence in both the public and the institutions that supervise them.”
