Turkish fishermen wary of stray mines in the Black Sea – in pictures

Boat owners wary of going to sea as a consequence

Fisherman and boat owner Sefki Deniz, 42, says '90 per cent of people that we know have stopped' going out to sea'. Turkish officials have banned fishing at night, and with the price of diesel reaching spectacular heights, many fishermen ended the fishing season three weeks early, a wise decision considering the recent discovery of stray mines in the Black Sea. All photos: AFP

Boat owner Sahin Afsut, at the Rumelifeneri dockside in northern Istanbul, says 'if you hit [a mine], you're finished'. Mr Afsut usually catches whiting, red mullet and anchovies from his small trawler. A mine was found recently in the Black Sea a few kilometres from the port. Another was discovered 100km farther west, and a third one in Romanian waters, 300km north.

Rumeli lighthouse and fishing boats in Rumelifeneri, a seaport at the entrance of the Bosphorus north of Istanbul. The Turkish Navy on March 21 warned of the risk of mines coming from Ukrainian waters, which may have been unmoored by a storm.

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge over the Bosphorus.

A fishing boat returns to port on the Sea of Marmara, which connects the Black Sea to the Agean Sea.

Fisherman and boat owner Ahmet Tarlaci, 55, describes the mine spotted near Rumelifeneri: 'It was large, like half a barrel. We watched from above there, the [special Turkish Navy] units neutralised it.'

A fisherman fixes his net in Rumelifeneri, a seaport at the entrance of the Bosphorus north of Istanbul, on April 1, 2022. - In Rumelifeneri, a seaport at the entrance of the Bosphorus north of Istanbul, most of the fishermen have remained at the dock since a mine was found one week prior drifting in the Black Sea a few miles away. Another, which could also have drifted from Ukraine, was discovered a few days prio 100 km further west, and a third one the same day in Romanian waters, 300 km north. The Turkish Navy had warned on March 21, of the risk of mines coming from Ukrainian waters, which may have been unmoored by a storm. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP)

Saban Ucar is another Rumelifeneri boat owner who has chosen to stay ashore.

The risk of mines used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict drifting towards Turkey is keeping many fishermen from plying their trade.

Of the mine risk, fisherman Sefki Deniz says 'we already have financial losses, there shouldn't be any human losses'.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdgan says 'for the time being, [the mines] are not a problem, but we won't let our guard down'. Fishermen, however, particularly those on small boats without sonar or radar, recalled two incidents in the 1980s when Second World War mines killed nine people, five in an explosion in the port and four when fishermen were pulling in their nets at sea.

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