Bozcaada Balıkçılığı - Kemal Şahin

Kemal Şahin was born in 1964. He was born and raised in Bozcaada. He has been a fisherman for as long as he can remember. He also runs a cafe and guesthouse with his family. But he loves being at sea more. "The fish market used to be under the old municipality. The fish would come in. Our Uncle Hikmet lived there. May God have mercy on him. He would take all the fish to the canton and sell them. Everyone would take as much as they needed, and they would buy from whichever middleman wanted to buy. They would buy from a tender. This system exists in some parts of Turkey right now. It still continues. It's not just here, for some reason. Or rather, we can't do it. We couldn't manage it here. But it also has a bit of an impact, I mean, it depends on who the middlemen are financially, who's powerful and who's not. Everyone makes a living from fishing. They've already caught two or three fish. They immediately want to give their fish to the stronger party and get paid. I think that has a bit of an impact, too. But of course, the old culture is gone. In the past, people, women, would join in. They would come and take their fish and leave. That's not the case anymore. People who earned their living from the sea left the sea with the arrival of tourism. No one thinks they'll ever return to fishing again." Don't let them come. We are the last generation on this island. We are the last fishermen you'll ever see." * * We have been recording Bozcaada fishing with fishermen on the island since 2019. We interviewed over 30 people who make their living from both coastal and boat fishing, including fish traders, sponge divers, and an academic from ÇOMÜ. We interviewed a total of 37 different people. The recordings we collected enabled us to document the current state of the island's fisheries, the impact of climate change on fishing, and how illegal and illegal fishing have altered fish species and abundance. Witnesses also recounted the role of winds, which have become integral to Bozcaada, in fishing, a key source of income for the island in the past, the fishermen's provisions, the dangerous expeditions, and traditional weather forecasting methods. Therefore, these records contain interesting data for Bozcaada residents, island fishermen, and those outside the island who are interested in the marine ecosystem and fishing. Below, you can watch the testimonies of witnesses who share their thoughts on island fishing and read short texts about their identities in 35 videos. Director: Mustafa Dermanlı Credits and Editing: Mert Kaan Bıldırcın Consultants: Muharrem Yıldız, Nejat Işık, Türkan Çim Işık www.bozcaadabalikciligi.com Supporters: Bozcaada Municipality, Alibaba Meyhane, Tayyare Pizza, Aral Holiday Farm, Vasil Coffee, Bakery, Hotel Fahri, Nilada Guesthouse, Mürevi Pension, Çanakkale Local Development Association, Sivil Düşün