Stakeholders' Perspectives on the Management Measures in Rapana venosa Fisheries in the Black Sea Turkish Coast

Abstract

The Rapa whelk (Rapana venosa), which entered the Black Sea as an invader, has become a commercial stock and has brought many problems in its management since the 1980s. This research aimed to get a detailed idea about the views of the stakeholders of the Rapa whelk sector and to develop concrete and applicable suggestions for the sustainability of the sector. For this, first of all, all stakeholder groups were brought together and their opinions were taken. Afterward, the management measure suggestions collected from the group were evaluated by everyone through questionnaires. When the general opinions of the stakeholders were evaluated, it was seen that most of the beam trawlers argued that legal restrictions should be softened to be able to fish more while academicians and representatives of environmental organizations stated that environmentally friendly fishing gear should be designed and used to protect the marine ecosystem. The policymakers participating in the workshop think that some arrangements can be made in the current legislation, but there is no need for radical changes. Industry sector stakeholders participating in the workshop, on the other hand, think that measures that restrict their production, such as quota limitation, are not appropriate. In summary, in the study, alternative management measures were examined and their possible effects were evaluated. As a result of this study, recommendations were made for sustainable fishing of Rapa whelk.