23.11.2025 14:41
In Trabzon, fishing shelters that do not even have titles are being transformed into luxury living spaces in recent years and are being transferred for prices ranging from 5 to 7 million TL. Publicly owned fishing shelters are being used as weekend homes, luxury hobby areas, or private properties by business people, public officials, and professional football players.
In Trabzon, which stands out for its fishing in Turkey, the slipways used for the maintenance and repair needs of boats and the fishermen's shelters are being used for purposes other than their intended use. The shelters, which are only granted usage rights to fishermen and do not have ownership deeds, have started to be transformed into luxury living spaces in recent years. Fishermen's shelters, which are sold for millions, are being transferred at prices ranging from 5 to 7 million TL.
STRUCTURES WITHOUT DEEDS ARE MARKETED LIKE LUXURY HOMES Structures created under the guise of fishermen's shelters are being used as weekend homes, luxury hobby areas, or private properties by business people, public officials, and professional football players. Although these structures are officially defined only as accommodation and equipment protection areas for fishermen and have no deed records, they are marketed like luxury homes. Especially the Faroz and 100th Year fishermen's shelters are at the center of structures that have become luxury living spaces. In the Ortahisar district of the city, these fishermen's shelters are being transformed into private properties with exterior cladding, special landscaping, terrace applications, and even illegal additional constructions.
"ALMOST ALL FISHERMEN'S SHELTERS ARE FULL" Prof. Dr. Coşkun Erüz, President of the Association for the Protection of Natural and Historical Values, stated in his evaluations on the subject, "Trabzon is a coastal city but has no beach. People now reach the sea by boats. Therefore, there is a high demand for the sea. With the pressure this demand brings, almost all fishermen's shelters are full. In fact, we can say they are excessively full. It is said that transactions are now being made at exorbitant prices. This needs to be prevented, and the standards of coastal facilities need to be raised," he said.
"ALL SHELTERS ARE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE STATE ACCORDING TO THE LAW" Erüz stated that the fishermen's shelters belong to the public and that usage rights are granted to citizens, saying, "All the shelters on the coasts are places that are under the control of the state according to the law. It is not possible to talk about private ownership here. They all belong to the public. Only the usage rights on them belong to individuals. Exorbitant prices do not make much sense because the state can demolish and change these places at any time. This needs to be done. Fishermen's shelters and slipways need to meet international standards. Otherwise, we are heading towards a facility development that is even worse and unfit for the region. Just like the illegal construction in the plateaus, our ports are also heading towards an undesirable development. This needs to be brought under control. Fishermen's shelters are actually special places where people can access fresh fish daily and eat fish right by the sea. Our ports need to be part of systems that are under rules," he said.
"THE STATE NEEDS TO SET BOUNDARIES" Erüz stated, "Shelters are places that should only be used for fishermen to store their nets during fishing activities and to temporarily stay before returning to the sea," and added, "Slipways, as the name suggests, are only necessary places for pulling boats ashore. There should be no development behind them. Fishermen's shelters are not accommodation facilities or living places. Ports are places that should only be used for fishermen to store their nets during fishing activities and to temporarily stay before returning to the sea. This is how it has always been in the world. As a result of the uncontrolled situation here, people have started to equip them in their own desired ways. This is not the problem of the fishermen or those at the port. The problem is the lack of control and rules. If a system that is under national standards and control is adapted, Trabzon will comply with it. But if we leave it to the citizens without establishing rules and standards, it is possible for the same thing to happen in shelters as it does everywhere else. If citizens start to live there, they will tend towards luxury. There is nothing abnormal about this. The state needs to set boundaries. It needs to define whether this is a shelter, a slipway, or a living area. Unfortunately, there is no such structure in Turkey like in the Black Sea. In other regions, they have been built like slipways and daily accommodation places," he expressed.