02.06.2026 13:00
Acting on a report from the 'Blue Atlas' application, teams off the coast of Marmara Island cleaned up 15,000 square meters of ghost nets that were causing death to marine life, conducting 7 dives at 6 different locations in 4 days. Numerous marine creatures rescued from the massive net, which was laid out in Topağaç village square and large enough to cover the Çamlıca Tower from top to bottom, were released back into the blue waters.
"Mavi Atlas" mobile application, which aims to record Turkey's marine biodiversity with scientific data and strengthen marine conservation efforts through citizen participation, continues to bear fruit. Launched 10 months ago in cooperation with the Marine Life Conservation Association and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the application is eliminating invisible underwater dangers one by one.
In studies conducted through the system where citizens share reports on species, depth, location, and ghost nets, a net was previously removed from a wreck off Heybeliada, saving many creatures, including pen shell juveniles. The latest major report to the application came from residents of Marmara Island.
12-HOUR ARDUOUS JOURNEY AND UNDERWATER DISCOVERY
Upon receiving a report of ghost nets spread over a very wide area off the island, the expert team immediately took action. The team, consisting of Marine Life Conservation Association Board Chairman Volkan Narcı, industrial diver Engin Ege Gencer, volunteer diver Yener Kuşculuoğlu, boat captain Şahin Tuna, and Gizem Ece, loaded lift bags, cutting equipment, and underwater imaging systems onto the boats. After a challenging 12-hour journey under adverse weather conditions with winds reaching approximately 25 knots and heavy rain, the team arrived at the island at night, accompanied by teams from the Balıkesir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry. When the coordinates were reached, underwater cameras deployed to the seabed revealed that the nets were stuck in rocky areas and crevices, turning into deadly traps as they drifted with the current.
LIFE-AND-DEATH STRUGGLE: HERMIT CRAB CLUTCHING ITS OFFSPRING RESCUED
During the operation, which was continuously recorded underwater by the Anadolu Agency (AA) team, a real life-and-death struggle unfolded. Inside the nets were squid eggs, starfish, sea cucumbers, crabs, and various fish species. Alongside creatures that had perished due to prolonged entrapment, many still-alive marine animals were carefully cut free from the nets and released by the teams. The most striking moment of the operation was when a female hermit crab, with its offspring tightly clinging to its leg, was rescued alive from the nets. During the sorting process that continued on the boat, surviving creatures were measured, recorded in the "Mavi Atlas" system, and released back into the sea.
LARGER THAN 2 FOOTBALL FIELDS
The tally of 7 challenging dives conducted at 6 different points over 4 days revealed the scale of the danger. A total of:
- 15,000 square meters of ghost nets,
- 200 square meters of fishing line nets,
- 225 kilograms of lead weights,
- 30 meters of rope and 50 meters of trawl door rope were removed from the sea.
It was stated that this massive net mass, spread out in Topağaç village square and larger than approximately 2 football fields, is big enough to completely cover the Çamlıca Tower in Istanbul.
GHOST NETS TO BECOME SUNGLASSES
This operation, which saved the marine ecosystem from years of destruction, will be crowned with recycling. The ghost nets removed from the sea will be processed in factories and turned into raw materials. The special sunglasses to be produced from these materials will have handles engraved with coral, pen shell, starfish, orca, and stingray figures, along with the geographical coordinates where the nets were removed, contributing to environmental awareness.