02.06.2025 14:56
Seventy-year-old Abdullah Bolat, who lives in the Ünye district of Ordu, has been practicing the art of fishing net weaving, which he learned at the age of nine while herding sheep, for 61 years. Bolat, who produces and repairs gill nets, stated that demand has decreased compared to the past, but he still makes 50-60 nets annually. He mentioned that he is the only master in the region and expressed that this tradition is no longer kept alive in every household as it used to be.
Abdullah Bolat, who lives in the Ünye district of Ordu, has been continuing the fish net weaving process he learned while grazing sheep in his childhood for 61 years.
Abdullah Bolat (70), who lives in the Hızarbaşı Kumarlı neighborhood of the district, learned to weave a simple fish net from a citizen while grazing his sheep in his childhood. Bolat, who has been weaving nets since he was 9 years old, earned his living with his craftsmanship and raised his children. He stated that in previous years, the demand was very high, but it has decreased in recent times, adding that it takes about 10 days to complete a net.
SELLING FOR 6,500 LIRA
Bolat, who stated that he not only produces new simple nets from scratch but also repairs them and changes their weights, expressed that the demand for the nets he sells for 6,500 lira has decreased. Bolat said, "In the past, there was a lot of fish, so the demand was high; now, since there aren't as many fish, the demand has decreased, but I still make and sell 50-60 new simple nets a year. I mostly weave them in winter and attach the weights in summer to sell. They are used both in rivers and in the sea. There is no one else doing this in the region; even people from Samsun Bafra come for repairs. Since there are fewer people doing this work, they find me. In the past, every household would have a simple net; it was a tradition," he said.