THE GENERAL SITUATION OF KARATAŞ BOAT FISHERS

Abstract

The study is prepared in order to learn the demographic and socio-economic structure of Karataş boat fishermen and the current situation of Karataş fisheries, to identify their problems, and to offer possible solutions.

In the formation of the research, participatory observation, field survey, and experimental research techniques (interview and survey) were applied as scientific research stages. There are a total of 235 fishing boats, 35 large and 200 small, in the Karataş district of Adana province. The study includes 100 boat fishermen selected by random sampling. SPSS 25 statistical package program was used to analyze the data.

The biggest problem of the Karataş boat fishermen is the unsold fish. Since there are no suitable storage facilities in the region, the price of the fish is directly proportional to the current demand of the market. In order to overcome this situation, fish storage and processing techniques should be used. With the support to be made to the Karataş boat fishermen, the chance to compete with other countries on the open seas should be created. In this way, a source of employment will be provided for unemployment, which is one of the chronic problems of our country. With the development of open sea fishing, the fishermen will be able to hunt all year round. It should be ensured that fishermen are transformed from traditional to professional hunters by establishing liaison between faculties of aquaculture, research institutions, and the fishermen.