No Fishing Zones (NFZs) are a type of Marine Protected Areas in which partial or total restrictions on fishing activities are imposed. Today, they are vitally important for the conservation of species and for sustainable fishing. NFZs increase the resistance of marine ecosystems against climate change and other environmental threats.
Actively regulated NFZs allow the increase of species’ variety and population.
Since 2013, the NFZs at the Gökova Bay have been regulated with the aid of public authorities, and positive changes have been recorded in the restoration of its marine ecosystems. The fish biomass in No Fishing Zones within the Bay increased up to tenfold compared to non-NFZ areas. The fish biomass in non-NFZ areas have gone up from 4gr/sqm in 2008 to 15 gr/sqm in 2015. Thanks to the stringent monitoring of NFZs, illegal fishing decreased and fish stocks increased, which translated into an increase in the income of small scale fishers according to daily data recorded by the Akyaka Fishery Cooperative.
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