Collecting Sea Snails by Diving Instead of Banned Algarina

While sea snails, the source of income for fishermen during the summer months, provide millions of dollars of foreign currency to the country every year, fishermen collect them by diving instead of the prohibited algarina.

While $4 million 742 thousand 541 worth of foreign exchange was generated from sea snail exports from the Black Sea region as of June last year, $5 million 69 thousand 390 worth of foreign exchange was generated in the same period this year. Sea snail exports are generally made to the People’s Republic of China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, as well as some European countries.

In sea snail hunting, since the algarina (fishing tool consisting of a frame and net) that scans the seabed is prohibited, fishermen Erkan Acuner stated that they collect them by diving, “Algarina is currently prohibited, so it is removed by diving. There are not many snails at the moment, but we say may God bless whatever we find. Sea snails are generally exported to countries such as Italy and France, especially the Far East countries. If they are caught abundantly, it is economically satisfactory, but it cannot be said that it is very satisfactory when they are scarce these days. Snails are generally found at the bottom of rocks, where sand and rocks meet, and we try to collect them by diving. They are currently collected by diving in different seas of Turkey from Istanbul to İğneada and Hopa. We can say that there are about 25 boats hunting snails in Trabzon. We can collect an average of 600-700 kilograms per day. As long as the current and visibility are suitable, 3-4 people can collect. Diving is difficult, and since they are collected entirely by manpower, it is very difficult. It is difficult. Snail hunting is shallower than other seas, let alone the Aegean. Therefore, we are a little more comfortable because we dive in shallow places, the depth increases as we go west. Snails are not consumed much in Turkey. The shell is used in the cosmetic industry and the inside is exported as canned food,” he said. – TRABZON