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Fishing in Sea of Marmara

Bluefish, seabass and grey mullet are the main species. In the migration seasons it is the current of the Bosphorus that decides the fishing.

73
Species
398
Fishing ground
1
Regulations

What sets the Sea of Marmara apart?

The Sea of Marmara is a transition basin wedged between two seas, and its range of fish reflects that: the whiting of the Black Sea and the gilthead seabream of the Aegean stand side by side in the same catalog. It is the only sea in Türkiye where the two are recorded together.

What makes that possible is the strait. The cool, low-salinity upper current entering from the Bosphorus and the salty lower current coming in from the Dardanelles leave the sea in two layers. Fish pick one layer or the other according to species.

The rhythm of migration sets the fishing

In the Sea of Marmara the fishing calendar depends less on the season than on migration. Bluefish and Atlantic bonito run up to the Black Sea in spring and come back down in autumn; the real fishing is that downward leg. The month with the most species in the catalog is October, with November second — exactly the window the migration passes through.

So “the season” here is not one single stretch: in April – May the inshore species open up (gilthead seabream, common two-banded seabream, flathead grey mullet), from August on the migrants come in, and until November the two groups overlap.

Bottom structure and technique

The Marmara shoreline is mixed: hard current and rock at the mouth of the Bosphorus, sand and weed along the southern shores, deep muddy bottom in the gulfs. The order of techniques shows it too — the bottom rig and LRF take the first two places, but the sabiki rig holding third says that fishing for shoal fish is still strong.

Along the Bosphorus line, where the current runs hard, getting the weight right is what decides: you cannot work the same rig in a still gulf and in a current.

How it spreads along the coast

The province with the most fishing grounds on record is İstanbul, followed by Çanakkale. Then Balıkesir, Kocaeli and Tekirdağ; the shores of Bursa and Yalova are on the list as well. Being a closed inland sea means every point of the Marmara shore is reachable — unlike the Black Sea, open-water swell rarely stops shore fishing here.

What is caught in Sea of Marmara in September

Season calendar

Sea of Marmara yields the most species in Oct, Nov, Apr — the strip shows how many species are productive in each month.

  1. 42 Jan
  2. 43 Feb
  3. 44 Mar
  4. 53 Apr
  5. 53 May
  6. 47 Jun
  7. 47 Jul
  8. 48 Aug
  9. 53 Sep
  10. 59 Oct
  11. 54 Nov
  12. 45 Dec

The height of the strip is the number of productive species in that month; it is not a guarantee of a catch. The turquoise column is the current month.

Techniques used

  1. Bottom 30 species
  2. LRF 21 species
  3. Float 11 species
  4. Sabiki 10 species
  5. Spin 10 species
  6. Trolling 9 species
  7. Jig 8 species
  8. Surf 6 species
  9. Popping 1 species

The numbers are how many species use that technique in this sea. The order changes from sea to sea.

Natural baits

  1. Shrimp 29 species
  2. Sardine 16 species
  3. Worm 13 species
  4. Fish flesh 12 species
  5. Squid 12 species
  6. Mamun 10 species
  7. Anchovy 9 species
  8. Mussel 9 species
  9. Bread 8 species
  10. Horse mackerel 4 species
  11. Crab 4 species
  12. Live bait 3 species
  13. Sülünez 3 species
  14. Cuttlefish 2 species
  15. Seaweed 2 species
  16. Garfish 2 species
  17. Octopus 1 species
  18. Whiting 1 species
  19. Chicken 1 species
  20. Prawn 1 species
  21. Mackerel 1 species

The numbers are how many species use that bait in this sea. The order changes from sea to sea.

Species caught in Sea of Marmara

This sea has 73 species on record. Protected species are not in this list — they have their own section below.

See all 73 species

In the species catalog you can filter by month, technique and bait.

Frequently asked

Which fish are caught in Sea of Marmara?
73 species are on record in Sea of Marmara: İstavrit, Çipura, İspari, Kupez, Lüfer, Melanur, Sarıkuyruk istavrit, Levrek and others.
Which techniques is fishing done with in Sea of Marmara?
The most common techniques: Bottom, LRF, Float, Sabiki and Spin.
Which baits are used in Sea of Marmara?
The most common natural baits: Shrimp, Sardine, Worm, Fish flesh and Squid.
How many fishing grounds are there in Sea of Marmara?
Sea of Marmara has 398 fishing grounds on record; each has its own page with the location, the species caught and the conditions that suit it.

Fishing grounds

A total of 398 grounds; the first 90 of them are below.

See all 398 grounds on the map

Rules specific to this sea

Taken from the communiqué of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, not summarized. What binds is the official publication.

  • Regional closed season

    Catching and retaining are prohibited during the stated period.

    Legal basis: 6/2 md. 11/7 – Çizelge 6 communiqué text

    Regional closed season

    6/2 md. 11/7 – Çizelge 6

    Catching and retaining are prohibited during the stated period.

    The table in our records

    Closed season
    15 March – 15 June
    Gear and method
    All recreational fishing including rod and line
    Exception
    The start and end days are included in the ban

    The article text is taken from the communiqué. The table above was carried into our own records from the relevant rows of the communiqué and may be abridged. The official publication is what binds. Official communiqué (PDF) →

Species closed to fishing

This list applies to every sea, not to this one alone. The catalog holds 53 protected species in total; if one takes your hook, return it to the sea unharmed.

All 53 protected species

The other seas