Pertev: Our Seas Are In Danger, Local Fisheries Under Threat

Pertev said the changes occurring in the seas due to climate change have been accumulating for years and are now becoming clearly visible.

He stated that rising sea temperatures are having far more serious effects than commonly assumed, sharing the following data:

“Since 1974, the average temperature of our seas has increased by approximately 2 degrees. More strikingly, since 2004, the average sea temperature has risen by about 1 degree.”

Pertev stressed that this increase has significant consequences for marine life. He noted that EU countries have introduced urgent adaptation and response programmes in response to these developments, adding that similar measures should be implemented without delay in the TRNC.

He criticised both the government and the opposition for failing to address the issue, saying either the seriousness of the situation is not understood or it is not given sufficient importance, adding that both possibilities are unacceptable.

Pertev said the local fish shortage in the TRNC has long been attributed to fish exports to the south, but the current situation is too complex and serious to be explained by exports alone.

“As the sea warms, local fish move to deeper and cooler waters. Small-scale coastal fishermen struggle to reach them. Invasive species are replacing local fish,” he said.

He added that the abundance of fish in restaurants in the south of Cyprus is not coincidental.

“In many EU countries, adaptation and mitigation programmes have been implemented in response to warming seas. Similar measures are also being applied in the south,” he said.

Pertev listed measures such as supporting small-scale fishermen to fish in deeper waters, implementing programmes to combat invasive species, and identifying and protecting seagrass beds that serve as fish breeding grounds. He said: “This is why the abundance of fish in southern restaurants is not surprising.”

He noted that the absence of such measures in the north affects not only fishermen but also the public directly.

“In fish shops and restaurants, imported fish has now become the norm rather than the exception,” he said.

Pertev stressed that the issue is not only environmental but also economic and social, warning that failure to act could lead to the disappearance of the local fishing sector.

He added that ongoing damage to marine ecosystems, including seagrass beds within territorial waters, could reach an irreversible point.