Bonito Abundance in Black Sea Drives Down Fish Prices

September 13, 2026 · Sabah Ekonomi

The abundance of bonito reaching markets after the fishing ban ended on September 1 in the Black Sea has led to a significant drop in fish prices in Samsun, Trabzon, and Zonguldak.

The end of the fishing ban in the Black Sea waters as of September 1 has brought a great abundance of bonito to fish markets. The nets of fishermen who went out to sea along the coasts of Samsun, Trabzon, and Zonguldak quickly filled up. With the sea water temperatures dropping to suitable levels for fish migration, there has been a significant increase in the amount of fish caught. As the volume of products sent to wholesale markets in coastal cities increased, significant discounts were recorded on retail price tags reflected to consumers.

In Samsun's Çarşamba district, the price of medium-sized bonito, which sold for 80 Liras last week, has dropped to 50 Liras per piece. Large bonito weighing a kilogram are selling for 90 Liras. Fishmonger Onurcan Köse described the market activity as follows:

The weight of fish offered for sale in Trabzon markets has reached the 500-700 gram range. Evaluating the season's productivity, Fishmonger Süleyman Çakır said:

Çetin Kavzoğlu, a local tradesman, stated that prices are 50, 75, 100, and 125 Liras, while Emin Avcı said that 3 small bonito are sold for 200 Liras.

Thanks to increased fishing efficiency off the coasts of Zonguldak and Kozlu, three bonito, previously sold for 100 Liras each, are now priced at 200 Liras for the lot. Fishmonger Batuhan Ertürk highlighted the relationship between price and weight:

Ertürk emphasized that market prices could fall further with the deployment of larger vessels.

The increase in bonito supply has directly affected other seafood products on the shelves. In the Samsun fish market, whiting, horse mackerel, red mullet, and Marmara anchovy are offered at 100 Liras per kilogram. For farmed products, trout is priced at 150 Liras per kilogram, salmon at 200 Liras, and sea bream and sea bass at 450 Liras per kilogram. With further drops in sea water temperatures, fish are expected to gain more fat and increase in portion size.

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