Vehbi Koç Foundation Supports Fisherwomen

The Vehbi Koç Foundation supports the “Fisherwomen Project” launched in March of 2013. The aim of the Fisherwomen Project is to support the survival of the numerous fisherwomen who work on the Datça and Bozburun peninsulas making an economic contribution to their families, to identify their problems and keep the public informed, to protect marine conservation areas, to strengthen cooperation with fisherwomen on sustainable development projects, and to raise awareness of sustainable fishing principles and conservation-use among fisherwomen.

In Turkey there is no official data and study on and pertaining to the existence of fisherwomen. However in the Southern Aegean region of the country, fisherwomen practice small scale and artisanal fisheries. Small scale fishery is the most neglected type of fisheries in Turkey where fisherwomen struggle to exist in. In Datça-Bozburun SPA, fisherwomen either catch with their husbands or alone. To bring empowerment and awareness to women as the foundation of the family will have great influence on the young generations to come. This project aims to ensure the continuity and strength of fisherwomen in Datça-BozburunPeninsula by discovering and addressing their needs and supporting sustainable fisheries, therefore helping them to continue their jobs as well as sharing with the public the basic problems and consequences of these problems marine protected areas are facing. Starting as a local women movement, this project will also widen to pave the way to structural changes that will elevate the quality of life of fisher families in the region. Existence of fisherwomen is the key to the protection, monitoring and management of the area.  With this project, Mediterranean Conservation Society will help reveal the existence and significance of fisherwomen in fisheries, support their change of role from mere actors to decisionmakers by encouraging them for shareholder positions in fishery cooperatives, conveying that main problems can be solved through cooperation and proposing microcredits. The project will also be a further step to help realize the “decrease poverty, sustainable development and human and institutional strengthening” initiative of SGP.

As part of the project, a training session entitled “Fisherwomen of the Aegean: the Datça-Bozburun Peninsula Project” was provided for fisherwomen on December 21, 2013, and participants were given equipment they needed.