Hülya Saygı

Occupational health of Turkish Aegean small-scale fishermen.

BACKGROUND Fishing has always been a dangerous occupation, and numerous factors have a direct or indirect impact on the health of fisherman. AIMS To examine the health, safety and working conditions of small-scale fishing fleets in the Turkish Aegean Sea coasts. METHODS Data were obtained from a questionnaire distributed to a random sample of small-scale fishermen along the Aegean Sea coast. Data collection took place between September 2009 and January 2010. RESULTS Out of 5714 Aegean Sea small-scale fishermen, 1166 from 76 fishing ports participated. Twenty-nine per cent of fishermen did not have any social security cover. The most prevalent health problems (using International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision [ICD-10]) found were musculoskeletal problems (e.g. discopathies, muscular strain, rheumatism) and eye, ear-nose, digestive and urinary system problems. Alcohol consumption was high (68%) in fishermen and 72% reported that they smoked more during fishing trips. Health problems appeared to be associated with a number of factors including migrant status, income satisfaction, rank, type of fishing and cumulative work per year. CONCLUSIONS In Turkey, small-scale fishermen experience a significant number of health problems and have unhealthy lifestyles. Interventions designed to improve working conditions of small-scale fishermen could help to reduce the number of occupational injuries, which in turn may impact positively on their health. Prevention policies to reduce alcohol and tobacco consumption should also be developed.

Karadeniz Bölgesi’nde toptan balık hallerinin yapısal ve pazarlama durumu

In this study it is aimed to create background and resource for improvement plans as well as more comprehensive future studies on wholesale fish markets in Black Sea region of Turkey. The region is very important for seafood production of Turkey which constitutes 73% of total fisheries production however there is no comparative study on the wholesale fish markets of Black Sea region. Comparative analysis on 3 main wholesale fish markets (Samsun, Trabzon and Ordu) of Black Sea region was performed for structural and economic conditions. The data on fishery products and trading volume in 2013 were derived from the official statistical documents of the wholesale fish markets. The remaining data on physical conditions, profile of employees, facilities, services, incomes, expenses, marketing profile and status of the brokers were obtained by face-to-face survey conducted with responsible managers and employees. Moreover, realization of improvement studies in accordance with the regulations of European Union harmonization process have been investigated. Finally, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis was performed in order to assess all aspects of the current state of wholesale fish markets in the region. The trade volume of 3 wholesale fish markets was 13 590 tonnes in 2013 which constitutes 5.51% of total fish trade in Blacks Sea region. Capacity utilization rates at a low level between 7.6 to 55.48%. The total revenue of the wholesale fish markets in 2013 was 946 thousand Turkish Lira. Although the priority is given to the infrastructural development investments by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the desired level could not obtained in terms of capacity utilization rate, hygiene and marketing opportunities, yet.