The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, H.E. İbrahim Yumaklı, together with a distinguished delegation, visited the Central Fisheries Research Institute (SUMAE) in Trabzon.

The delegation included:

• Mr. Ebubekir Gizligider, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
  

• Mr. Aziz Yıldırım, Governor of Trabzon
  

• Members of Parliament Mr. Vehbi Koç and Mr. Yılmaz Büyükaydın
  

• Mr. Turgay Türkyılmaz, Director General of Fisheries and Aquaculture

• Mr. Şerafettin Çakal, Deputy Director General of TAGEM
  

• Mr. Şahin Demir, District Governor of Maçka
  

• Mr. Erdinç Veske, Head of Livestock and Fisheries Research Department at TAGEM

• Mr. İlhan Üze, Head of Fisheries and Aquaculture Directorate – Hunting and Control Department
  

• Mr. İsa Kaplan, Trabzon Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry

During the visit, the delegation was briefed on SUMAE’s:

• Over 20 years of restocking activities, releasing turbot and sturgeon juveniles annually into the Black Sea

• More than 35 years of marine monitoring and analysis, led by the Environment and Resource Management Department

• Stock assessment research carried out with the institute’s research vessel and Fisheries Management Department

• International collaborations with FAO-GFCM, hosting the Aquaculture Demonstration Centre and the Otolith Centre

• International projects and Scientific publishing activities, with internationally indexed journals receiving thousands of submissions annually from Türkiye and abroad

The guests also observed the restocking of turbot and sturgeon juveniles into the Black Sea, visited the National Gene Bank, laboratories, and research facilities, and received information on SUMAE’s contributions to the Blue Economy vision and sustainable fisheries.

This high-level visit once again highlighted the importance of SUMAE’s role in both national fisheries policy and international scientific cooperation.