Fishing strategies and demographic structure of amateur fishermen activities in İzmi̇r province

Amateur fishing, although it is often overlooked, is a very important social, cultural, sporting and societal need. Amateur fishing (mainly fishing and underwater fishing) in Izmir, a region with rich geographical and cultural characteristics, has been analyzed. For this purpose, the whole of Izmir Bay and 18 districts with a coastline have been selected as the study area. In the summer period of 2022, face-to-face interviews and surveys were conducted with 268 participants in 47 locations for sampling purposes. In the studies on amateur fishing, sample size, research area, gender, age, marital status, educational status, profession and monthly income were compared. According to the findings, the common demographic profile has been found to consist of people who are male, between the ages of 31 and 50, have secondary and higher education, are employed, and have a monthly income at or below the minimum wage. It has been determined that unlicensed fishing is common, knowledge of legislation is insufficient, sea bream fishing for consumption is prominent, predominantly animal feeds are used, and there is an interest in spin technique. It is recommended that a compulsory training and examination system be introduced to develop the sector and prevent infringements.