FOUNDER
There is no one who is born and raised in a fertile, untouched sea like the Black Sea and doesn't love or have an interest in it. My interest in the sea and water began during a time when anchovies washed ashore, people collected them for free from the coast, and left the rest for the birds. This curiosity and interest led me to the Maritime and Fisheries Vocational High School in Beykoz. There I received my first maritime education. I began to love the sea even more, and the ships passing through the Bosphorus. In those years, we, a group of young friends, were in love with ships. When I started university, I learned from the fossils I collected in Geology classes that Anatolia was an ancient seabed. I was even more excited.
After graduating, my excitement to explore and learn about the seas continued. I traveled the oceans, including Antarctica, and the world's seas. I felt very lucky and privileged throughout this research and learning process. When I saw that at least 30% of Turkey's population lives by the sea, dependent on it, and intertwined with it, and that our fish stocks have decreased by at least 50%, I began to fear. Something had to be done…
I felt that efforts should be made to protect and sustainably utilize the seas, which are polluted, overfished, under pressure from invasive species and climate change, but which provide us with food, oxygen, and regulate our climate. Efforts were needed to protect biodiversity, create marine protected areas, prevent the degradation of coastal ecosystems, combat illegal and unregulated fishing, and explore the deep sea. Because protecting the seas requires loving them, in short, knowing and researching them.
Meanwhile, I also considered protecting the seas, preventing pollution, sustainably utilizing living resources, and instilling a love of the sea and ecology in younger generations. In short, it was necessary to make people love and appreciate the seas.
On the other hand, I believed in the necessity of establishing a scientific network to protect our country's rights and interests in the seas. Believing that a foundation was necessary to achieve these goals and objectives, I founded the foundation in 1997, together with a group of nature lovers, sailors, and academics. Our journey continues. I thank them all very much for their trust in me. During this process, we realized how little we know about the seas. My colleagues and I continue to learn every day.
My call to you is to join this important, difficult, and honorable struggle, to support us, and to contribute. Only together can we research and protect the seas and leave clean seas for future generations. We can help protect the species in the ecosystem. We can ensure our food security, get our share of the Blue Growth, and increase our national prosperity. Let's not forget that scientific power is the most effective weapon for marine conservation. I await your support; don't leave me, don't leave us alone.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Bayram ÖZTÜRK
Founder, President
After graduating, my excitement to explore and learn about the seas continued. I traveled the oceans, including Antarctica, and the world's seas. I felt very lucky and privileged throughout this research and learning process. When I saw that at least 30% of Turkey's population lives by the sea, dependent on it, and intertwined with it, and that our fish stocks have decreased by at least 50%, I began to fear. Something had to be done…
I felt that efforts should be made to protect and sustainably utilize the seas, which are polluted, overfished, under pressure from invasive species and climate change, but which provide us with food, oxygen, and regulate our climate. Efforts were needed to protect biodiversity, create marine protected areas, prevent the degradation of coastal ecosystems, combat illegal and unregulated fishing, and explore the deep sea. Because protecting the seas requires loving them, in short, knowing and researching them.
Meanwhile, I also considered protecting the seas, preventing pollution, sustainably utilizing living resources, and instilling a love of the sea and ecology in younger generations. In short, it was necessary to make people love and appreciate the seas.
On the other hand, I believed in the necessity of establishing a scientific network to protect our country's rights and interests in the seas. Believing that a foundation was necessary to achieve these goals and objectives, I founded the foundation in 1997, together with a group of nature lovers, sailors, and academics. Our journey continues. I thank them all very much for their trust in me. During this process, we realized how little we know about the seas. My colleagues and I continue to learn every day.
My call to you is to join this important, difficult, and honorable struggle, to support us, and to contribute. Only together can we research and protect the seas and leave clean seas for future generations. We can help protect the species in the ecosystem. We can ensure our food security, get our share of the Blue Growth, and increase our national prosperity. Let's not forget that scientific power is the most effective weapon for marine conservation. I await your support; don't leave me, don't leave us alone.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Bayram ÖZTÜRK
Founder, President
Some of the founders of our foundation (1996)
Front row from right to left: Prof. Dr. Kasım Cemal Güven, Prof. Dr. Bayram Öztürk (Founder), Dr. Ayaka Amaha Öztürk, Psychologist Şahika Ertan, Prof. Dr. Akın Candan, Sergeant Haldun Ergünt, Prof. Dr. Neşet Kadırgan. Back
row from right to left: Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Öztürk, Prof. Dr. Şamil Aktaş, Lawyer Kaptan Gündüz Aybay, Advertising Executive Ender Çılgın, Businessman Asaf Ertan.
row from right to left: Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Öztürk, Prof. Dr. Şamil Aktaş, Lawyer Kaptan Gündüz Aybay, Advertising Executive Ender Çılgın, Businessman Asaf Ertan.
