Organized under the coordination of Anadolu Ajansı (AA) Academy and moderated by AA Environment News Manager Hale Aydoğmuş, underwater cinematographer and documentary filmmaker Tahsin Ceylan, AA staff, and invited guests attended the event.

Stating that the event was organized to draw attention to the problem of sea snot in the seas, to share the causes of this environmental disaster and its effects on the ecosystem with the public and to raise awareness on solutions, Ceylan emphasized that the seas provide most of the oxygen in the air.

Ceylan stated that sea snot has been on Türkiye's agenda for a long time, and that many sea creatures are negatively affected by this structure.

Pointing out that they can clearly see the effects of sea snot with underwater imaging even if it is not visible on the sea surface, Ceylan said that especially fish eggs are effected by the sea snot, thus threatening reproduction and lineage continuity.

Ceylan shared with the audience the images he took off the coast of Istanbul to examine the Marmara Sea. Ceylan showed the effect of sea snot with these images, and stated that attention should be paid for the continuity of the marine ecosystem and underwater life.

Explaining what they experienced when they saw that seagrasses, an endemic species, were covered with a layer of sea snot during their underwater imaging in the Mediterranean, Ceylan said, “I cried while taking these images.”

"The protection of seagrass meadows is on the world agenda"

Noting that seagrass meadows are of vital importance for the underwater ecosystem, Ceylan said, "Enormous ships come to the coasts and drop an anchor, and when they pull the anchor, they literally take the sea. But if there was a mooring bollard there, at least they would be anchored there. The protection of seagrass meadows is on the agenda of the whole world."

Ceylan explained that creatures that live dependent on the bottom have more difficulty in sea snot, and said, “Since they live dependent on the bottom, they cannot leave their nests and unfortunately they cannot survive.”

Pointing out that one of the most effective measures against sea snot is “treatment plants”, Ceylan said that treatment plants should be established not only for the Marmara Sea but also for the waters pouring into all the seas surrounding Türkiye.

Stating that the marine ecosystem has a balance system, Ceylan said, "Do not hunt small fish, give them some time. Small fish are actually the balancers of the ecosystem. When they eat zooplankton, zooplankton eat phytoplankton and thus a balance is achieved. Then this phenomenon we call sea snot will not happen."