“If Fishing Lives, Quarries Live!”

CarrefourSA , a joint venture of Sabancı Holding and Carrefour Group and a leading brand in Turkey's retail sector, operates 1250 stores in 71 provinces and employs 15.000 people, including dealers. While delivering the right product from the right producer at the right price to its customers, it continues to be a pioneer in sustainability through the projects it implements. With its motto " If Fishing Survive, the Hearths Survive!" , CarrefourSA draws attention to the protection of small-scale coastal fisheries with its "Ghost Nets" project implemented in Ocaklar Village in Erdek, Balıkesir.

“We Aim to Spread from Ocaklar to Türkiye”

CarrefourSA CEO Kutay Kartallıoğlu , in a statement regarding the project, said, “Today, as CarrefourSA, we are delivering the right fish to our customers. But it is also everyone's responsibility to deliver the right fish to future generations. The way to do this is through "right fishing." With our investments in sustainable marine resources, we emphasize that keeping the seas clean is not only a responsibility, but also protecting the ecosystem. With the 'Ghost Nets' project we carried out in Ocaklar Village, we want to show that our seas are not only an economic resource, but also indispensable for the sustainability of life.”

Kartallıoğlu, who says that seafood consumption in Türkiye is far behind Europe, continues as follows: “According to TÜİK data, while per capita seafood consumption in Türkiye is 7-7,5 kg per year, this figure goes up to 20-22 kg in Europe. As CarrefourSA, Türkiye’s largest fish retailer, we aim to increase Türkiye’s seafood consumption in line with this goal while bringing quality food together with our customers in a reliable manner and at the right pricing. We are the leading company advocating the Blue Economy in the organized food retail sector. We are working to increase seafood consumption in our country, which is surrounded by the sea on three sides. Of course, we also care about the continuity of the underwater ecosystem while doing this production. We contribute significantly to sea cleaning with the technology used within the scope of stuffed mussel production that we have implemented in Türkiye’s first and only integrated mussel facility.”

Women's Employment and Innovative Solutions

CarrefourSA's projects focused on Blue Economy and sustainable seas not only protect the seas, but also create social benefits. “As part of the project, training is being organized for those engaged in small-scale coastal fishing in Ocaklar Village in Balıkesir Erdek, and we aim to upload these trainings to digital platforms so that they are not limited to Ocaklar and benefit fishermen across Turkey,” said Kartallıoğlu, adding, “We are also developing projects to increase women's employment in the region. While collaborating with Türkiye's first integrated mussel facility in Ocaklar Village, we are providing a source of income for dozens of families. Currently, all employees in the integrated mussel facility, including the facility manager, are women.”

A Fascinating Story: Ghost Webs

CarrefourSA's "If Fishing Lives, the Quarries Live" project was conveyed with an impressive installation prepared by TBWA\Istanbul. The project draws attention to the fact that ghost nets, which remain under the sea as a result of wrongful fishing and prevent fish from reproducing, can actually turn a village that makes a living from fishing into a ghost village.

Ocaklar Village was covered with ghost nets collected from the seas by CarrefourSA and turned into a ghost village overnight. With this installation work, the message that although the visible landscape is not real, it can be our future was given. This ghost village created with ghost nets is a symbol of the future we will face if a solution is not found. However, this is only a warning. The project, which conveyed the message of “We still have a chance”, included the call of the local people, including old fishermen and young people. Drawing attention with the theme of “Ghost Nets”, the project revealed the urgency of taking action for our seas with an impressive visual.

Source: HORECA TREND and CarrefourSA