• Intelligent planet A decisive decade begins for the sea

Turkey has committed to saving the Sea of ​​Marmara by launching a

disaster management program

aimed at cleaning up an outbreak of "sea mucus" that

threatens marine life and the fishing industry.

The thick layer of organic matter, known as marine mucilage, has spread across the sea south of Istanbul, covering ports, coasts and swaths of the surface.

Part of it has sunk under the waves,

suffocating life on the seabed

.

The Environment Minister, Murat Kurum, has reported that 25 ships have been arranged to clean the sea surface as well as another 18 ships, which with the placement of barriers, try to

prevent the spread of the mucilage.

In addition, illegal fishing and "ghost" nets will be stopped.

Turkey wants to declare the Marmara a protected area by the end of 2021, said Murat Kurum.

"We started with the cleaning works both on land and at sea in 15 points," said the Minister of the Environment.

"We are determined to save the Marmara and we will save it."

About

1,000 workers

will take the waste to shore and transport it by truck to municipal facilities, he said.

Climate change and pollution

Scientists say climate change and pollution have contributed to the proliferation of the substance, which contains a

wide variety of microorganisms

and can thrive when nutrient-rich wastewater flows into seawater.

Residents welcomed the cleanup, but complained about what they called years of

uncontrolled pollution at sea

.

"Of course, these sea snot is something that

is produced over several years

. Formed by our unconsciousness of years, the harmful substances thrown into the sea caused vomiting on the seabed and, since there was no current, it stayed there" said Kadir Saydam, a 65-year-old pharmacist.

"Cleaning jobs are good visually," he added.

President Tayyip Erdogan has blamed the plague on the

untreated waters

of cities like

Istanbul, where some 16 million people live

, and has vowed to "cleanse our seas of the plague of mucilage."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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