Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to save the country’s shore from “seas snot” building up in its waters and threatening the Sea of Marmara. A thick slimy layer of mucus-like matter, known as marine mucilage is spreading along the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul, posing a threat to marine life and the fishing industry. 

The Marmara Sea has been gripped by blooming sea snot, raising concerns amongst environmentalists and biologists, experts have blamed the bloom on pollution and climate change. The naturally occurring mucilage or “sea snot” was first found in Turkey in 2007 but it has grown at alarming levels this year. 

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Sea snots are green sludge that forms when algae are overloaded with nutrients as a result of hot weather and water pollution. Presently, it has not only bloomed in the Marmara Sea but also in adjoining the area of the Black and the Aegean Sea near Greece. 

Marmara, an inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, is bordered by five Turkish provinces. With Turkey’s recent outbreak, experts have warned of significant damage to trade as well as the fishing industry and have caused havoc for local communities.

Turkish President Erdogan blamed the outbreak on untreated sewage being dumped into the sea from cities including Istanbul, as well as rising temperature, and urged officials to investigate. “My fear is, if this expands to the Black Sea… the trouble will be enormous. We need to take this step without delay,” he added.

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Erdogan said his government has dispatched a team of 300 members to inspect wastewater and solid wastes facilities, along with other potential sources of pollution. Due to the sea snots, boats traveling through the Sea of Marmara have to navigate the grey sludge and fishermen are being prevented from working as it clogs up their motors and nets. Also, divers have reported that large numbers of fish and other species are dying from suffocation.

Turkish Marine Research, Professor Bayram Ozturk has warned such problems would continue unless there is a fresh investment to treat and purify the wastewater being pumped out of Istanbul. “It’s a real catastrophe,” Prof Ozturk told the BBC.