On the Bosphorus, fish is eaten by the calendar. The table below shows how our menu changes through the year and when each fish is at its best. Seasons can shift by a few weeks depending on weather and catches.
Seasonal calendar
| Fish | Best period | Legal minimum size |
|---|---|---|
| Bluefish | September – December | 20 cm (ours: 24 cm) |
| Atlantic bonito | September – November | 25 cm |
| Anchovy | November – February | 9 cm |
| Horse mackerel | October – March | 13 cm |
| Turbot | November – March | 45 cm |
| Red mullet / striped red mullet | September – April | 13 cm |
| Whiting | November – March | 13 cm |
| Sardine | August – October | 11 cm |
| Sea bass (wild) | December – February | 25 cm |
| Gilt-head bream (wild) | September – November | 20 cm |
The fishing ban
To protect spawning, commercial purse-seine and trawl fishing in Turkish seas is banned every year from 15 April to 31 August. Line fishing and small-scale net fishing continue under specific rules. Turbot is also subject to a spring closure and a quota. That is why our summer menu relies on farmed fish, line-caught fish and Aegean produce.
Why it matters
The minimum size is set at the length at which a species can spawn at least once. Eating fish below that size means eating next year's fish today. If you see small bluefish, tiny horse mackerel ('kraça') or anchovy under 9 cm on a fishmonger's slab, please don't buy them.
Minimum sizes are taken from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's communiqué regulating commercial fishing, which is updated periodically.