Public backlash against marina expansion in Sığacık: Deputy Mayor says 'we will not surrender the gulf to concrete'

In Seferihisar, fishermen, residents, and civil society representatives gathered on Saturday to oppose a planned marina capacity expansion in Sığacık Gulf. The gathering, which began in front of the Sığacık Social Facility under the slogan 'The Sea is Ours, Sığacık Belongs to All of Us', continued with a march to the Fishing Harbor after a concert by the Seferihisar Municipality Atatürk Band.

Seferihisar Deputy Mayor Fuat Gümüş said in a speech at the harbor that they are not opposed to development and proper investment in the city, but argued that the project would transform the gulf into 'a concrete pool' and pollute it. Gümüş contended that the natural structure of Sığacık Gulf, formed over thousands of years, makes the project attractive from an investor's perspective, and that environmental, economic, and disaster risk dimensions are therefore being overlooked.

Objections to the project are not limited to environmental concerns alone but are also being voiced on the grounds that it threatens the region's fishing industry. Seferihisar is working to maintain its distinction as the district that received Turkey's first 'Slow City' designation in 2009.