Recently, the beaches in Turkey appeared a patch of mucus (sea snot), which is increasingly spreading over the water. The widespread mucus layer on the Turkish coast causes serious damage to the country’s marine life and fishermen. (Source: Reuters) Sea snot is a green mud that is formed naturally when algae are over-nutriented due to hot weather and polluted water environment. The phenomenon was first detected in Turkey in 2007 and then in the Aegean Sea near Greece. The latest outbreak in the Sea of ​​Marmara near Istanbul is believed to be the largest in history. (Source: Reuters) Experts believe that the large amount of mucus that has appeared recently is due to a combination of environmental pollution and global warming, which accelerates the growth of algae that cause the slime. Meanwhile, President Erdogan said that the problem of untreated sewage being discharged directly into the sea was the cause of this outbreak of marine mucus. (Source: Reuters) When algae grow out of control in the spring, as we’ve seen this year, they block sunlight and cause declines, says biology professor at Istanbul University Muharrem Balci. oxygen for fish and marine life. (Source: Reuters) This mucous membrane covers the sea surface like a canvas. After a while, they sink, covering the seabed ecosystem and harming many species of creatures. When this process is over, they will appear to smell like a spoiled egg. This phenomenon can cause poisoning to sea clams and creatures such as crabs. (Source: Reuters) Professor Bayram Ozturk of the Turkish Marine Research Agency said that due to the overgrowth of the mucus layer, several species are endangered, including oysters, mussels and starfish. “This is a real disaster,” he said. (Source: Reuters) According to environmental engineer Cevahir Efe Akcelik, mucus could cover the sea during the summer if authorities do not take urgent measures. Studies show that mucus stays not only on the surface but also at depths between 25-30 meters. (Source: Reuters) Divers report that large numbers of fish and other species in the affected area are being wiped out by suffocation. This phenomenon has a significant impact on the lives of fishermen. Boats passing through the Sea of ​​Marmara had to navigate through the gray mud, while some fishermen were unable to fish because the mud clogs their engines and nets. (Source: Reuters) Mehmet Soyolcu (43 years old), a fourth generation fisherman in the Sea of ​​Marmara, said that in the past, it took two hours to pull a fishing net at sea, but now it takes ten hours, not counting the cost of fuel. materials and other operating costs. Every day, the operating costs are getting higher and higher, and the fish are less and less. (Source: Reuters) Some fishermen will raise prices to cover their losses, but that won’t help either because people fear the seawater might contaminate the fish in Marmara. At the fish market, more and more customers avoid buying fish and seafood since information about the mucus layer appeared. This makes the fishermen lose income from fishing, life becomes more difficult. (Source: Reuters) Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city with about 16 million inhabitants, and five other provinces, factories and industrial centers border the sea. As a result, this outbreak has had a severe impact on the ecosystem and fisheries in the region. (Source: Reuters) The Sea of ​​Marmara is a sea that stretches 281 km from the Northeast to the Southwest and is 80 km wide at its widest. This sea is connected to the Black Sea through the Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait in the Northeast. President Erdogan fears the problem will be very serious if the mucus spreads to the Black Sea. (Source: Reuters) The Turkish government has deployed a team of experts to examine the source of pollution in the sea. Workers are now trying to use nets to remove mucus, but their efforts have so far been largely ineffective. (Source: Reuters) Not only around the Sea of ​​Marmara, but the adjacent Black Sea and Aegean Sea regions were also affected by this mucus outbreak. (according to Reuters)

Damien Desrocher, 28 years old from the town of Wahagnies, Northern France has a very unique and successful startup method. It is the production of soap bars from snail mucus. Desrocher started using snail mucus to make soap and sell it at the market in the town of Wahagnies, Northern France from December 2020 and received unexpected success. In order to collect a lot of snail mucus, the 28-year-old man had to think of many and extremely ingenious ways not to harm or kill any snails. Damien Desrocher shared: “I only use my fingers to touch the snails, it’s very light and doesn’t hurt them. It looks very simple, all the process depends on your ingenuity.” “Once you observe and see the behavior of snails, you will find they are really adorable. Snails are one of my favorite animals,” says Desrocher. On the feet of snails there is a type of gland that can secrete a very sticky fluid to help them move. Therefore, every place they crawl through leaves a sticky residue. After this sticky fluid dried, a sparkling watery streak was formed. This snail fluid is used to remove wrinkles and acne scars, which is loved by many women because it is really effective. One snail will produce about 2 grams of slime, while to make 15 100-gram Damien Desrocher bars of soap requires about 80 grams of snail mucus. Thus, with only 40 snails, Damien Desrocher was able to produce 15 bars of soap weighing 100 grams. Although novel in the West, snail mucus is a familiar beauty ingredient in Korea because of its anti-aging and skin-restoring properties – including collagen and elastin molecules – in it. The snail itself also uses the slime it secretes to repair the shell when damaged. Currently, Mr. Desrocher has a total of 60,000 snails. When entering the breeding season, most snails will be moved to a larger location to live, in the yard of only about 4,000 snails. With excellent nourishing ingredients, snail mucus helps to stimulate collagen and elastin formation, protect skin from free radicals, soothe skin, repair damaged tissues and restore hydration. It is also added to treat dry skin, wrinkles and stretch marks, acne and rosacea, age spots, burns, scars, razor bumps and even flat warts. The application of snail mucus actually began in ancient Greece, where the father of medicine Hippocrates prescribed snail grinding and yogurt to cure inflammation. Please watch the video: Top 10 Longest Living Animals on Earth. Source: Yan News

However, increased water temperature due to global warming makes the situation worse. Another cause is the pollution of untreated industrial wastewater. Obstructing livelihoods In April, according to the newspaper Cumhuriyet , biologists discovered the mucus appeared on the seabed about more than 30 meters deep. This mucus layer covers the reef, potentially suffocating the coral. Carcasses of thousands of fish were also found in several coastal towns. To make matters worse in recent weeks, Istanbul’s coastline has been covered with a “beige carpet”. Fishermen who rely on the sea for their livelihood have begun to sound the alarm about the situation. Sheet Cumhuriyet quoted a fisherman who said he had not been able to work since January. The mucus prevented him from casting a net. The sea surface of Marmara is covered with “a blanket of beige”. Photo: Daily Sabah. A diver catching sea snails laments to the news agency Anadolu that his income was reduced by poor underwater visibility. Crabs and seahorses are slowly dying as slime clogs their gills. Lecturer in hydrobiology at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Mr. zgür Baytut told the newspaper. BirGün that since it first appeared in Turkey in 2007, the mucus seems to affect the Mediterranean Sea region cyclically. According to him, it is “unusual” that mucus has been regularly found along the coast of Turkey in recent times. Mainly human According to the Guardian , the high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Sea of ​​Marmara lead to phytoplankton populations releasing huge amounts of “mucus”. Although the mucus itself is not harmful, it can become a host for harmful microorganisms and dangerous bacteria such as E.coli – bacteria that cause gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Furthermore, when the mucus is so thick that it forms a coating on the surface of the water, it can cause a tragedy. It prevents fish from breathing, leading to mass fish deaths, which in turn leads to a sharp drop in oxygen in the water causing suffocation for other marine species. Scientists suspect that climate change may be a factor because phytoplankton thrives in warm waters. Last winter was milder than usual, meaning the Sea of ​​Marmara was a few degrees warmer than average. Mustafa Sari, a professor at Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University, told podcast channel Kisa Dalga that the giant and sticky clumps of mucus represent “climate change that is becoming increasingly apparent”. Not only hindering the fishermen, the tourists are also worried that “mucus” will reduce the beauty of the Sea of ​​Marmara. Photo: Daily Sabah. Experts also point out that preventing untreated waste from being dumped directly into the Sea of ​​Marmara helps to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus levels somewhat. Overfishing – which leaves phytoplankton out of many natural prey – can also cause this condition. Officials in Istanbul in early May announced cooperation with the Turkish government and Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University to come up with a solution, including sending boats to dredge the seabed. In Izmit, workers collected more than 110 tons of mucus, which was then taken to an incinerator for processing. Concerned that the mucus could reduce tourist numbers, some have called on the government to do more to prevent the problem from recurring. Ismet Cigit, newspaper reporter Ses Kocaeli , lamented that humans had “betrayed the most beautiful waters in the world” by allowing chemical storage facilities, fuel tanks, factories, and industrial sites to build along the coast. “Clearly there is no deterrent penalty for those who pollute the sea. Marmara is dying,” he wrote in Turkish.