Art Meets Marine Pollution Awareness with Mavi İz Project

Ghost nets and marine waste threatening the ecosystem of the Sea of Marmara were recovered from the sea bed and transformed into a powerful awareness campaign. The "Blue Trace" project, implemented by Orzax in collaboration with Adalar Municipality, TURMEPA and SUFOD, stood out as a multi-stakeholder initiative that brought marine cleanup together with art, making environmental responsibility visible.

Orzax's journey combining its health vision with environmental sustainability continues to strengthen with each passing year. Last year's "Blue Future" project raised public awareness on marine cleanup; this year, the scope expanded with the "Blue Trace" project conducted in collaboration with Adalar Municipality, DenizTemiz Association/TURMEPA and Underwater Photographers and Filmmakers Association (SUFOD). Launched on the occasion of 3 March World Omega-3 Day, the project aims to create concrete change by focusing on the cleanup of "ghost nets," which pose a silent threat to the marine ecosystem.

Under Orzax's leadership, in collaboration with Adalar Municipality, TURMEPA and SUFOD, the Blue Trace Project is carried out to promote marine sustainability and raise environmental awareness. This year, the project focused on the destructive impact of ghost nets on marine life. Abandoned fishing nets and various waste, which pose serious threats to marine life, were carefully recovered from the sea bed by expert divers. This work provided concrete contribution to reducing existing pollution in the seas, while drawing attention to the invisible risks facing the marine ecosystem.

The waste collected from the sea within the project was transformed into an original artwork by sculptor Büşra Kölmük. Thus, substances that persist unnoticed on the sea bed and harm the ecosystem were made visible through the transformative power of art.

Orzax reinforces its expertise in the Omega-3 field with international quality standards, building trust on a global scale. Through its partnerships with Golden Omega, which stands out for its IFOS-certified products and sustainable production approach, Orzax aims to create global awareness in both quality and environmental responsibility; through the Social Responsibility Project it implements each year on 3 March World Omega-3 Day, it targets drawing attention to the strong relationship of marine cleanup to ecological balance, clean environment and healthy living cycle. This project, which aims to raise public awareness, is directly related to Orzax's core mission of healthy living. As a requirement of this vision, we attach great importance to protecting the healing sources that nature offers in their purest form. Our seas, which are the main source of Omega-3, one of the cornerstones of healthy living, and the fish that carry this source, are vital to both maintaining the healthy food chain and continuing ecological sustainability. Therefore, combating marine pollution is not just an environmental effort; it is a responsibility undertaken by Orzax in line with its mission to "support healthy living."

At this year's event, abandoned fishing nets posing serious threats to marine life were carefully recovered by expert divers. Orzax combined its pioneering role in healthcare with this environmental vision; emphasizing once again the reality that a healthy human can only exist in a healthy ecosystem. We will continue to protect our seas and leave a healthy mark on the world for a clean future.

A Three-Year Awareness Journey
Orzax CEO Yunus Emre Alimoğlu emphasized that the cleanliness of the seas is vital for the sustainability and quality of Omega-3 sources, drawing attention to the connection between environmental sustainability and human health: "In this journey we began with Omega-3 21 years ago as Orzax, we believe that the source of health is nature and especially the seas. Without protecting the seas, the food chain cannot be protected; without protecting the food chain, human health cannot be protected. Health does not start in a capsule, it starts in the ecosystem; therefore, protecting the seas is the most fundamental investment in public health. For three years we have been consistently pursuing this globally celebrated World Omega-3 Day on 3 March, which companies working in this field also embrace, and this year we are addressing the fight against ghost nets and the protection of marine biodiversity as a long-term sustainability approach. We will continue this journey uninterrupted in the coming years with the same conviction and responsibility."

Adalar Municipality Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat spoke about the project: "Combating ghost nets is an unavoidable responsibility for the sustainability of the marine ecosystem. No matter how much effort we make, if sufficient and permanent measures are not taken, ghost nets will continue to consume our seas. Because ghost nets do not decompose; they destroy the ecosystem. I thank the Blue Trace project, which works to protect the ecosystem of our seas, make underwater life and historical heritage visible, for their valuable contribution in this important struggle we are waging against ghost nets. We will continue to fight together for the future of our seas."

DenizTemiz Association/TURMEPA Assistant General Director Mine Göknar drew attention to the critical importance of cleaning seas of ghost nets not only for the ecosystem but also for human health and sustainable nutrition, stating: 

"Even if these nets are lost or abandoned, they continue fishing in the sea. In other words, there is no fisherman, but the net continues to catch living creatures. Fish and other marine animals can get caught in these nets and lose their lives. Moreover, it is not only fish; life habitats on the sea bed are also damaged. In this context, we conducted two separate dives on 14 February and 17 February. With the support of our volunteer divers, the first dive identified ghost nets, and the second dive recovered the identified nets from the sea bed. Ghost nets recovered from the sea actually mean lives saved. 

As we always say, the seas provide one of every two breaths we take. In other words, If There Are Seas, There Is Life."
Drawing attention to the destructive impact of ghost nets on the marine ecosystem and how difficult and costly the process of removing these nets is, Television Producer and Nature Activist Güven İslamoğlu evaluated both the global picture and the work being carried out in Turkey in his remarks:

"Ghost nets, which make up approximately 10 percent of the world's plastic waste, threaten the marine ecosystem invisibly and continue fishing as long as they are not removed. Removing these nets, which are extremely difficult and costly to clean, from the seas is of great importance for the protection of the ecosystem. The cleanup of ghost nets accumulated in Büyükada due to illegal fishing under the 'Blue Trace: Free the Depths, Breathe Life' project conducted by Orzax in collaboration with local fishermen and the municipality became an exemplary initiative in this field. Recent efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Environment to remove millions of square meters of nets from our seas clearly reveal the scale of the problem. Today, the cleanup conducted in Büyükada and the awareness created through the artworks produced from the recovered nets send a powerful message for the future of our seas."

A Message Strengthened by Art
Büşra Kölmük emphasized that the project held a special meaning for her and expressed that she was emotionally affected during the production process:

"Seeing the fish caught in the nets in the images shot by the divers deeply affected me. In the sculpture, I designed the lower figure as a larger, protective mother; the upper one as her offspring. Thus, I tried to tell the story of how the family structure in nature and ecological balance are disrupted through these two fish."

Orzax views its expertise in the Omega-3 field not only as a product development strength but as a responsibility of its deep connection with the seas. It aims to combine its knowledge and experience with a sustainability vision to make long-term and meaningful contributions to the protection of the marine ecosystem.