türkçe links to original Turkish article
(Haberler.com website, 9 February 2026)
Something's fishy.
On the Galata Bridge, a woman identifying herself as "vegan" dumped
the bucket of approximately 2.5 kilograms of "istavrit" horse mackerel
belonging to 65-year-old Ahmet Gökçebay, who was fishing, into the
sea. Using disrespectful language such as "I'll put one in your bucket,"
the woman fled the scene without paying the elderly man the promised
money.
The shocking incident occurred early this morning on Istanbul's Galata
Bridge. Despite the cold, 65-year-old Ahmet Gökçebay, who had arrived
at the bridge at 7:00 AM to fish, caught approximately 2.5 kilograms of
horse mackerel by midday.
An unidentified woman approached Gökçebay and offered to buy the
fish. Gökçebay accepted the offer. Shortly afterward, the woman,
claiming to be vegan, took the bucket full of fish and emptied it into
the sea. This action led to an argument between the woman and the
fisherman.
Gökçebay, who had caught the fish, reacted angrily, saying he had waited
for hours in the cold and put in a lot of effort. He confronted the woman,
saying, "By what right do you throw my fish into the sea?" to which the
woman responded disrespectfully, "I'll put one in your place."
According to ATV News, the woman, who emphasized that she was
vegan during the argument, defended herself by saying, "Don't eat
animals, produce alternatives." Citizens in the vicinity stated that they
did not approve of interfering with someone else's work in this way.
As the argument escalated, the woman quickly left the scene.
After throwing the fish into the sea, which she had initially promised
Gökçebay she would pay for, the woman said, "I don't have any money,"
and didn't pay. Taking advantage of the tension, she ran away.
