Vol.29 – 2023 – No.1

Evaluation of the pollution status after the rehabilitation works and the anthropogenic pressure factors of the Golden Horn Estuary (Sea of Marmara)

Hüsne Altıok, Ahsen Yüksek, Seyfettin Taş, Fuat Dursun, Selma Ünlü, Nuray Çağlar, Abdullah Aksu, Ömer S.Taşkın, Yaprak Gürkan, İ. Destan Öztürk, Fatih M. Adatepe

ORCID ID(s): H.A.0000-0003-0362-4938; A.Y. 0000-0001-7949-3001; S.T. 0000-0002-4660-3937; F.D. 0000-0002-7729-5893; S.Ü. 0000-0002-9156-4332; N.Ç. 0000-0001-7608-6339; A.A. 0000-0003-1368-5689. Ö.S.T. 0000-0002-6284-1337; Y.G. 0000-0002-9076-1828; İ.D.Ö. 0000-0001-8915-6236; F.M.A. 0000-0002-9523-6301

Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, Istanbul University, 34134 Istanbul, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

In this review article, the oceanographic and ecosystem characteristics and pollution status of the Golden Horn Estuary (GHE) was evaluated during and after remediation in terms of physicochemical parameters, nutrients, phytoplankton blooms, ichthyoplankton and pollutants. The changes in the Golden Horn ecosystem and the distribution trends of the toxic and persistent pollutants have been revealed by assessing the information obtained from various research and projects carried out in the Golden Horn for about 20 years. As a result of the rehabilitation works, the secchi disc depth, total suspended sediments, dissolved oxygen, nutrients and partially petroleum hydrocarbon values improved and the GHE started to show the characteristics of “coastal transition water”. Accordingly, it was determined that the pollution continued in the shallow inner part of the Valide Sultan station, while a significant improvement has been reported between Galata and Unkapanı Bridges. Recently, GHE has started to display “marine water” characteristics in terms of fish eggs and larvae composition. Oceanographic and ecosystem characteristics of the GHE and current pollution assessment have revealed that the most important pressure factors on the area are the metropolitan region, geographical features and dredging activities. In order to reduce the effect of these pressures, some precautions have been suggested like advanced treatment of discharges, prevention of leakage water discharges, and dredging of bottom sediment material.

 Keywords: Persistent pollutants, phytoplankton blooms, toxins, ichthyoplankton, water quality, Golden Horn Estuary

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Phyllorhiza punctata (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) expands its distributional range to the North Aegean Sea

Melih Ertan Çınar, Okan Akyol, Aytaç Özgül

ORCID IDs: M.E.Ç. 0000-0002-1802-2801; O.A. 0000-0001-7738-2156; A.Ö. 0000-0001-7706-9012

Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, 35440 Urla, İzmir, TÜRKİYE
SERPULA Marine Research Limited Company, Teknopark İzmir, İzmir, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

A single specimen of the invasive alien species Phyllorhiza punctata was found in Urla (İzmir Bay), constituting its new record in the North Aegean Sea, and indicating its northward distributional expansion. The specimen was juvenile, with a bell diameter of 70 mm. As blooms of this species might cause economic losses and adverse ecosystem changes, its establishment success in the region should be continuously monitored.

Keywords: Non-indigenous species, Scyphozoa, Izmir Bay, Aegean Sea

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Plastic lure ingestion by rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis stranded on the northern coast of Cyprus

Tayfun Çanakcı, Özge Özden, Wayne Fuller, Itri Levent Erkol, Arda M. Tonay

ORCID IDs: T.Ç. 0000-0002-6551-6820; Ö.Ö. 0000-0001-7938-6927; W.F. 0000-0002-6150-7484; I.L.E. 0000-0002-7443-5854; A.M.T. 0000-0003-2718-9328

Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute, Taşkent Doğa Parkı, Taşkent, Kyrenia, CYPRUS
Faculty of Agriculture, Near East University, Near East Boulevard, Nicosia, CYPRUS
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Near East University, Near East Boulevard 99138 Nicosia, CYPRUS
Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Cad. No: 2, 34470, Fatih, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box: 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

Information on the distribution of the rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis (G. Cuvier in Lesson, 1828), in the Mediterranean Basin is limited but has been reported as a regular species, likely to occur throughout the offshore waters of the Ionian/Levantine areas. This study reported plastic lures from the stomach content of a stranded individual in Sadrazamköy (Livera) on the northern coast of Cyprus.

Keywords: Plastic ingestion, recreational fishing, Cyprus, Eastern Mediterranean

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Further expansion of the alien marine green macroalga Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla (Sonder) Verlaque, Huisman & Procacini in Türkiye

Ergün Taşkın, Alper Evcen, Furkan Bilgiç

ORCID IDs: E.T. 0000-0003-0531-4546; A.E. 0000-0003-1134-2551; F.B. 0009-0007-6922-0684

Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Department of Biology, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Muradiye-Manisa 45140, TÜRKİYE
TÜBİTAK MRC Environment and Cleaner Production Institute Gebze, Kocaeli, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla (Sonder) Verlaque, Huisman & Procacini is an alien marine green macroalga in the Mediterranean Sea where it was recorded for the first time from the Iskenderun Gulf (Türkiye). To date, this taxon, expanding its known distribution to Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia. In the present study, C. taxifolia var. distichophylla is reported for the first time from Paşalimanı Island (Erdek, Balıkesir, Türkiye) in the Marmara Sea.

Keywords: Alien species, Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla, Marmara Sea, Türkiye

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Biodiversity and structure of macrofauna in the Karaburun-Ildır Bay Special Environmental Protected Area and adjacent waters (Central Aegean Sea-Türkiye)

Çetin Keskin, Onur Gönülal, Muammer Oral, Bülent Topaloğlu, Cem Dalyan

ORCID IDs: Ç.K. 0000-0002-2434-0355; O.G. 0000-0002-1621-0892; M.O. 0000-0001-8658-2651; B.T. 0000-0001-6620-8072; C.D. 0000-0002-7386-5641

Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Cad. No: 2, 34134 Vezneciler Fatih/Istanbul, TÜRKİYE
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box: 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE
Faculty of Science, Istanbul University, 34134, Vezneciler Fatih/Istanbul, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

In this study, which was carried out in the Karaburun-Ildır Bay Special Environmental Protected Area (SEPA) and adjacent waters, the diversity of marine macrofauna and the structure of demersal assemblages were investigated. The samplings were carried out in May 2022 and September 2022. A total of 179 species were identified (121 fish, 58 invertebrates). Penaeus pulchricaudatus, Bregmaceros nectabanus, Champsodon nudivittis, Callionymus filamentosus and Planiliza haematocheilus are non-indigenous species in the study area. Raja radula, Mustelus mustelus, Thunnus thynnus and Epinephelus marginatus are among the threatened fishes in the IUCN Red List. The analysis on demersal community showed that demersal assemblage of the shallow shelf was different from the assemblage of the upper slope and diversity is higher on the shallow shelf than on the upper slope. Species assemblages include commercial species such as Merluccius merluccius, Parapenaeus longirostris, and Mullus barbatus.

Keywords: Bottom trawl survey, demersal fauna, conservation, Eastern Mediterranean Sea

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Effects of mucilage on the optical properties of water column in the Sea of Marmara

İ. Destan Öztürk, Dilek Ediger

ORCID IDs: İ.D.Ö. 0000-0001-8915-6236; D.E. 0000-0003-4417-8815

Department of Physical Oceanography and Marine Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, Istanbul University, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

To understand if the formation of mucilage in the Sea of Marmara in 2021 affects the attenuation of light in the water column, data from two different periods were compared. Six stations covering the wide area of the Sea of Marmara and representing regions with different characteristics were selected. The CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) and PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) values were examined and Kd (attenuation coefficient) was calculated. In order to understand the effect of different typologies of mucilage aggregates on light attenuation, the light data of August 2021 was compare with the light data of January 2021, when these typologies did not occur. As a result of the study, the euphotic zone depth (Z_EU) in the Sea of Marmara for the period of August 2021 was limited to the range of 14-23 m. The average attenuation coefficient was 0.242±0.04 m^-1. As expected in January, the attenuation coefficient generally decreased with increasing depth, while in August this situation was almost reversed. The evaluation of PAR and Kd data showed that the mucilage aggregates, which become denser and larger with depth, caused serious shading in the water column.

Keywords: Mucilage aggregates, light attenuation, euphotic depth, Sea of Marmara

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Russian Federation-Ukraine War as an environmental security issue on the Black Sea

Nesrin Algan, Gökçe Karalezli Aydoğan

ORCID IDs: N.A. 0000-0002-0551-6749; G.K.A. 0000-0002-1864-183X

Department of Urban, Environmental and Local Government Policies, Faculty of Political Sciences, Ankara University, Cemal Gürsel Cad. 06590 Çankaya/Ankara, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

The conflicts between the Russian Federation and Ukraine since the beginning of 2014 have caused many environmental, economic, cultural and sociological problems. Ukraine has the vast majority of Europe’s biodiversity. The fact that the important water resources feeding the Black Sea are within the borders of Ukraine raises concerns about the environmental impacts of the conflicts in this region. These concerns increase due to the weight of nuclear energy and the heavy chemical industry in Ukraine’s economic activities. This study examines the environmental effects of the Russian Federation-Ukrainian war before, during and after the war and how these effects could damage the Black Sea. Also, the study discusses the environmental security problem caused by the war in Ukraine, as well as the potential environmental security and envirocide that it may cause at the regional and global levels in the medium and long term.

 Keywords: War, Black Sea, conflict pollution, environmental security, envirocide, ecocide

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Yet another giant for protection: Distribution and status of the bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus (Hexanchiformes: Hexanchidae), in Turkish seas

Hakan Kabasakal 

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8189-9748 

Institute of Science, Fisheries Technologies and Management Program, Istanbul University, 34116 Fatih, İstanbul, TÜRKİYE
Ichthyological Research Society, İstanbul, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

Bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788), occurrs in Turkish waters from the eastern Black Sea to the eastern Mediterranean. Impacts of environmental deteriorations on bluntnose sixgill shark’s distribution in the Black Sea (GSA 29), where the deep zone of the sea is permanently anoxic due to hydrogene sulphide contamination, and in the Sea of Marmara (GSA 28), where the hypoxia has been a raising concern for the last 40 years, is another issue in question. A decreasing trend in mean lengths of bluntnose sixgill sharks over the entire period (1967-2022) was found, which supposed “growth overfishing” of H. griseus in Turkish waters. Available information suggests possible breeding grounds of H. griseus in the Sea of Marmara, in the northern Aegean Sea (GSA 22) and in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea (GSA 24). The overlap of major fishing grounds of Turkish commercial bottom-trawling fleet with those suggested breeding grounds in the northern Aegean Sea and in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea, may cause further threat on the survival of the new generations of H. griseus in Turkish waters. Therefore, it is clearly seen that a management and conservation plan of H. griseus in Turkish waters should not solely rely on banning to capture and retain of bluntnose sixgill sharks on board, but should also provide a methodology to the fishermen of how to keep them alive to decrease or even prevent the at-vessel or post-release mortality. Such a plan should also implement an integrated ecosystem management approach for the conservation of those proposed breeding grounds.

Keywords: Hexanchidae, population, trend, conservation, overfishing, bycatch

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Seasonal trend of nudibranchs (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) along the central-eastern coast of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea)

Andrea Lombardo, Giuliana Marletta

ORCID IDs: A.L. 0000-0001-5190-7452; G.M. 0000-0003-4602-8036

Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, ITALY
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 60131 Ancona, ITALY

Abstract

To date, specific studies on the seasonality of Mediterranean nudibranchs are still rather scarce. In the present study, we investigated the trend of seasonal variations in the number of nudibranch species from 2018 to 2021 in three sites located along the central-eastern coast of Sicily (Italy). Data on the seasonality were collected by photographing all nudibranch species encountered during the scuba dives performed in the study sites. Then, for each site, it was selected randomly one dive for every month, from which the number of found nudibranch species was counted. In all the examined sites, it was noted that the number of nudibranch species varies with a marked seasonal trend throughout the year: the number of species increases from mid-late autumn until spring (the season with the highest number of species). By contrast, between late spring and early summer this number begins to decline, decreasing considerably during summer and early autumn, the seasons in which there is the lowest value. This trend may be correlated with both the seasonality of sessile benthic suspension feeders, the main nudibranch preys, and the seasonal variations in the water column throughout the year.

Keywords: Marine Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia, seasonality, sessile benthic suspension feeders

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Introductory pages

Seasonal trend of nudibranchs (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) along the central-eastern coast of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea)
Andrea Lombardo, Giuliana Marletta

Yet another giant for protection: Distribution and status of the bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus (Hexanchiformes: Hexanchidae), in Turkish seas
Hakan Kabasakal

Russian Federation-Ukraine War as an environmental security issue on the Black Sea
Nesrin Algan, Gökçe Karalezli Aydoğan

Effects of mucilage on the optical properties of water column in the Sea of Marmara
İ. Destan Öztürk, Dilek Ediger

Biodiversity and structure of macrofauna in the Karaburun-Ildır Bay Special Environmental Protected Area and adjacent waters (Central Aegean Sea-Türkiye)
Çetin Keskin, Onur Gönülal, Muammer Oral, Bülent Topaloğlu, Cem Dalyan

Further expansion of the alien marine green macroalga Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla (Sonder) Verlaque, Huisman & Procacini in Türkiye
Ergün Taşkın, Alper Evcen, Furkan Bilgiç

Plastic lure ingestion by rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis stranded on the northern coast of Cyprus
Tayfun Çanakcı, Özge Özden, Wayne Fuller, Itri Levent Erkol, Arda M. Tonay

Phyllorhiza punctata (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) expands its distributional range to the North Aegean Sea
Melih Ertan Çınar, Okan Akyol, Aytaç Özgül

Evaluation of the pollution status after the rehabilitation works and the anthropogenic pressure factors of the Golden Horn Estuary (Sea of Marmara)
Hüsne Altıok, Ahsen Yüksek, Seyfettin Taş, Fuat Dursun, Selma Ünlü, Nuray Çağlar, Abdullah Aksu, Ömer S.Taşkın, Yaprak Gürkan, İ. Destan Öztürk,
Fatih M. Adatepe