FIRST STRANDING RECORD OF A HARBOUR PORPOISE (PHOCOENA PHOCOENA) IN THE SOUTHERN AEGEAN SEA

First stranding record of a harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Southern Aegean Sea

Arda M. Tonay, Ayhan Dede

Faculty of Fisheries, Istanbul University, Ordu St., No. 200, 34470, Laleli, Istanbul, TURKEY
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box: 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, TURKEY

Abstract

A stranding of a harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) was reported for the first time in the Southern Aegean Sea. This is the twelfth confirmed and the sourthern record of this species in the Aegean Sea. Pennella sp. infestation is reported for the first time on a phocoenid species.

Keywords: Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena, Aegean Sea, Pennella, ectoparasite infestation

References

Aznar, F. J., Balbuena, J. A., Fernandez, M., Raga, J. A. (2001) Living Together: The Parasites of Marine Mammals. In: Marine Mammals, Biology and Conservation. (eds. P.G.H. Evans, J.A. Raga). Chapter 11. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 637 pp.

Birkun Jr., A. A., Frantzis, A. (2008) Phocoena phocoena ssp. relicta. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. Available at http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/17030/0 (accessed 13 Jan.2013)

Dede, A. (2010) Marine mammals of the Marmara Sea. Proceedings of the Symposium ‘The Marmara Sea 2010’ (ed., B. Ozturk), Turkish Marine Research Foundation Publications no: 32, pp. 272-281 (in Turkish).

Dede, A., Ozturk, A. A., Tonay, A. M. (2008) Cetacean surveys in the Istanbul (Bosphorus) Strait in 2006. In: Proceedings of 22nd Annual Conf. European Cetacean Society, Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands. (eds., G.J. Pierce, E. Philips, R. Lick).

Devedjian, K. (1926) Pêche et Pêcheries en Turquie. Imprimerie de l’Administration de la Dette Publique Ottomane, Istanbul, 480pp. (Translated by Aras Yayıncılık 2006 Istanbul).

Fontaine, M. C., Tolley, K. A., Michaux, J. R., Birkun, A. Jr., Ferreira, M., Jauniaux, T., Llavona, A., Ozturk, B., Ozturk, A. A., Ridoux, V., Rogan, E., Sequeira, M., Bouquegneau, J-M., Baird, S. J. E. (2010) Genetic and historic evidence for climate-driven population fragmentation in a top Cetacean predator: the harbour porpoises in European Water. Proc. R. Soc. 277: 2829- 2837.

Frantzis, A., Alexiadou, P., Paximadis, G., Politi, E., Gannier, A., Corsini-Foka, M. (2003) Current knowledge of the cetacean fauna of the Greek Seas. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 5 (3): 219-232.

Galatius, A., Gol’din, P. E. (2011) Geographic variation of skeletal ontogeny and skull shape in the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Canadian Journal of Zoology 89 (9): 869-879.

Güçlüsoy, H. (2008) The first confirmed report of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phoceana) in the Turkish Aegean Sea. Marine Biodiversity Records, 1, e94 doi:10.1017/S1755267207009529.

Hammond, P. S., Bearzi, G., Bjørge, A., Forney, K., Karczmarski, L., Kasuya, T., Perrin, W. F., Scott, M. D., Wang, J. Y., Wells, R. S., Wilson, B. (2008) Phocoena phocoena. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. Available at http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/17027/0 (accessed 13 Jan. 2013)

Jauniaux, T., Beans C., Dabin W. (2005) Stranding, Necropsy and Sampling: Collection Data, Sampling Level and Techniques. European Cetacean Society Student Workshop, La Rochelle, France.

Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., Birkun, A. Jr. (2010) Conserving Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. ACCOBAMS Status Report, 2010, ACCOBAMS, Monaco, 212 pp.

Ozturk, A. A., Dede, A. Tonay, A.M., Ozturk, B. (2009) Cetacean surveys in the Istanbul (Bosphorus) Strait in 2007-2008. In: Abstracts of 23rd Annual Conf. European Cetacean Society, Istanbul, Turkey.

Rosel, P. E., Frantzis, A., Lockyer, C., Komnenou, A. (2003) Source of Aegean Sea harbour porpoises. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 247: 257-261.

Tonay, A. M., Dede, A., Maracı, Ö., Bilgin, R. (2012) A preliminary genetic study on the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Turkish Seas. J. Black Sea/Mediterr. Environ. 18:83-89.

Tonay, A. M., Dede, A., Ozturk, A. A., Ozturk, B. (2009) Cetacean strandings in the Turkish Straits System (TSS) and the Northern Aegean Sea coast of Turkey during 1999-2008. In: Proc. 23rd Annual Conf. European Cetacean Society, Istanbul, Turkey.

Viaud-Martinez, K. A., Milmer, M. V., Goldin, E. P., Ridoux, V., Ozturk, A. A., Ozturk, B., Rosel, P. E., Frantzis, A., Komnenou, A., Bohonak, A. J. (2007) Morphological and genetic differentiation of the Black sea harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena. Marine Ecology Progress Series 338: 281-294.