ARTISANAL FISHERY AND SEAHORSES (GENUS: HIPPOCAMPUS) IN TURKEY

12/14/2018 Arda Tonay

Artisanal fishery and seahorses (Genus: Hippocampus) in Turkey

Halit Filiz, Meltem Filiz, Ertan Taşkavak

Faculty of Fisheries, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, 48000, Kötekli, Muğla, TURKEY
Emirbeyazıt District, Bulak St., No: 1, D: 1, 48000, Muğla, TURKEY
Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, TURKEY

Abstract

This paper presents the first attempt to use an ethnoecological approach to examine issues relevant to seahorse conservation and management in Turkey. Between 1999 and 2008, we visited 32 localities, and interviewed 394 people involved in artisanal fishery. We considered the following aspects as positive for the conservation of seahorses and their habitats: fishers were willing to dialogue with researchers (100%); they recognized the importance of reproduction to the maintenance in the wild (84%), and expressed concern over population declines (76%). Large seahorses are captured because they are accepted by buyers in turictic places. Further researches needed to find out the absolute interactions between seahorses and artisanal fishery to manage seahorses and their habitats.

Keywords: Seahorse, Hippocampus, artisanal fisheries, conservation

pdf-dl icon

References

Abdul Malak, D., Livingstone, S.R., Pollard, D., Polidoro, B.A., Cuttelod, A., Bariche, M., Bilecenoglu, M., Carpenter, K.E., Collette, B.B., Francour, P., Goren, M., Kara, M.H., Massuti, E., Papaconstantinou, C., Tunesi, L. (2011) Overview of the Conservation Status of the Marine Fishes of the Mediterranean Sea. Gland, Switzerland and Malaga, Spain: IUCN. 61pp.

Filiz, H., Taşkavak, E. (2011) Field surveys on recent situation of seahorses in Turkey. Biharean Biologist 6 (1): 55-60.

Ruddle, K. (1996) A Guide to the Literature on Traditional Community Based Fishery Management in the Asia-Pacific Tropics. Fisheries Circular Number 869, FIPP/C869. FAO, Rome.

Vincent, A.C.J., Meeuwiga, J.J., Pajaro, M.G., Perante, N.C. (2007) Characterizing a small-scale, data-poor, artisanal fishery: Seahorses in the central Philippines. Fisheries Research 86: 207-215.