Harun Güçlüsoy

Stomach contents of two Mediterranean monk seals ( Monachus monachus ) from the Aegean Sea, Turkey

This study provides a description of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) diet from the Aegean Sea coast of Turkey. A total of 23 prey items belonging to five species were identified from the two stomachs examined. Cephalopods constitute the dominant prey group by weight (94.01%). Sarcotragus sp. (Porifera) and Posidonia oceanica (Magnoliophyta) are assumed to be incidental prey. Of the cephalopods identified. Eledone moschata and Bathypolypus sponsalis were encountered for the first time in a monk seal stomach.

Status of the Mediterranean Monk Seal, Monachus monachus, in the Foca Pilot Monk Seal Conservation Area, Turkey

Abstract The status of the Mediterranean Monk Seal, Monachus monachus, has been studied over a five-year period between 1994 and 1998 in the Foça Pilot Monk Seal Conservation Area. The identification of individual seals occurring in the area, their spatial distribution and biology were studied using the results of direct cave surveys, land-based seal observations, and interviews. The population of Monk Seals was estimated to consist of 9 individuals, 6 of which were adult females and 3 were juveniles (one female, one male and one of unknown sex.). Islands off Foça town provide suitable habitats and promote the survival of the species. Of the 11 caves identified, two were found to be used for reproduction.

Interaction between Monk Seals, Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779), and artisanal fisheries in the Foca Pilot Monk Seal conservation area, Turkey

Abstract The present study examines some aspects of the interaction between critically endangered Monk Seals Monachus monachus and artisanal fisheries in the Foça Pilot Monk Seal Conservation Area, Turkey, between 1994 and 2002. One to four permanent researchers collected the data on this interaction during seal sighting data enquiries. Interviews with the fishermen provided a total of 448 seal sighting records, of which 142 were collected around the fishing gear. Loligo vulgaris taken from a lure and Conger conger were reported by fishermen for the first time as Monk Seal prey. Of the 142 encounters by Monk Seals with the fishing gear, 6 were of animals entangled by the floating rope of the nets. The establishment of permanent or temporary nofishing zones (in view of the 4-month lactation period) to prevent the entanglement of suckling pups in breeding sites is proposed as an appropriate management practice.

The first confirmed report of the harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) in the Turkish Aegean Sea

The harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena, is distributed throughout the continental shelf waters of the northern hemisphere. Although the species is known to occur in the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara off the coast of Turkey, to date no porpoises have been reported along the Aegean Sea coast of this country. This paper provides the first reported stranding of the harbour porpoise on this coastline. This is however, not thought to provide evidence of a separate population, rather it is thought that it may be part of the Black Sea population. It may demonstrate a wider or possible re-distribution of its range than previously thought.

Cetacean strandings along the coast of İzmir Bay, Turkey

Abstract The present paper provides information on the stranding of cetaceans in İzmir Bay, Aegean Sea, between 1992 and 2004. The data were collected opportunistically during sightings and stranding data collection for Monk Seals. A total of 12 cetaceans, namely Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus (n=6), Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis (n=3), – reported for the first time – and Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, (n=3) were found to be stranded.