Marine mammals in Turkey

Abstract

Turkey is surrounded by four seas of different oceanographic characteristics. However, the knowledge about marine mammals, especially cetaceans, in these waters has been limited. The systematic investigation on marine mammals in the Turkish waters was started in 1987. In the Black Sea and Marmara Sea, three odontocete species, Delphinus delphis, Tursiops truncatus, and Phocoena phocoena, are known to occur. Bycatch in the turbot fishery is the main threat for P. phocoena. In the Aegean and Mediteranean Sea, there are eight odontocete species: D. delphis, I truncatus, Stenella coeruleoalba, Globicephala metes, Grampus griseus, Pseudorca crassidens, Physeter catodon, Ziphius cavirostris, and a single mysticete species, Balaenoptera physalus.