Cetacean strandings in the Turkish Western Black Sea coast during 2007-2009

Abstract

Abstract The seasonal surveys of stranded cetaceans were performed on the Turkish coast of the western Black Sea during summer 2007-spring 2009. Fifty stranded cetaceans were found, which included 24 harbour porpoises (48%), 15 bottlenose dolphins (30%), 6 common dolphins (12%) and 5 unidentified specimens. Most of the stranding cases were observed during the summer of 2007 (0.3 individuals per km). During the winters, there was no observation of harbour porpoise stranding. Eight individuals showed some evidence of net entanglement. This is the first seasonal study on cetacean strandings in Turkey.

Keywords

• Key words: Black Sea, cetacean, strandings, harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin

References

1. Birkun, A. Jr. (2008) The state of cetacean populations. Oğuz. T. (Ed.), State of the environment of the Black Sea (2001-2006/7). Publication of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (BSC), Istanbul, Turkey. pp. 365-395.
2. Ozturk, B. (1996) Whales and Dolphins, Introduction of Cetology. Anahtar Kitapları Yayınevi, Istanbul. 136p. (in Turkish)
3. Tonay, A.M., Ozturk, B. (2003) Cetacean bycatches in turbot fishery on the western coast of the Turkish Black Sea. Oray, I.K., Çelikkale, M.S., Özdemir, G. (Eds.), International Symposium of Fisheries and Zoology, Istanbul. 131- 138pp.
4. Tonay, A.M., Dede, A., Ozturk, A.A. (2008) Cetacean strandings in the Turkish western Black Sea coast during spring months in 2003-2005. Proc. 22nd Annual Conf. European Cetacean Society, Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands.
5. Tonay, A.M., Dede, A., Ozturk, A.A., Ercan, D., Fernández, A. (2012) Unusual mass mortality of cetaceans on the coast of the Turkish Western Black Sea in summer 2009. J. Black Sea / Mediterranean Environment 18:65-75.