First Observation of Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus 1758) Around the Shipwreck Used as an Artificial Reef in the Coasts of Gokceada Island, North Aegean Sea

Abstract

In this study, loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus 1758) was observed for the first time around the shipwreck of coast guard boat in Ördek Yalağı located at Gökceada Island, North Aegean Sea. The shipwreck is at a depth of 24.8 m. The loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta was recorded exactly on the ground and 2 m away from the ship on the shore side of the ship. In this study, Caretta caretta was recorded for the first time in this water depth and around a shipwreck that was used as an artificial reef for Turkish waters.

Keywords

• Artificial Reef,Caretta caretta,Gokceada,Shipwreck,Visual Census

References

1. Acarli, D. & Ayaz, A. (2015). Using concrete artificial reef as a tool to enrich the new marine habitat in Erdek-Ocaklar Bay (Marmara Sea, Turkey). Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 24(2A): 602-609.
2. Altinagaç, U., Kara, A., Ayaz, A., Acarli, D., Begburs, C. R. & Oztekin, A. (2010). Comparison of fish aggregating devices (FADs) having different attractors. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 9(6): 1026-1029.
3. Akdeniz, B., Yalçın Özdilek, Ş., Okur, E. & Gursoy, S. (2012). Assessment of Çanakkale Coasts as sea turtle (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas) habitat. Journal of Anatolian Natural Sciences, 3(1): 37-45.
4. Breannan, M. L., Davis, D., Ballard, R. D., Trembenis, A. C., Vaughn, J. I., Krumholz, J. S., Delgado, J. P., Romon, C. N., Smart, C., Bell, K. L. C., Duman, M. & Duval, C. (2015). Quantification of bottom trawl fishing damage to ancient shipwreck sites. Marine Geology, 371: 82-88.
5. Calim, T. (2010). Spatial distribution of the Caretta caretta, World Wide Web electronic publication. Retrieved in August 2, 2019 from http://www.oltacilar.com/sini-kaplumbagasi-caretta-caretta-t7612.html?s=33c782c780104a1e0c922740b9796256&
6. Carlisle, J. G. Jr., Turner, C. H. & Ebert, E. E. (1963). Artificial habitat in the marine environment. Fish Bulletin 124. Report. 93p.
7. Casale, P. & Tucker, A. D. (2017). Caretta caretta (amended version of 2015 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T3897A119333622. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T3897A119333622.en. Downloaded on 05 July 2019.
8. DEKAMER (2019). Sea turtles research, rescue and rehabilitation center. World Wide Web electronic publication. Retrieved in July 2, 2019 from http://dekamer.org.tr/kumsallar.html

9. Ergene, S., Ergene, M., Ucar, A. H., Aymak, C. & Kacar, Y. (2016). Identification of A New Nesting Beach in Mersin, Turkey: Nesting Activity of Green and Loggerhead Sea Turtles over 6 Nesting Seasons (2009 - 2014) at Davultepe Beach. Marine Turtle Newsletter. 149: 6-9.
10. Esenliogulları Mete, A. & Tosunoglu, Z. (2019). Interactions between sea turtles and fishing along the Aegean Coast of Turkey. Aquatic Sciences and Engineering, 34(1): 7–13.
11. Gul, B., Lok, A., Ozgul, A., Ulaş, A., Duzbastilar, F. O. & Metin, C. (2011). Comparison of fish community structure on artificial reefs deployed at different depths on Turkish Aegean Sea coast. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 59: 27-32.
12. Guzel, F. O. (2012). A case study at Dalyan destination through the protection of natural resources in the context of resource based tourism: Caretta caretta. Journal of Tourism and Research, 1(2): 36-50.
13. Honario, P. P. F., Ramos, R. T. C. & Feitoza, B. M. (2010). Composition and structure of reef fish communities in Parabia State, North-eastern Brazil. Journal of Fish Biology, 77: 907-926.
14. Jensen, A. C. (2002). Artificial reefs of Europe: Perspective and future. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 59: 3-13.
15. Jimenez, C., Hadjioannou, L., Petrou, A., Andreou, V. & Georojou, A. (2016). Fouling communities of two accidental artificial reefs (modern shipwrecks) in Cyprus (Levantine Sea).Water, 9(1): 11.
16. Kelez, S., Vélez-Zuazo, X. & Manrique, C. (2003). New evidence on the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus 1758) in Peru. EcologíaAplicada, 2(1): 141-142.
17. Krumholz, J. S. & Brennan, M. L. (2015). Fishing for common ground: Investigations of the impact of trawling on ancient shipwreck sites uncovers a potential for management synergy. Marine Policy, 31: 127-133.
18. Lara, P. H., Torres de Almeida, D., Famigliettia, C., Romano, A., Whelpley, J. & Byun, A. (2016). Continued Light Interference on Loggerhead Hatchlings Along the Southern Brazilian Coast. Marine Turtle Newsletter, 149: 1-5.
19. Lok, A., Metin, C., Ulaş, A., Duzbastilar, F. O. & Tokac, A. (2002). Artificial reefs in Turkey, ICES Journal of Marine Science, 59: 192–195.
20. Özdilek, Ş. Y., Sönmez, B. & Sert, M. (2018). Stranded sea turtle between 2010 and 2017 in northern Aegean and Sea of Marmara. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 24: 17-22.
21. Özgül, A. & Lök, A. (2017). Artificial reef studies in Turkey. In: H. Erkanal, V. Şahoğlu, İ. Tuğcu (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th Annual Meeting of Underwater Science and Technology, İzmir, Turkey. Bilgin Kültür Sanat Yayınları, Ankara, Turkey.
22. Öztekin, A., Cengiz, Ö. & Özekinci, U. (2013). Kuzey Ege Denizi’nde (Türkiye) Kullanılan Paragat Takımlarının Teknik Özellikleri ve Yapısal Farklılıkları. Tabiat ve İnsan, 50: 11-16.
23. Salmon, M., Reising, M. & Stapleton, S. (2016). The evolution of hatchling morphology. Marine Turtle Newsletter, 149: 9 -12.
24. Seminoff, J. A. (2004). Chelonia mydas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T4615A11037468. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T4615A11037468.en. Downloaded on 05 July 2019.
25. Simon, T., Pinheiro, H. T. & Joyeux, J.C. (2010). Target fishes on artificial reefs: Evidences of impacts over nearby natural environments. Science of the Total Environment, 409: 4579-4584.
26. Würtz, M. (2010). Mediterranean Pelagic Habitat: Oceanographic and Biological Processes, An Overview. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Switzerland. 88p.