Official figures point to serious problems with diversity in Turkey’s ecosystem, with increasingly invasive new fish species now migrating and dominating the area. 540 “alien” species and 105 invasive species have been found in the seas around Turkey. The 2020 census by the Directorate for Nature Protection and Nature Parks shows that 14 species are among the most dangerous in the world.
The study is part of a project funded by the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Program to assess the threat to biodiversity posed by invasive fish species for marine areas. The project aims to prevent the entry of invasive species into various ecosystems.
In the waters along the Turkish coast the number of invasive species has exceeded 1000. Turkish territorial waters in the Mediterranean have the most invasive species in the country – 413. 253 species have been found in the Aegean Sea, while this number is 124 and 28 for Marble and Black respectively. the sea.
The most dangerous invasive species seen in Turkey are the sea lion (Pterois). These are a genus of poisonous marine fish from the Sea Scorpion family. Usually species of this genus are distributed in the waters around the equator.
Other poisonous fish are those typical of coral reefs.
Lagocephalus sceleratus is a species of ray finch, it is widely known as the silver-cheeked frog or balloon fish, and is an extremely poisonous marine bony fish of the family Tetraodontidae.
Stonefish (Synanceia) are a genus of fish in the class Rayfish, inhabiting mainly the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but are already found in the Mediterranean. Species of this genus are known to have the most powerful neurotoxins of all poisonous fish. They are secreted by glands located at the base of their sharp spinal fins. Their name comes from their excellent camouflage, thanks to which they disguise themselves as stones.
Another atypical marine inhabitant is the “Sea Snail” – a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod mollusks. They are snails of the class Gastropoda and differ from snails primarily by the lack of a visible shell.
Rhopilema nomadica “nomadic jellyfish” is commonly found in the tropical warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Since the 1970s, it has also been found in the Mediterranean Sea, where it enters through the Suez Canal like most other poisonous species. It is found in the Eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Israel, Turkey and in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece. Her body is light blue. The European Union considers this species to be one of the worst invasive marine species in European waters
Invasive species cause economic, social and environmental problems, experts say. Invasive species enter Turkish waters in a variety of ways. Some of them are legally or illegally introduced into the country for aquaculture, for recreational purposes or to be kept in aquariums. Others enter the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal or ballast water from ships arriving in the country from around the world.
