Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ECOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE SEA OF MARMARA, Melek İşinibilir,Ahmet E. Kıdeyş,Alenka Malej, Editör, Istanbul University Press, İstanbul, ss.573-586, 2024
In this paper, ichthyoplankton studies in the Sea of Marmara are evaluated and summarized. The chronological
records of ichthyoplankton studies were listed, whilst temporal and spatial variations in fish egg and larvae
biodiversity were discussed. The ecological role of fish eggs and larvae as an indicator were shown. The first study
dealt with ichthyoplankton in the Sea of Marmara, as well as in Türkiye was carried out in 1957. In total, eggs and/
or larvae of 76 fish species belonging to 32 families were identified in the Marmara Sea from 1993 to 2022. The
biodiversity of fish eggs and larvae appears to increase around the southwestern part of the Marmara Sea. In the
ichthyoplankton, the European sprat Sprattus sprattus and the anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus are the most abundant
species in the winter and summer periods, respectively. The inflow intensity and the direction of the upper current
layer from the Black Sea represent a significant constraint on spatial variation. Pollution, global warming,
acidification, and excessive, illegal fishing and recent mucilage events are threats causing ecological changes in the
ichthyoplankton in the Sea of Marmara. The decrease in the stocks of migratory fish such as mackerel and bluefish
in recent years, the breaking of the food chain due to overfishing of sprat before mucilage, and the gradual decrease
in the egg and larval biomass of sardines provide essential evidence in this regard. Although many valuable studies
have been conducted, continuous systematic monitoring studies should be undertaken from specific fixed stations
reflecting spawning seasons and spawning areas to understand the impact of environmental variations on fish stocks,
to develop sound advice to fisheries management authorities.