Mediterranean Monk Seal

Mediterranean monk seals Monachus monachus attacked ¢sh on 11marine ¢sh farms in theTurkish Aegean between 1992 and 2000. There were 40 attacks on ¢sh farms where gilthead sea bream Sparus auratus and European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax were raised in holding cages. Single seals usually attacked cages at night, regardless of the size of ¢sh in the cages. The seals damaged both holding nets of the cages and ¢sh and, on most occasions, ¢sh escaped as a result of the attacks. With the exception of only one facility, all ¢sh farms attacked by monk seals were concentrated on the large peninsulas including Karaburun and Bodrum Peninsulas, and the number of seal attacks was higher during the winter months. A direct intervention to deter seals such as the use of lights, feeding with pesticide-injected ¢sh, noise generation, warning and direct shots with ri£es and physical exclusion of seals from holding cages by installing antipredator nets were applied to prevent or reduce seal attacks. Our study shows that deterrents such as lights and warning shots were not e¡ective in preventing monk seal attacks. However, both curtain-and bag-type antipredator nets were found to be e¡ective.

This study presents the Mediterranean Monk Seal Information and Rescue Network (AFBIKA geo-database), which has been designed
and constructed to improve the monitoring of the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779)
in Turkey. Sighting data gathered by SAD-AFAG through various projects and expeditions are entered to the system using Geographic
Information System (GIS) and a linked database in order to gather information about distribution and habitat use of the species. With
proceeding modifications to the network in the following years, it will probably serve as an effective management tool that may contribute
to continuation of species survival.

The Foça Marine Protected Area does not have an integrated protection status. However, it instead comprises coastal and marine components under different protection status. Consequently, the area does not have dedicated zonation and management plans. Because this protected area involves a coastal settlement, as being the second biggest fishing port on the Turkish Aegean with holiday complexes, human activities pressuring on it is a delicate issue. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to draft an integrated zonation plan for the Foça Marine Protected Area, and to propose activities to establish a preliminary management plan to be further developed. For these purposes the activities
carried out and their subsequent results were five-fold:
1. Development of a GIS for the Foça Marine Protected Area is prepared by using the Manifold Software and Quickbird satellite image in 60 cm resolution and the development planning sheets.
2. For mapping of sea grass beds, to identify the threats and to propose
solutions the coordinates from deep to shallow limits of Posidonia oceanica (which is the main sea grass species) beds were recorded by the help of SCUBA divers and by means of remotely controlled underwater camera. And these coordinates were entered into GIS to prepare the distribution map of these beds. Threats like patchy degradation formations on these beds due to anchoring were
identified during field surveys and required precautions such as establishment of new mooring sites within the protected area were proposed accordingly.
3. Field studies to prepare an avifauna inventory, observations on some
nesting birds, identify threats and to propose solutions. As result of field
observations, the avifauna inventory, which was prepared earlier in 1992-95, was updated. 130 bird species were recorded. Studies conducted on some nesting key species to compare breeding success with previous studies’ data. All data gathered were entered into GIS and maps were produced. Threats on this taxa were identified and solutions such as to prevent the disturbance during the breeding seasons of common and little terns on the Orak Island were proposed.
4. To input already existing seal data into GIS and habitat mapping. All field data among which included sightings, observations and monk seal cave checks with the methodology described by Güçlüsoy & Savaş (2003) collected since 1993 were entered into GIS and a distribution map was produced.
5. With the aid of GIS, all the data collected from above studies were used to assess and pinpoint the hot spots of the protected area. Therefore, both the zonation plan and the activities for the management plan were proposed under the light of these findings.