“We have observed some species found in the Mediterranean Sea that were never before seen in the Black Sea expand their habitat and enter the Black Sea,” Levent Bat, a professor at Sinop University’s faculty of fisheries and aquatic sciences, told the Anatolia news agency.Highlighting that the increasing number of Mediterranean species in the Black Sea is an ecological danger, Bat said: “Our studies over the last 20 years show that the temperature of the Black Sea has increased by 0.2 degrees Celsius. As a result of this, some species of invertebrates that are not normally seen in the Black Sea, including sponges, crabs, echinodermata, sea worms and shrimp, were discovered in the Black Sea. It would not be exaggeration to describe the increased population of Mediterranean species in the Black Sea as an ecological danger. We do not yet know the effect the newcomers will have on existing species. The migration of the species found in the Mediterranean to the Black Sea through the straits is a known fact. This situation will gain speed in accordance with the rise of the temperature [of the Black Sea]. The naturally formed barrier between the İstanbul strait and the Black Sea due to the salinity and temperature difference is expected to disappear slowly because of the temperature rise.”
Bat also noted that the anchovy population will be affected by the change. The anchovy is currently a symbol of the Black Sea and the Black Sea region. “Migration routes will change, and this will, in turn, directly affect the anchovy population,” he added.
Recalling that the Black Sea has a special place in the Turkish fishing sector and that more than 70 percent of fish caught in Turkey since the 1970s have come from this sea, Bat said more than half of the fish caught in the country are anchovies.
The professor further stressed that more importance must be placed on research in the Black Sea and that a strong research and monitoring policy must be followed. Noting that there is no inventory of species living in the Black Sea, Bat said a list must be made and different species tracked in the sea. He also added that the temperature change will be observed more clearly over the next century.
