One specimen of the Indo‐Pacific silverstripe blaasop Lagocephalus sceleratus(Gmelin, 1789)(Tetraodontidae) is recorded from the Aegean coast of Turkey and is confirmed for the Mediterranean. Dispersal of the species to the Mediterranean is due to migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.

In Turkey, small-scale fishermen experience a significant number of health problems and have unhealthy lifestyles. Interventions designed to improve working conditions of small-scale fishermen could help to reduce the number of occupational injuries, which in turn may impact positively on their health. Prevention policies to reduce alcohol and tobacco consumption should also be developed.

This contribution forms part of a series of collective articles published regularly in Mediterranean Marine Science that report on new biodiversity records from the Mediterranean basin. The current article presents 51 geographically distinct records for 21 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla, extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine. The new records, per country, are as follows: Spain: the cryptogenic calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna is reported from a new location in the Alicante region. Algeria: the rare Atlanto-Mediterranean bivalve Cardium indicum is reported from Annaba. Tunisia: new distribution records for the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois miles from Zembra Island and Cape Bon. Italy: the ark clam Anadara transversa is reported from mussel cultures in the Gulf of Naples, while the amphipod Caprella scaura and the isopods Paracerceis sculpta and Paranthura japonica are reported as associated to the -also allochthonous-bryozoan Amathia verticillata in the Adriatic Sea; in the latter region, the cosmopolitan Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensis is also reported, a rare finding for the Mediterranean. Slovenia: a new record of the non-indigenous nudibranch Polycera hedgpethi in the Adriatic. Greece: several new reports of the introduced scleractinian Oculina patagonica, the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina, the blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (all Atlantic), and the lionfish Pterois miles (Indo-Pacific) suggest their ongoing establishment in the Aegean Sea; the deepest bathymetric record of the invasive alga Caulerpa cylindracea in the Mediterranean Sea is also registered in the Kyklades, at depths exceeding 70 m. Turkey: new distribution records for two non-indigenous crustaceans, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Atlantic origin) and the moon crab Matuta victor (Indo-Pacific origin) from the Bay of Izmir and Antalya, respectively; in the latter region, the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali, is also reported. Lebanon: an array of records of 5 alien and one native Mediterranean species is reported by citizen-scientists; the Pacific jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata and the Indo-Pacific teleosteans Tylerius spinosissimus, Ostracion cubicus, and Lutjanus argentimaculatus are reported from the Lebanese coast, the latter notably being the second record for the species in the Mediterranean Sea since 1977; the native sand snake-eel Ophisurus serpens, rare in the eastern Mediterranean, is reported for the first time from Lebanon, this being its easternmost distribution range; finally, a substantial number of sightings of the lionfish Pterois miles further confirm the current establishment of this lessepsian species in the Levantine.

This study reports on the yield of commercially important species captured intentionally around and under fish-cage farms using specific types of gear from both sea-cage farmers and artisanal fishermen, and to identify the species composition of these catches. The 2004-2008 research was carried out in 21 fish farms, randomly chosen along the coast of Izmir Province on the Aegean Sea. A total of 91 persons were interviewed, including directors, fishers from the fish farms and artisanal fishermen. The technical characteristics of a special trap used by some fish farmers were diagramed. Total wild fish catch quantities as well the species raised in the sea-cages were recorded. A total of 34 finfish and four invertebrate species were identified from the sea-cage farm fishery. Eight fish species according to the descending quantities raised were bogue (Boops boops), grey mullet (Mugil spp.), blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo), salema (Sarpa salpa), common two-banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris), annular seabream (Diplodus annularis), striped seabream (Lithognathus mormyrus) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Mean quantities of wild fish caught from 2004 to 2008 in a sampled farm were 13 998 ± 210, 34 434 ± 482, 30 116 ± 529, 27 893 ± 429, and 32 366 ± 808 kg, respectively. There were significant differences between fish amounts and years (P < 0.05).

Ceyhan, T., Akyol, O., Ayaz, A., and Juanes, F. 2007. Age, growth, and reproductive season of bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) in the Marmara region, Turkey. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 531–536. Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are distributed widely along the Turkish coasts, and are regularly captured, especially in the Sea of Marmara during their spawning migration to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean in spring and during their return migration south in early autumn. Age, growth, and reproductive season are reported. The ages of 1114 bluefish were determined from otoliths. The age groups ranged from 0 to III, and mean fork lengths (and weights) were 14.4 ± 0.12 cm (38.2 ± 1.02 g), 19.5 ± 0.06 cm (93.7 ± 0.86 g), 27.5 ± 0.48 cm (238.5 ± 11.3 g), and 33.3 ± 0.50 cm (431.9 ± 17.08 g) for each age group, respectively. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L∞ = 51 cm, K = 0.228, and t0 = −1.26 y. The reproductive period, evaluated from gonadosomatic indices, began in early spring and extended until August.

Summary This study describes length–weight (LWR) and length–length relationships (LLR) of bluefin tuna (BFT), Thunnus thynnus, in the eastern Mediterranean (Levantine Sea). Fulton’s condition factor (K) was also calculated for each standard length class for both sexes. A total of 363 specimens, 175 males and 188 females, were caught by purse‐seine from late winter to early summer 2003 off Antalya Bay, Turkey. Fork length values of 175 BFT males were between 114 and 250 cm with an average of 159.3 cm ± 2.14, and between 116 and 256 cm with an average of 163 cm ± 2.26 in 188 females. LWRs indicated positive allometric growth in both males and females. The coefficient b ranged from a minimum 3.32 for males to a maximum of 3.35 for females. Results indicated that the LLRs were highly correlated (r2 > 0.99, P < 0.001). K values ranged from 1.45 to 2.11 (mean: 1.56 ± 0.12) in males and from 1.43 to 2.14 (mean: 1.69 ± 0.06) in females.

Summary Seasonal landings and survey data from the Turkish shrimp beam trawl fishery were analyzed. A total of 32 valid hauls from twelve boats were analyzed 17 in autumn, 12 in spring and three in winter. The estimated by‐catch to shrimp ratios exhibited a seasonal pattern, with autumn having the highest ratio. In total, the by‐catch consisted of 57 species belonging to six groups of marine fauna, including Osteichthyes (25 species), Chondrichthyes (three species), Crustacea (six species), Mollusca (11 species), Cephalopoda (five species) and Echinodermata (seven species). The Osteichthyes form the most abundant (52.6%) by‐catch group, followed by Crustacea > Chondrichthyes > Echinodermata > Cephalopoda > and Mollusca. Whiting, Merlangius merlangus euxinus and hake, Merluccius merluccius dominated in the commercially utilized part of the by‐catch, while swimming crab, Leocarcinus depurator and gobies, Gobius bucchichi, G. niger dominated the discarded part of catches. The mean catch per unit effort (CPUE) obtained from all hauls was 5.91 ± 0.62 kg h−1. There were no statistically significant differences among mean CPUE values per season (P > 0.05).

The objective of this study was to document the frequency of occurrence of very rare fish species as well as to note the changes in diversity over time. Fish species recorded fewer than five times over the past 40 years from the coasts of Izmir (central Aegean Sea) were included in the account and considered as being very rare. The records are listed chronologically. Fish species recently recorded in the area for the first time are also included. Changes in qualitative and quantitative composition of the ichthyofauna along the coasts of Izmir are also discussed.