Will Mediterranean Monk Seals Survive in the Mediterranean Sea?

Bayram ÖZTÜRK, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Istanbul

The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is a mammal facing the danger of extinction and it is actually listed as one of the six most threatened mammals in the world by lUCN. The world population of Mediterranean monk seals was estimated to be 600-1000 individuals in the1970's. Recently, however, it is estimated to be 300-400 individuals. Only 100 to 150 seals remain in the Mediterranean Sea, while there is another population of 200-300 individuals on the Atlantic coast of North Africa.

Turkey is one of the few countries that still have monk seal populations among the Mediterranean countries. The Mediterranean monk seal has been under legal protection since 1977. A national strategy has been prepared in order to coordinate all the efforts for the survival of this species and to develop a comprehensive policy and relevant projects that could be supported and funded at the national and international level.

However, the population of the Mediterranean monk seal in the Turkish coasts of the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea is not stable. In the 1970's, 150-300 monk seals were estimated in Turkish waters, from which less than 100 individuals are left now. The main causes of the decline of the population are increasing adult and juvenile mortalities due to deliberate killing mostly by fishermen, loss of habitats because of tourism and overurbanization, and lack of food as a result of overfishing. The monk seals live mostly in remote cliffbound coasts and islets in the Aegean and Mediterranean part of Turkey. This species is on the verge of extinction in the Black Sea and Marmara Sea.

For the survival of the Mediterranean monk seal in the Mediterranean Sea, a concerted action is needed. Priorities for conservation actions include the enlargement of special protected areas and the establishment of new protected areas, effective in situ protection, enforcement of the laws, education for fishermen, campaigns for raising public awareness, monitoring population parameters, and determining habitats and overlapping administrative zones (between Turkey and Greece) in the Aegean Sea.

Monachus monachus is not a competitor to human beings, but one of the witnesses of the ancient Mediterranean. The protection of the Mediterranean monk seal, therefore, means the protection of the Mediterranean Sea.

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