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On February 27, 2018, a female smoothback angelshark, Squatina oculata, was incidentally captured in a gill-net fishery off the Mudanya coast (southeastern Sea of Marmara). An opportunistic photographic record confirmed the emergence of S. oculata in the Sea of Marmara, where its status in the area is considered questionable because of its absence for many years in the region. The current opportunistic records are valuable data sources, which can provide complementary information to fill the knowledge gaps in the life histories of rare, rarely caught, or endangered sharks and rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, an improvement in technological adoption which optimizes the environmental benefits of fisheries is needed. The testing of quality standards in trawl fishing is one of the essential components. In an experiment, we tested four bottom trawl cod-ends in the western Black Sea to determine the characteristics of the catch composition. Fishing trials were conducted by 40 mm diamond (40D), 44 mm diamond (44D), 40 mm square (the 40S), and 40 mm 90-degree turned (40T) mesh cod-ends for 31 bottom trawling hauls. The multivariate analysis of catch composition indicated a significantly higher differentiation between 40D and 40T cod-ends, mainly characterized by five species: Merlangius merlangus, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Trachinus draco, Mullus barbatus, and Uranuscopus scaber. The difference in the shape of cod-end meshes reflected the variation in the catchability and catch composition. However, the 40S and 40T showed 80% similarity in catch composition. Among cod-ends, 40T yielded in lowest catch per unit effort for both commercial and other species. Adoption of gear specially made to catch more target species can help bottom trawl fisheries further improve their ecological and economic sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormalities of shape, color or body deformities such as lack of swim bladders or any parts of the body are an unexplained issue for many fish species. There is a gap of knowledge regarding their causes. Generally, it is an important problem in the rearing technique in aquaculture management due to the high economic consequences. The morphological abnormalities occur in marine fishes as well. Missing dorsal spines or rays, scale disorientation, jaw deformities, eye deformations and the lack of some parts of the body are within the context of abnormality. In the present study, the body abnormality observed in a specimen of European hake (Merluccius merluccius Linnaeus, 1758) missing its right eye which was caught by a fisherman in the Marmara Sea on 13 October 2020, and its causes are reported and discussed. Further studies are needed to correlate the wild fish anomalies caused by pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript reports on four new jellyfish species in the Sea of Marmara (Turkey) (the scyphozoans Mawia benovici and Drymonema dalmatinum, hydrozoan Aequorea forskalea, and thaliacean Salpa maxima) based on plankton collections made in the years 2019-2021. This is the first record of Mawia benovici in both Turkish coastal areas and the Sea of Marmara. The jellyfish that was previously recorded as Drymonema sp. in the repetition Sea of Marmara was identified at the species level as D. dalmatinum. Furthermore, their possible introduction pathways are briefly discussed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]