It’s World Oceans Day! Our partners Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Sveučilište u Splitu – University of Split and MedSharks are celebrating it studying Mediterranean sharks and rays in Turkey.
They joined a research mission organised by CIESM – Mediterranean Science Commission, currently underway in the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea, with researchers from Turkey, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy and France. Knowing the sharks and rays’ preferred areas and routes is vital to protect these largely understudied and mostly endangered species. The mission is still underway and has already shed light on the amazing shark and Ray biodiversity in Turkey, one of the last strongholds of several species that have declined dramatically in the western Mediterranean Sea. So far, scientists have recorded the butterfly ray Gymnura altavela and cownose ray Aetomyleus bovinus (both CR in the IUCN Red List), the guitarfish Rhinobatos rhinobatos, (classified as Endangered) and, amazingly, the cownose ray Rhinoptera marginata, a poorly studied species which is Data Deficient in the IUCN Red List.
This international scientific cruise is also a great networking opportunity to share information, insights and ideas., and we are grateful to CIESM to celebrate #WorldOceansDay in this amazing way!
