Field surveys on recent situation of seahorses in Turkey

Seahorses (genus: Hippocampus) are traded globally for use in traditional medicines, souvenirs and as aquarium fishes. Between 1999 and 2008, surveys were made in order to expose the situation (species distribution, seahorse fishery and trade etc.) of seahorses in Turkey. The surveys were conducted on south and west coasts of Turkey where fisheries activities are extensive and tourism is developed. Firstly fishermen, then owners of souvenir shops, citizens of the area and tourists were interviewed. In these interviews, questionnaires (Seahorse Observation Questionnaire, Seahorse Hunter Questionnaire and Seahorse Trade Questionnaire) were applied to all people. After all, we tried to make a decision about the situation of seahorses and trade in those areas by the evaluation of the questionnaires. Although we determined that seahorses live in all the area and 1-100 number of seahorses were caught as by-catch (per fisherman in a fishery season), we did not observe any fishery targeting seahorses in the area but trade observed in some localities. Domestic consumption was too small and a few souvenir shops sold seahorses. Fishermen generally released seahorses as alive to the sea, but sometimes one or two seahorses were taken for the friends and relatives as souvenir. Also, some interesting findings were obtained about using seahorses as medicine in some localities. © Biharean Biologist, Oradea, Romania, 2012