Trawlable species assemblages on the continental shelf of the northeastern Levant Sea Mediterranean with an emphasis on Lesseptian migration

A check listfor the Northeastern Levant Seafishes ispresented based on samples collected between 1980-1984. A total of 165 species were identified. The species community, whicb is vulnerable to trawl fishery, is examined. The numerical analysis of the trawl data showed that the infraliıtoral area from easıern half of the Mersin Bay to the easternmost tip of Gulf of ıskenderun, which is confined to the wider part of the continental shelf,form a specific community structure dissimifar to that of Posidonia oceanica associated with western part. This part isfavored by Lessepsian immigrants, which sametimes made up to 70% of the total demersalfish biomass