Altan Lök

• Professor
• Ege University

Acoustic telemetry (AT) has emerged as a valuable tool for monitoring aquatic animals in both European inland and marine waters over the past two decades. The European Tracking Network (ETN) initiative has played a pivotal role in promoting collaboration among AT researchers in Europe and has led to a significant increase in the number of tagged an...

Deployment of artificial wreck reefs (AWRs) near natural reefs can influence fish assemblages on both reefs. Here, we assessed fish attitudes (abundances, biomass and species richness) according to different level complexity areas of wrecks, feeding guilds of fish and body size of fish of two identical AWRs deployed at the same depth (36.6 m) and d...

The comparison of population density of Holothuria tubulosa (Gmelin, 1790) and Holothuria polii (Delle Chiaje, 1823) between exploited and non-exploited areas in the Aegean Sea coast of Türkiye Türkiye'nin Ege Denizi kıyılarında Holothuria tubulosa (Gmelin, 1790) ve Holothuria polii (Delle Chiaje, 1823) popülasyon yoğunluğunun av yapılan ve yapılma...

This paper reports an additional record of Cubiceps gracilis (Lowe, 1843) indicating the extension of the species’ distribution into the eastern Mediterranean Sea. On 7 January 2022, a single specimen of C. gracilis was caught by bottom trawl at a depth of about 400 m off Antalya in the southern coasts of Turkey. This oceanic fish is still very rar...

Although artificial reef applications in Turkey started in the 1980s, the acceptance of its use as a tool in fisheries management ended in the 2000s. The first legal regulation on artificial reefs entered into force in 2001, and the National Artificial Reef Program (NARP) was prepared in 2009. The program was aimed to have two main purposes: (1) cr...

Diving tourism has been very popular in the world and Turkey. In addition to reasons such as seeking hobbies and socializing, marine biodiversity, natural reefs, wrecks, and corals cause more and more people to dive every day. In many regions in Turkey, which has many underwater riches, diving is prohibited for reasons such as archaeological and mi...

Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) is an aquatic invader and disruptive predator for marine ecosystems. A single lionfish was photographed and sampled in March 2021 during a scientific survey at 36 m depth in Karaburun/İzmir Bay. In this study presents an update on the lionfish's northward progression in the Aegean Sea.

The study was conducted between July 2018 and May 2020 to compare seasonal changes in growth parameters of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) at different depths in two different areas of the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea (Aegean Sea). In a preliminary study, mussels were placed in cages at different depths of an artificial reef...

Gemi, uçak ve tank gibi yapılar ülkemizde yaklaşık 20 yıldır dalış turizmine katkı sağlamak amacıyla kasıtlı olarak batırılarak yapay resif olarak kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Eylül 2018 - Ağustos 2019 tarihleri arasında İzmir Körfezi Karaburun’da yapay resif olarak kullanılmak üzere batırılan Alaybey Gemisi’nde yürütülmüştür. Bu çalışmanın amacı,...

Reusing obsolete and decommissioned vehicles for creating artificial reefs is an option for contributing to the diving tourism. Artificial reefs are used all around the world for conserving fragile habitats, rehabilitating depleted areas, preventing habitat loss, increasing biodiversity, providing shelter for all aquatic organisms, supplying new su...

Artificial reefs (ARs) are defined as any structures that are placed on the seafloor to protect sensitive ecosystems, enhance biodiversity, and support small-scale fisheries or diving tourism. With the recent development of fine-scale acoustic tracking, ecologists and fishery managers have gained a powerful tool to explore how exploited species beh...

Ocak-Şubat 2011 ve Eylül 2012 tarihleri arasında toplam 24 trol çekimi yapılmıştır. 800 gözlü kesimli dip trol ağından kaçan kırma mercan (Pagellus erythrinus) bireylerini yakalamak için örtü kullanılmıştır. 40 mm kare, 44 ve 50 mm rombik gözlü trol torbalarından kaçan bireylerin ölüm oranları 7 gün boyunca yapılan gözlemler ile tespit edilmiştir....

Artificial reefs are used in seas around the world for many purposes, eg., conservation, renovation, production etc. Recreational artificial reefs are also made to create sufficient adequate areas for diving. The two main aims of these structures are to attract divers in areas where natural habitats are deficient and to decrease the human pressure...

Artificial reefs are to be used as a tool in fisheries management in worldwide since long time. Fishing practices in artificial reef areas should also be operated with a management model as it is in the other fishing zones. Unmanaged artificial reef system may be more harmful than its profits. Acoustic telemetry can be an extremely effective tool t...

Artificial reefs are to be used as a tool in fisheries management in worldwide since long time. Fishing practices in artificial reef areas should also be operated with a management model as it is in the other fishing zones. Unmanaged artificial reef system may be more harmful than its profits. Acoustic telemetry can be an extremely effective tool t...

Scuba diving has become a burgeoning branch of the tourism service. Various activities of recreational diving do not especially necessitate natural reefs-any varied vehicle such as ship, plane and other large structures may be adequately attractive. Coastal groups are turning to these structures by the way of supplying new locations for scuba divin...

The role of artificial reefs for protecting marine biodiversity, developing diving tourism and small-scale fisheries, and in preventing illegal fisheries is often discussed in terms of fishery management. The most considerable issue is the sustainability of fisheries without damaging the marine ecosystem in reef areas. The purpose of this study to...

Artificial reefs have received varied acceptance in over 50 nations for practical purposes such as ecosystem conservation and fishery production. To date, around 300 artificial reefs are deployed in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and their main purpose is to enhance fisheries and improve fisheries management. Small scale artificial reef applic...

Scuba diving has become a burgeoning branch of the tourism business. Many activities of recreational diving do not especially necessitate natural reefs-any varied three-dimensional structure such as ship, plane and other large structures may be adequately attractive. Coastal communities are turning to these structures as a means of supplying new lo...

Artificial reefs are being used worldwide for multiple purposes, but aims are supporting of small-scale fisheries and protecting sensitive habitats generally. Acoustic telemetry can be an extremely useful tool to understand the residency and habitat preferences of fish species within artificial reefs. In this study we focused on determining the res...

The aim of study is to determine fish community structure around the artificial reefs deployed on Gulf of Edremit in the Northern Aegean Sea, from June 2013 to July 2015. Underwater visual census technique was used to determine fish species, number of individual and size estimation. A total of 46 species from 21 families were recorded; among the mo...

Red mullet (Mullus barbatus) is one of the most important commercial species for the multi-speciesMediterranean demersal trawl fisheries. Several experimental studies have been carried out to assess thecodend size selectivity for red mullet in the last two decades. However, while the number of experiment-based selectivity studies on red mullet are...

Red mullet (Mullus barbatus) is one of the most important commercial species for the multi-species Mediterranean demersal trawl fisheries. Several experimental studies have been carried out to assess the codend size selectivity for red mullet in the last two decades. However, while the number of experiment-based selectivity studies on red mullet ar...

This paper presents the results of an application of a new ultrasonic telemetry method for brown meagre, Sciaena umbra inhabiting an artificial reef (AR) in the northern Aegean Sea. The objective of the study was the use of Vemco Positioning System (VPS) methods to determine the short-term movements from August to September 2013 of four brown meagr...

Studies on habitat usage and movements of Pomatomus saltatrix L.were very limited around the world especially in Mediterranean Sea. Active tracking system was used to determine movements of adult bluefish around artificial reefs in Gulf of Edremit which take place on their migration route from North (Black Sea) to South (Mediterranean Sea). Further...

In recent years, circle hooks have been encouraged as an alternative to traditional J-hooks in pelagic longline fisheries to minimize by-catch mortality and injury to sea turtles and other marine wildlife. Prior to this study, circle hooks had not been used by domestic commercial pelagic longliners in Turkey. The main objective of the study was to...

The interaction between fish and artificial habitats and determination of diel variations on the fish assemblages around artificial reefs and movement patterns are extremely important for the management of small-scale fisheries. That knowledge will affect the success of reef projects. Sciaena umbra, Scorpaena porcus and Scorpaena scrofa and members...

Arti cial reefs are de ned as any structure that people build or placed on the sea oor, water column or oating on the sea surface for the purpose of the protection of sensitive ecosystems, enhancement of biodiversity, and supporting of small scale sheries and diving tourism. Arti cial reefs have been used for coastal management purposes in many cou...

One of the main objectives of arti cial reefs is to support sheries. Arti cial reefs have direct and indirect impacts on recreational and commercial sheries where deployed. It has been proved by researchers that arti cial reefs deployed on the seabed to protect marine ecosystem and to increase productivity of resources, have positive biological, so...

This review has been prepared by Ege University, a partner of the CREAM Project, on the basis of data and information relevant to Turkish fisheries. To this end, data belonging to a total of 31 information sources produced from 19 fisheries studies were collected, investigated, and analysed. The data are heterogeneous and were obtained from scienti...

SÜR-KOOP'un maddi katkılarıyla basılan bu kitap, Ege Üniversitesi Su ürünleri Fakültesi, İzmir Su Ürünleri Kooperatifleri Birliği, Foça Merkez Su Ürünleri Kooperatifi ve Foça Belediyesi'nin desteğiyle organize edilmiş, " Ege Denizi Balıkçılığı ve Balıkçılarımız " konulu çalıştayın sunumlarını, metinlerini ve sonuçlarını içermektedir.

In this study, the variation of Caulerpa racemosa density depending on different depths and its effects on the diversity of some fish species in catch composition were investigated. The quadrate method was used by divers to determine the variation of density of C. racemosa depending on depth and its possible effects on fish species diversity was de...

This study aimed to determine the survival rates of three fish species, the brown comber (Serranus hepatus), black goby (Gobius niger) and annular seabream (Diplodus annularis), after their escape from a 40 mm stretched diamond mesh polyethylene (PE) codend. Experiments were carried out in the eastern Mediterranean in September 2007 using a convent...

We investigated the survival of red mullet (Mullus barbatus), annular seabream (Diplodus annularis), and blotched picarel (Spicara maena) escaping from 40mm square and 40mm diamond mesh codends in the Aegean Sea. A low mortality for red mullet and blotched picarel was observed, and annular seabream had no mortality for two different codends. Red mu...

Two steel spar buoys were constructed and moored in 50 and 100 m deep of water in the Aegean Sea to support recreational fisheries. The first FAD was deployed at coordinates 38°01´48´´N 26°58´02´´E and at a distance of 3 nautical miles from the shoreline. The other FAD was moored at 1.1 nautical miles from the shoreline at coordinates 38°03´11´´N;...

This study was carried out in the Gulf of 0zmir in the Aegean Sea between June 2006 and November 2008. The purpose was the creation of a new concept of the artificial reef for Octopus vulgaris, with a view to establishing new artificial reef sites to be used in the fisheries management of this species (MPA, NTZ or fishing areas). First, the main ch...

Deployment depth of artificial reefs is one of the most important issue in planning stage and future success. Most of the studies aimed at determination of fish community around artificial reefs were conducted mainly 10-25m depths in Mediterranean and Aegean Sea. The goals of this study are determine and compare of fish community structure around a...

Determination of diel variations of fish assemblages around artificial reefs may provide a better understanding of the ecological and biological process occurring in these man-made structures, as well as more accurate evaluation of their effectiveness. The aim of this study was to determine the diel variations of the fish assemblages on artificial...

Environmental design criteria for artificial reefs, including wave and current interaction, were investigated in an unidirectional wave channel to account for conditions encountered in the Black Sea. Wave and current data were obtained from a multifunctional observation system in the Black Sea and analyzed for use in the wave channel experiments. R...

Poor selectivity of conventional trawl codends has recently been a serious concern in Turkish fisheries. Modification of the codends to reduce the capture of juvenile fish has been one of the management tools for sustainable fisheries. This study investigates effect of square mesh escape window installation on selectivity of bottom trawl codends fo...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the survival rate of red mullet (Mullus barbatus L., 1758) after escaping from a commercial bottom-trawl codend in the Bay of Izmir, east coast of the Aegean Sea. The experiments were conducted in September 2001. A traditional bottom trawl with a 40mm codend was towed for 15min. A cover over the codend w...

Primary materials in the construction of artificial reefs. It was reported that flora and fauna diversity increased with construction blocks modules, and systems from various materials in artificial reef applications. Recently, materials used for artificial reefs are concrete, steel, rocks, and plastics. It is possible that produces in different de...

Artificial reef deployment in Turkish waters and results from monitoring studies are described. The first known project with 10 old trolley-bus bodies was in 1989, and presently there are six ongoing projects in which reinforced concrete modules of five different designs are being used. The main aims are: (1) to protect fish-spawning and nursery ar...

TÜBİTAK Project Report / TÜBİTAK Proje Raporu

Turkish pelagic fish production is 448.500 ton and 30200 ton of this production is obtained from the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean. While 7% of the Turkish pelagic fish is obtained from these seas, 60% of this production is sardine (Sardina sp.) and 22% is anchovies (Engraulis sp.). To increase the density of the pelagic fish schools living in t...

Survival of Fish After Escape from a Trawl Codend

The scientific study of artificial reefs is a comparatively new concept in Turkey, starting with the introduction of a reef at Hekim Island (Fig. 1) by the Aegean University Fisheries Faculty in 1991 and followed by the placing of a reef off Foça by Nine September University in 1993. During the 1980s small-scale reefs were deployed by diving clubs...

In the present study, the seasonal variations in demersal catch composition in Gulbahce Bay were investigated by trawl sampling. Species identification of the samples was carried out at class, family and species levels. The results of this study were compared to those of previous studies carried out in the same area and it was concluded that red mu...

Recently, the catch per unit effort of conventional bottom otter trawl nets used in the Aegean Sea has decreased and the mean body length of the major species has become smaller. The reason may be partly the poor selectivity of conventional trawl nets. It may be possible to modify trawl net design to improve selection and protect demersal fish stoc...

The selectivity of gill net in different mesh size for Diplodus annularis (Linn., 1758) and Spicara flexuosa (Rafinesque, 1810): In this study, the size selectivitiy of gill nets for D. annularis and S. flexuosa was estimated from samples collected with nets of 18, 20, 22 mm mesh size (nominal bar lenght). Selectivity parameters were estimated usin...

The effect of different cod-end designs on bottom trawl selectivity was studied using the hooped cod-end cover method. The selectivities of three different cod-ends: standard, 15% shortened lastridge rope and narrowed circumference (to 120 mesh from 150 mesh), were measured for red mullet (Mullus barbatus L., 1758) and annular sea bream (Diplodus a...

In this study, the effects on the cod-end selectivity of two different techniques of covered cod-end method used commonly in the trawl selectivity experiments have been tried to determine with towing of 30 and 60 minutes. However, it has been intended the fact that also a possible masking effect of covered cod-end method is determined on the cod-en...

Artificial reef deployment in Turkish waters and results from monitoring studies are described. The first known project with 10 old trolley-bus bodies was in 1989, and presently there are six ongoing projects in which reinforced concrete modules of five different designs are being used. The main aims are: (1) to protect fish-spawning and nursery are...