Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University (COMU) Signature in The Turkey’s First Stony Coral Reef Protection Area

The research carried out since 2009 by the Ass.Prof. Barış Özalp; member of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Vocational School of Maritime Technologies, on the most unique and broad stony coral reef ecosystem of the Turkish straits system has recently gone under protection. 

In this context, for the protection of the endangered “Cladocora caespitosa” that inhabit coral colonies in the Dardanos Reef area and represented as the restricted number of colonies, all fishing activities taking place around the protection buoy, which is within a restricted area of 720-2000 square meter, were banned. 

The coral reef which is followed closely by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is also the Turkey’s first stony coral reef protection area. 

Çanakkale Dardanos Cladocora reefs which are the most broad and stony coral reefs of the Turkish straits system creates habitats for 92 mature colonies together with over 560 baby and stony, young coral colonies.