Albania   /   Croatia   /   Cyprus   /   Greece   /   Madeira   /   Mauritania & Western Sahara   /   Turkey

Mauritania & Western Sahara

Regional Recovery Plan

According to sources in Mauritania, discussions are currently underway on a long-term Regional Recovery Plan for the Atlantic population of Monachus monachus. The proposal, launched by the Spanish Ministry of Environment (and fronted by Luis Mariano Gonzalez of ICONA) advocates a cooperative approach between the monk seal’s Atlantic range states. Under the draft proposal, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Mauritania would engage in agreed conservation and research activities under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

While geopolitical realities in the region – in particular the disputed status of the Sahara Occidental – have long hindered conservation efforts along the Côte des Phoques, there appears to be a growing consensus of opinion that a supranational approach might offer the best hope for a long-term solution.

Advocates of the Plan suggest that a process of this kind might advance the long-stalled aim of establishing an international reserve at the Côte des Phoques the under the umbrella of a neutral international agency (such as a UN body).

Mauritanian participants have also voiced the hope that international dialogue over both the CMS Project and the Mauritanian National Strategy (see below) will heal rifts and stimulate "a more transparent approach by all partners, ultimately refocusing attention on what the real issue is – i.e. the monk seal and its survival and recovery."

Mauritania seeks funding

Reflecting this renewed spirit of cooperation, the various parties involved in the region are currently attempting to secure interim funding for ongoing research and conservation priorities. The PNBA (Banc d’Arguin National Park), the CNROP (Centre National de Recherches Oceanographiques et des Peches) and the University of Barcelona have applied to various agencies – the UN Foundation, Biodiversity Program Network – in the hope of obtaining a bridging grant that would allow a minimal monitoring of the Cap Blanc colony while awaiting the launch of longer term initiatives.

Strategy makes headway

Meanwhile, the Mauritanian authorities continue to make headway on their National Strategy for the Conservation of the Cap Blanc Monk Seal colony (see National Strategy to be Launched). Following extensive review on both the international and domestic front, the Strategy is now said to be undergoing final revision before submission to the Mauritanian authorities in the first quarter of the new year.

AFAG acts against protected area tourism development

AFAG has acted against the construction of tourist facilities in Gemile Bay, Fethiye, SW Turkey. The construction is being pursued by Ozyar Ltd., owned by a Turkish MP. Ozyar had pursued court action, seeking an injunction against the Ministry of Culture for its decision to declare the Bay a 1st degree SIT area (a form of protection that strictly prohibits any development or construction). Ozyar is also taking legal action against the Governorship of Mugla for its decision to halt its construction in August 1997.

Together with two other conservation-minded parties (The Society for Research on Rural Environment and Forest Problems, and Ms. Muruvet Ozsoyler, an individual from Istanbul) the SAD-AFAG board decided to take part in the court proceedings in support of the Ministry of Culture. As in other legal matters, SAD-AFAG was assisted in its legal efforts by the Izmir Lawyers Environmental Movement.

Prior to the commencement of court proceedings, AFAG researchers Yalcin Savas and Ozan Veryeri conducted a survey of Gemile Bay in October 1998 and found that the area was free from human disturbance and offered suitable habitats for monk seals. AFAG divers also discovered two well protected sea caves with internal beaches, one of which was large enough to accommodate an extended family of seals.

At present, the Bay, surrounded by sea, beach and forest, cannot be reached by road. As a result, Ozyar has transported construction material to the site by boat from Fethiye. Its hotel construction is currently half completed. Ecologists have voiced the fear that, unless Ozyar’s legal action can be rejected, it would only be a matter of time before economic interests bulldoze a road open from Fethiye to Gemile Bay, leading to an inevitable environmental deterioration in the region.

In submitting its advisory report, AFAG strongly recommended that the court act against the construction of the hotel.

In rendering its judgement on 13 July, the court decided to reject Ozyar’s application for an injunction against the Ministry of Culture and Governorship of Mugla.

In collaboration with other groups, AFAG continues to monitor important monk seal sites, including protected areas, that face the risk of tourism development. – Cem O. Kiraç, SAD-AFAG.

Morbillivirus no longer suspected in Çesme death

A suspected morbillivirus infection, implicated in the death of a monk seal at Çesme on Turkey’s Aegean coast in February (see Dead Seal Found at Çesme) has now been discounted as a result of laboratory analysis.

Samples collected during the necropsy were sent to Erasmus University in the Netherlands, but tests proved negative. In September, Dr. Byron Martina of Erasmus reported that: "The samples were not in excellent condition. This would indeed make the isolation of morbilli or herpesvirus difficult. But, the samples were still good enough to perform reliable PCR. Since both, morbilli and herpesvirus, PCRs turned out negative, together with the fact that serology was negative, I think that a full blown infection with either virus is very unlikely. Of course, we can’t exclude the possibility of another virus, or a new herpes/morbillivirus, being the cause of death in this seal." – Harun Güçlüsoy, SAD-AFAG.

More deaths recorded along Turkish coasts

According to information received by SAD-AFAG, five additional seals were found dead along Turkish coasts during 1999. From north to south along the Turkish Aegean and then east into the Mediterranean, the dead seals were reported from the following towns: Çesme, Bodrum, Marmaris, Kalkan and Kas. Only in the case of the Kalkan seal was mortality linked to direct killing by a fisherman. Incidental entrapment in fishing nets is suspected in the case of the Kas seal, although no firm conclusion could be drawn from the limited information available. In all other cases, the advanced state of decomposition of the corpses ruled out establishing a cause of death. – Harun Güçlüsoy, SAD-AFAG.

Court action follows artisanal fisheries symposium

On 21 February, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released its "Annual Aqua Products Circular 33/1" regulating commercial fisheries in the marine and fresh water systems between 1999 and 2000.

Some items in the Circular, however, were found to conflict with the official declaration of the Artisanal Fisheries Symposium, convened in Izmir in February 1999. As a result, some participating organisations, including the Yeni Foça Fishing Co-operative, the Urla Fishing Co-operative, the Turkish Association for the Protection of Nature and Natural Resources – Foça Branch (TTKD-Foça) and SAD-AFAG, took legal action against the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in public court. Assisted by the Izmir Lawyers Environmental Movement, the legal action, taken on 21 April, requested the court to amend the following clauses within the Aqua Products Circular:

Item 16/4: All purse-seine nets used with mechanical or man-powered winches may be used (depending on seasonal restrictions to be applied in various geographical areas) within a depth limit between 7.3 and 18 metres.

In contrast, the declaration of the Artisanal Fisheries Symposium recommended that "The depth limit for the purse-seine fishery must be increased to 40 metres from 18 metres; and any kind of coastal seines should be prohibited."

Item 17/2: Lampara fishing is banned between 1 May – 1 September 1999 and 1 May – 31 August in the Aegean.

The Izmir Symposium, on the other hand, recommended that "The Lampara fishery should be forbidden between December and February in Izmir Bay." [Lampara is a form of night purse-seine fishing – girgir in Turkish, grigri in Greek – utilising powerful lights.]

Item 18: Live catching of small fish for aquaculture installations is permitted in the mouth of the Seyhan River in Adana. [In the previous circulars there was no regulation on live catching of small fish for aquaculture installations.]

In contrast, the declaration of the Artisanal Fisheries Symposium states that "Live catching of small fish for aquaculture installations must be prohibited."

Item 18/6 (amended on 7 April 1999): All types of coastal seines will be banned by the year 2001 in the Aegean.

The declaration of the Izmir Symposium reads: "The depth limit for the purse-seine fishery must be increased to 40 meters from 18 meters; and any kind of coastal seines should be prohibited now."

Following defence submissions by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ Legal Consultant, the court, on 24 of August, decided to suspend execution of the entire Circular until such time that the court could appoint a scientific expert to recommend a decision on the contested clauses. In all probability, the expert will be a staff member of one of Turkey’s 14 Aqua Products faculties.

Meanwhile, the Izmir Lawyers Environmental Movement, acting on behalf of the plaintiffs, has sent a letter to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs seeking assurances that the requested amendments be instituted within 30 days of the court’s final decision, as required by the Turkish Constitution.

However, on 20 October it was learned that the Ministry had appealed the decision of the court to suspend enactment of the Aqua Products Circular. The court has accepted the appeal. The case continues. – Harun Güçlüsoy, SAD-AFAG.

Effective guarding in the Foça SPA?

In its July meeting, the Foça Monk Seal Committee, comprising the Municipality of Foça, the Foça Fishing Co-operative and other relevant stakeholders, discussed "the effective guarding of the Foça SPA" – an issue that has been the focus of growing controversy in recent years.

At present, guarding activities largely depend on a single patrol boat, Çevre, that was donated to the Municipality of Foça and the Foça Governorship by the Ministry of Environment.

The Committee decided that an operational plan for the patrol boat, drafted by the Environment Protection Unit Directorate of the Foça Governorship, be circulated among Committee members for further study and comment. An approved version of the plan was released on 19 August, accompanied by a request that all relevant parties nominate representatives to perform patrolling duties on the Çevre. The parties include: the Municipality of Foça (Coastal Protection Unit), the Foça Police Department (Marine Police), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Foça Directorate), the Foça Environment Protection Unit Directorate, the Foça Health Group Presidency, the Foça Harbour Directorate, the Foça Fishing Co-operatives (as a witnessing participant) and SAD-AFAG (also as a witnessing participant).

The pollution and Aqua Products fishing controls would be performed by two different teams, specifically responsible for such the matters.

By the end of September, the only representatives yet to be appointed were those from the Municipality of Foça’s Coastal Protection Unit. Properly scheduled patrolling activities are unlikely to begin until that process is finalised.

As the captain of the Çevre reported recently, the patrol boat has gone out into the Foça SPA only three times since May 1999. – Harun Güçlüsoy, SAD-AFAG.

Volunteer help for the monk seals of the Aegean

SAD-AFAG’s Central Aegean Project, based in Foça, continues to promote its Volunteer Help Programme. Volunteers participate in research and public awareness activities, and assist in the processing of data. Between July 1993 and November 1998, 55 Turkish and foreign volunteers joined the project and participated in its activities. By involving volunteers in public awareness activities, a total of 14,854 people in Foça could be informed about the conservation process.

A poster presentation on the volunteer help scheme will be given at Medcoast 99 (the Fourth International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment) in Antalya, Turkey, 9 – 13 November 1999:

H. Güçlüsoy, M. Theunissen, K. Turi Nagy, Y. Öztürk. Volunteer help for the monk seals of the Aegean.

A copy of the paper will be available from the Monachus Library in due course.

Those interested in participating in the Central Aegean Project’s Volunteer Help Programme should visit the following web site: http://www.ecovolunteer.org/pro/pro13/pro1_13.htm. – Harun Güçlüsoy, SAD-AFAG.

New pups reported from Cilician Basin

AFAG’s Cilician Basin project has reported the birth of two new monk seal pups during the summer season. The research team, which had been observing two pregnant females since August, recorded the birth of one pup (to a female known as Anac) in early October. The second pup was born to a female code-named Yasli, who had previously not been identified as being pregnant. The team still hopes to discover additional newborn pups during the winter period. – Ali Cemal Gücü.

Adopt-a-Seal project yields mixed results…

SAD-AFAG’s Adopt-a-Seal project, operated in association with Turkey’s WWF affiliate in Istanbul, DHKD, has now drawn to a close. The 1998–1999 initiative was launched with both fund raising and public-awareness in mind. Investments in time and material, however, proved extensive, requiring the design and production of 1000 T-shirts, 700 caps, 60 seal toys, 1000 posters, 1000 brochures, 2000 "Sudaki Çocugumuz" Newsletters, 300 adoption certificates and 2000 letters.

Advertisements in the mass media promoted the initiative. During the project’s duration a total of 520 people applied for further information, of which 147 became Adoption members, yielding an income of $16.500. While a part of this was absorbed in organization and promotion of the project, the remainder was committed directly to the protection of the monk seal. – Yesim A. Öztürk, SAD-AFAG.

New Web Address

The Mediterranean Seal Research Group (AFAG) has established a new Internet presence in recognition of its status as a partner organisation of the Underwater Research Society (SAD). The AFAG section of the new SAD site, which can be accessed through the "Research Groups" option, provides information in both English and Turkish. It covers the history and objectives of the organization, provides information on monk seals both in Turkey and abroad, and lists projects and activities. The site can be found at: http://www.sad-uwrs.org – Cem O. Kiraç, SAD-AFAG.

SAD-AFAG launches membership drive

In early June SAD-AFAG (Underwater Research Society-Mediterranean Seal Research Group) launched its new Mediterranean Seal Volunteers membership drive. The aim of the programme is to recruit a large group of people willing to commit some of their time and talent to helping the monk seal.

Promoting the initiative, adverts were placed in magazines and aired on three different radio stations. On one station, the membership drive was broadcast over a period of about two months. Numerous smaller articles and news items have appeared in local bulletins and newsletters.

Those opting for membership of the Mediterranean Seal Volunteers are awarded a special certificate every year, reflecting the life cycle of a monk seal, from pup to juvenile, to adult. Volunteers also receive a newsletter every four months, providing information on the species, its habitat and the threats against it, and news of conservation efforts. Members can also contribute their own articles or letters.

Members are also asked, in effect, to become representatives of AFAG, contributing to the monk seal conservation effort by providing information on seal sightings and illegal activities that threaten seals, and by spreading the word on the need to protect the species. Volunteers are also asked to attend AFAG meetings that are held in Ankara, Bozyazi and Foça.

Since its June launch, the Mediterranean Seal Volunteers have attracted 143 new members, 45 from Ankara, 39 from Istanbul, 34 from Izmir, 19 from other Turkish cities and 5 from abroad.

Annual membership of the Mediterranean Seal Volunteers costs 5 million Turkish Lira (3 million TL for students). For members outside of Turkey, the annual dues are $20. – Yesim A. Öztürk, SAD-AFAG.

See also Letter to Derya, this issue.

If you are interested in joining the Mediterranean Seal Volunteers, please contact Yesim A. Öztürk at the SAD-AFAG Ankara office.