A fish species often called Synodus Randalli, native to the Red Sea, has made an unprecedented look within the Turkish Mediterranean waters.
Professor Cemal Turan, the dean of the Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology at Iskendurun Technical University (ISTE), led a crew that carried out an intensive examination of the fish, delving into its morphological and genetic traits. Fascinatingly, the fish has been christened the “Red Turkish Delight” owing to its origin within the Red Sea.
The presence of tropical species within the Mediterranean, which ventured into these waters through the Suez Canal, which opened within the late 1800s, has considerably altered the area’s ecosystem. This intrusion has been notably pronounced within the Eastern Mediterranean, the place the Mediterranean Sea has begun to tackle a tropical character. The emergence of invasive fish species from the Red Sea into the Mediterranean, pushed by world warming and the deepening of the Suez Canal, has now come to the fore.
The newly found “Red Turkish Delight” species resembles the beforehand established silverfish species within the Mediterranean. Turan remarked: “We encountered this species at the entrance of the Gulf of Iskenderun in the Mediterranean. This represents a groundbreaking find for Turkish seas and the Mediterranean region. We anticipate that it could become a valuable species from an economic standpoint, as it is already popular among the public.”
However, Turan additionally cautioned that this fish species is predatory and aggressive, which raises issues about its potential ecological impression on native species. He added: “Observations over time will shed light on its development in the region. Our seas and regions are becoming increasingly inhabited by foreign species.”
Turan highlighted that fish species originating from the Red Sea have regularly unfold to the Aegean and Marmara seas, emphasizing the necessity for steady analysis and information-sharing with authorities to watch their growth. “We are conducting extensive research on this matter and collaborating closely with relevant stakeholders,” he affirmed.
Servet Ahmet Doğdu, a lecturer and member of the Underwater Program on the Maritime Vocational School, disclosed that the crew had carried out genetic analyses and morphological research on the Synodus Randalli fish species, together with muscle samples taken from samples within the Red Sea. This complete analysis goals to unravel the intricacies of this newfound inhabitant of the Mediterranean waters.
Source: www.dailysabah.com