Occurrence of a Shoal of Bull Ray Aetomylaeus bovinus (Myliobatidae) Around a Sea-Cage Farm in İskenderun Bay (Türkiye, NE Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

In this study, a shoal of bull rays, Aetomylaeus bovinus (E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817), around a sea-cage fish farm in Iskenderun Bay, Turkey is reported. Such an aggregation is probably due to ontogenetic shift but may also be a factor of reproductive process as some pregnant females were observed. The number of individuals recorded, in all more than 25, shows that the species is still present in the area but needs a conservation plan due to its k-selected life-histories and potential for extinction.

Keywords

• chondrichthyes
• aggregation
• fish farms
• ontogenetic shift
• reproductive process
• management