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Hello my friends!
The Foca Marine Protected Area has been a hive of activity recently, as my friends at the SAD-AFAG have been working hard to create a map of the region's sea grass beds. They are being helped by volunteer divers from the Middle East Technical University Subaqua Society (ODTÜ-SAT) and scientists from the Dokuz Eylul University / Institute of Marine Studies and Technology (DEÜ/DBTE). The whole team has been supported by the Municipality of Foça and the Regional Environmental Center-Turkey.
Sea grass beds are very important to us seals. Most of the sea creatures that we feed on are nurtured in these grasses. Whatever forests mean to you, sea grass beds mean to us. We depend on the existence of these beds for our much of our sustenance. In fact, many of the fish you eat also come from these beds.
Sadly, many of the sea grass beds in the Mediterranean are under risk. This is also the case in Foça. My friends from the SAD-AFAG have been concentrating their efforts on Hamamlık Bay, which is near the Siren Rocks. As you may remember, human activity has been limited on these rocks, which are one of our most favourite shores. However, Hamamlık Bay is open to boat traffic, which is harming the sea grass beds. We hope that the SAD-AFAG can come up with a solution that will keep both the boaters and us seals happy. We hope that they will get the support they need to protect the sea grass beds.
Sleepyhead
