Vocational High School of Veterinary Medicine Prof dr

Vocational High School of Veterinary Medicine “Prof. d-r George Pavlov”, Dobrich, Bulgaria Marine Protected Areas Black Sea Region The Black Sea is one of the most remarkable regional seas in the world. It is bordered by six countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine) and is almost cut off from the rest of the world's oceans, The Black Sea waters are formed from a mixture of fresh water from Europe’s big rivers and salty waters from the

The Black Sea coastline of Bulgaria is 378 km in length. There about 125 fish species in Black Sea (26 of them with economic value, 36 of them are protected ones). The main fish species represented in the catches are the pelagic ones, which are situated in high sea and also near to the coast. The most frequent species caught in the Black Sea are small finfish: sprat, anchovies, horse mackerels and whiting. Other species which are present, but in lower quantities are: grey mullet, dogfish and turbot. In addition to these species, Bulgaria has largely developed the exploitation of an invasive

sprat whiting seasnail anchovies turbot dogfish horse mackerels grey mullet Rapana Venosa

Total area of Black Sea marine & coastal protected areas Protected areas (ha) Country BULGARIA Marine 1160 Coastal wetlands terrestrial 16902 Total 115590 133652 Shore line length 300 Group of organisms Fishes Marine protected species in the Birds Mammals Black Sea (Red Book) TOTALY 36 22 5 63

A list of species, included in the Black Sea Data Book which inhabit the Bulgarian Black Sea coast-line and in the Bulgarian Black Sea water area

The list contains as well the IUCN protection status for the species at two levels: ØWL – world level; ØBSRL – regional level - the Black Sea region and the protection status according to the Red Data Book (RDB) of Bulgaria. Abbreviations used in IUCN: Abbreviations used in the RDB of Bulgaria Ex - extinguished EX – extinguished EW – extinguished in wild nature En – endangered CR – critically endangered R - rare EN - endangered VU - vulnerable LR – low risk DD – inadequately studied

Starry Sturgeon Lucioperca marina Neogobius syrman Pungitius platygaster Scomber scombrus

r e t t O n a pe o r u E he Th e H arb ou r P T orp o ise Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Ø Measures to protect different fish species from over-exploitation are described. It is concluded that both eutrophication and pollution (with oil products, heavy metals, chlorine compounds and other contaminants) are increasing in the sea, and that previous steps to protect fish populations have not yielded the desired results. The populations of most species have fallen sharply, especially after the rapid growth of the new ctenophore species Mnemia maccradyi (Mnemiopsis leidiy). Delays in the prohibition of bottom trawling, which ruined the biotic communities of the sea bottom and in so doing affected the link between the benthic and pelagic communities, have

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Ø ‘This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Ø This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ’