Artificial seagrass experiments in the Northeast Mediterranean

: Seagrasses provide important nursery grounds, shelter and natural habitats for juvenile fish. In this study, we evaluated if artificially created seagrass areas can play the same role as the natural seagrass (NS) habitats. The study was carried out in three different stations on the coast of Yumurtalık, Adana, selected according to the seagrass areas. Artificial seagrass (AS) was made of polypropylene ribbon and fixed on the ground in the designated areas with a depth of 0.5 m on average. Sampling was carried out with a beach seine net once a week at stations between 28 April 2016 and 11 August 2016. Sampled fish were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Based on our results, the fish abundance and species richness of NS and AS habitats were not statistically different, whereas the both parameters were significantly lower in sandy (S) habitats (p<0.001). Moreover, the species composition of NS and AS habitats was found to be similar each other, whereas the composition was significantly different in S habitats. This study, conducted in the Northeast Mediterranean, shows that AS habitats effect the distribution of juvenile fish.