Fish Diversity and Abundance in the Seyhan River Estuary, Mediterranean Sea Basin, Turkey

The aim of the present study was to explore the seasonal changes in the fish assemblage composition in relation to density and species number in a shallow Mediterranean estuary of Anatolia. Fishes were sampled seasonally at three sites located in the main channel of the Seyhan River Estuary from December 2014 to June 2017 (11 sampling events). In total, 6950 individuals of 30 species were captured. The family Mugilidae was represented by six species of three genera. Liza aurata, L. saliens and Gambusia holbrooki were the dominant species and comprised over 60% of the total abundance. The fish fauna comprised 20 marine, six freshwater, two migrant and two brackish species. Fish community structure estimated by the ecological diversity indices showed variations between stations and seasons. This study also provided information about abiotic parameters of the estuarine ecosystem.