**3. Results of stranding monitoring of marine mammals during 1991–2021**

Data on stranding marine mammals have been collected in different areas along the Syrian coast (**Figure 2**). In each case, the site was documented, the stranding individual described and the taxonomic position determined using scientifically

#### **Figure 2.**

*The Integral Syrian coast where Gruvel made a survey of marine mammals during the period 1929–1931 (Source of the map: Andurain [5]).*

### *Marine Mammals in Syria DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104475*



#### **Table 1.**

*Cetacean records along the Syrian coast (1991–2021).*


#### **Table 2.**

*A summary of all cetacean sightings made during the ASI Okeanos in Syrian waters.*

approved identification keys [6, 7]. This survey of cetaceans stranded along the Syrian coastline (2002–2021) and a review of the literature allowed us to record a total number of 30 stranding events from 1991 to 2021. They included three species of Balaenopteridae, one species of Physeteridae, one species of Ziphidae, five species of Delphinidae, and one species of Phocidae (**Tables 1** and **2**).

Recently, many marine mammal species have been observed along the Syrian coast may be for feeding or breeding, or migration behavior, but the most realistic reason, from our point of view, is to increase scientific monitoring along the Syrian coast, as well as to raise awareness of fishermen about the importance of reporting their sightings to the research team at the Syrian Society for the Protection of the Aquatic Environment and at Tishreen University, Which allowed the recorded of several stranding every year in different areas on the Syrian coast [8–12], as summarized them in **Table 1**, bearing in mind that there may be a few stranding that was not monitored, perhaps because of the remoteness of the area or the lack of reporting. Hence, our objective in this work is to compile and review the records and strandings of marine mammals along the Syrian coast and to provide further suggestions to protect these vulnerable species.

### **4. Results of a field survey onboard research ships Yunis S in August 2008**

In partnership with a team from the Faculty of Fisheries—Istanbul University, within the framework of a joint Syrian–Turkish–Lebanese research program.

#### *Marine Mammals in Syria DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104475*

To determine the species composition, size, and distribution of the cetacean population, sighting data were collected during a research cruise carried out in summer (July 11–24, 2008) in the international water of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Turkish, Lebanese and Syrian territorial waters. This research cruise was conducted with a 32-m research vessel YUNUS—from the faculty of fisheries—at Istanbul University. The average speed of the vessel was 8–10 nautical miles/h. At each cetacean sighting, date and time, species, the group size of animals, location (coordinates), depth, sea state, and the behavior of animals were recorded by a single observer placed on the bridge deck.

Totally 860 nautical miles of survey effort were made and 16 sightings (108 animals) were recorded. During the study, 5 *Physeter macrocephalus* in one sighting, 72 *Stenella coeruleoalba* in five sightings, 2 *Grampus griseus* in one sighting (associated with *S. coeruleoalba* individuals), and 2 *Delphinus delphis* in one sighting, and 27 *Tursiops truncatus* in nine sightings were recorded. The overall encounter rate was 0.18 sightings/10 nm [13].

#### **Figure 3.**

*Scheme of the field survey of marine mammals in the Syrian territorial waters (the tracks of the Okeanos boat along the Syrian coast) which was implemented within the ASI–ACCOBAMS project during the period from July 27 to August 8, 2019.*
