Establishing a fish repository at Ege University Faculty of Fisheries (1965-2023): A Journey on a long and challenging road to becoming a museum

Abstract

This study examined preserved marine fish specimens collected from numerous field surveys conducted along Türkiye’s Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean coasts since 1965. Our review and categorization of these materials revealed that the specimens belong to 360 species from 131 families. Current data shows that the museum collection includes 20 species of cartilaginous fish and 8 species of bony fish listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, alongside 54 non-native fish species. Prepared according to museum standards by Ege University Fisheries Faculty’s Scientific Material (ESFM), this collection of Turkish marine fish constitutes 66% of all Turkish marine fish fauna. This makes it the largest and oldest marine fish collection in Türkiye. Considering Türkiye’s maritime borders with neighboring countries, this collection is significant nationally and globally. Given the diverse marine fish species in Turkish seas over the past half-century, this preserved material is a vital reference for local and foreign ichthyologists. If organized and transformed into a visitable museum, this extensive collection could raise awareness about the diversity of marine fish species in our seas. As a result, we have established the ” biological repository of Turkish Marine Fish Department” in the Faculty Museum, now known as the Fisheries Faculty’s Scientific Material (ESFM) at Ege University. We present the fish in the collection as a species list.