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received: 2020-06-12                 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.20
FIRST RECORD OF A YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR CARCHARODON 
CARCHARIAS IN THE STRAIT OF THE DARDANELLES 
Hakan KABASAKAL & Erdi BAYRI
Ichthyological Research Society, Tantavi mahallesi, Menteşoğlu caddesi, İdil apartmanı, No: 30, D: 4, 34764 Ümraniye, İstanbul, Turkey
e-mail: kabasakal.hakan@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
On 8 June 2020, a young-of-the-year (YOY) white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), measuring 
155 cm total length, was incidentally gillnetted off the Kumkale coast, at the southern end of the Dardanelles. The 
captures of this and other specimens highlight the potential importance of the northeastern Aegean Sea as a nursery 
grounds for the species.
Key words: white shark, nursery ground, young-of-the-year, Aegean Sea
PRIMA SEGNALAZIONE DI UN ESEMPLARE DI ETÀ INFERIORE A UN ANNO DI 
CARCHARODON CARCHARIAS NELLO STRETTO DEI DARDANELLI 
SINTESI
L’8 giugno 2020, uno squalo bianco di età inferiore a un anno, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), che 
misurava 155 cm di lunghezza totale, è stato accidentalmente catturato con reti da posta al largo della costa di 
Kumkale, all’estremità meridionale dei Dardanelli. Le catture di questo e altri esemplari evidenziano l’importanza 
potenziale del mar Egeo nord-orientale come area di riproduzione per la specie.
Parole chiave: squalo bianco, area di riproduzione, giovane dell’anno, mar Egeo
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INTRODUCTION
Limited information is available on the reproducti-
ve biology of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias 
(Linnaeus, 1758) (Lamniformes: Lamnidae), because 
of its elusive character and long-distance movements 
across its global distribution ranges (Huveneers et 
al., 2018). Due to its large size, high media profile, 
dramatic interactions with humans, and charismatic 
nature, the large white shark has long attracted remar-
kable public attention; however, encounters or cap-
tures of young-of-the-year (YOY) and juvenile white 
sharks also provide valuable data for researchers, as 
they may inform on the locations of parturition and 
nursery grounds.
Whilst C. carcharias is listed as globally vulne-
rable (Rigby et al., 2019), it is categorised as criti-
cally endangered in the Mediterranean Sea (Soldo 
et al., 2016; Otero et al., 2019), highlighting that 
an improved knowledge of the species is required in 
this area. Due to the occurrence of YOY specimens, 
De Maddalena & Heim (2012) and, more recently, 
Fig. 1: Present YOY white shark, incidentally captured off Kumkale coast, in the southern Dardanelles. (A) dorsola-
teral view, (B) ventral view, (C) close-up of the mouth and dentition highlighting triangular teeth, and (D) caudal 
view showing keels and anal fin. (Photo: E. Bayrı).
Sl. 1: Primerek prvoletnega mladiča, ki je bil naključno ujet ob obali Kumkale v južnem delu dardanelske ožine. (A) 
dorzolateralni pogled, (B) pogled s trebušne strani, (C) bližinski posnetek ust in trikotnega zobovja in (D) pogled 
na repni del z očitnimi gredlji in podrepno plavutjo. (Foto: E. Bayri = skopirati iz angleškega)
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Boldrocchi et al. (2017) emphasized that the Sicilian 
Channel could serve as a nursery ground for white 
shark in the central Mediterranean Sea. The inciden-
tal captures of two new-born white sharks between 
late spring and mid-summer 2008 in the waters of 
Edremit Bay (Turkey) (Kabasakal & Gedikoğlu, 2008), 
and the subsequent occurrences of further YOY and 
juveniles in the same area (Kabasakal et al., 2018), 
suggest that the northeastern Aegean Sea could also 
serve as a nursery ground for C. carcharias in the 
Mediterranean. 
Given that C. carcharias is considered critically 
endangered in the Mediterranean (Soldo et al., 2016; 
Otero et al., 2019), the examination and reporting 
of any incidentally captured specimens can provide 
important data, which are generally only collected on 
an opportunistic basis (Jessup, 2003). In the present 
article, the authors report on the first record of a 
YOY white shark from the southern entrance to the 
Dardanelles (the strait connecting the Aegean Sea 
to the Sea of Marmara), and provide morphometric 
measurements as well.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The present specimen of C. carcharias was 
incidentally caught in gill net on 8 June 2020. 
Morphometric measurements, following Compagno 
(2001), were recorded, and photographs were taken 
on site by the second author. Total length and other 
measurements were performed by means of a tape 
measure, with the specimen laid on the flat ground 
laterally and the caudal fin placed in natural position 
(Compagno, 2001). Species identification followed 
Fig. 2: Map depicting the approximate capture localities of previous specimens (⁎) and of the present (PS) white 
shark YOY. The numbers are the same as in the ‘No.’ column of Table 2.
Sl. 2: Zemljevid obravnavanega območja z označenimi približnimi lokacijami predhodnih primerkov (⁎) in 
obravnavanega prvoletnega primerka (PS). Številke so identične tistim iz Tabele 2. 
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Compagno (2001) and Ebert & Stehmann (2013). The 
YOY and juvenile white sharks were identified using 
the following length categories (Boldrocchi et al., 
2017): YOY ≤1.75 m total length (TL), and juveniles 
>1.75-3.0 m TL.
 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The present specimen of a YOY white shark (Fig. 
1) was incidentally captured in a gill net off the coast 
of Kumkale, at the southern entrance to the Darda-
nelles (Fig. 2). The following descriptive characters, 
which were in agreement with the descriptions by 
Compagno (2001) and Ebert & Stehmann (2013), 
were observed on the examined fresh specimen, 
allowing the authors to identify it as C. carcharias: 
stout, spindle-shaped body with conical snout (Fig. 
1a, b, c); mouth broadly rounded, large triangular te-
eth with serrated edges (Fig. 1b, c); origin of the first 
dorsal fin above the pectoral inner margin (Fig. 1a); 
strong keels on the caudal peduncle (Fig. 1c). Unlike 
in adult specimens, the apex of the first dorsal fin 
in the YOY specimen was more rounded (Fig. 1a), 
coinciding with the morphology of the smallest free-
-living white sharks (Santana-Morales et al., 2020). 
The dorsal colouration was dark grey, the ventral 
surface white, the tips of the pectoral fins with black 
blotches (ventrally), and the anal fin white (Fig. 1a, 
c, d). No umbilical scar was observed on the belly 
of the examined specimen. The morphometric me-
asurements of the examined specimen are given in 
Table 1.
The occurrence of new-born and YOY white 
sharks in the coastal waters of the northeastern 
Aegean Sea was documented over ten years ago 
(Kabasakal & Gedikoğlu, 2008), with the account 
providing detailed descriptions and morphometrics 
for new-born C. carcharias from Edremit Bay. Further 
new-born, YOY and juvenile white sharks have since 
been incidentally captured in this area (see Table 2 
for capture details and biological information). 
While all of these previous YOY specimens 
from the Aegean Sea were reported from outside 
the Dardanelles (Fig. 2), the present specimen was 
incidentally captured at the southern entrance to this 
strait that leads to the Sea of Marmara. This raises 
the question of whether the present YOY white shark 
was born in the northeastern Aegean or whether it is 
indicative of a link to the Sea of Marmara. Although 
white shark historically occurred in the Sea of Mar-
mara (Kabasakal, 2003; Boldrocchi et al., 2017), C. 
carcharias is thought to have disappeared from that 
area following the local depletion of bluefin tuna 
Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), with the last con-
firmed record dating from 1985 (Kabasakal, 2016). 
Interestingly, Boldrocchi et al. (2017) noted that 
juvenile C. carcharias had not been recorded from 
Tab. 1: Morphometric measurements of the present young-
-of-the-year white shark, C. carcharias. The abbreviations in 
parentheses follow those given by Compagno (2001).
Tab. 1: Morfometrične meritve prvoletnega mladiča belega 
morskega volka, C. carcharias. Okrajšave v oklepaju so 
povzete po Compagno (2001).
Morphometric measurement
Value 
(cm)
% of 
TL
Total length (TL) 155 -
Fork length (FL) 133 86
Precaudal length (PCL) 121.5 78
Presecond dorsal fin length (PCL) 101.5 65
Head length (HDL) 37 24
Prebranchial length (PG1) 28 18
Interdorsal space (IDS) 34 22
Dorsal-caudal fin space (DCS) 17 11
Prespiracular length (PSP) 14 9
Preorbital length (POB) 10 6
Prepectoral fin length (PP1) 36 23
Prepelvic fin length (PP2) 80 52
Snout-ventral length (SVL) 86 55
Preanal fin length (PAL) 105 68
Ventral-caudal fin length (VCL) 46 30
Pelvic fin-anal fin space (PAS) 17 11
Anal fin-caudal fin space (ACS) 15 10
Pelvic fin-caudal fin space (PCA) 29 19
Pectoral fin-pelvic fin space (PPS) 37 24
Prenarial length (PRN) 5.8 4
Preoral length (POR) 10 6
Eye length (EYL) 2 1
Eye height (EYH) 2 1
First gill slit height (GS1) 6 4
Intergill length (ING) 12 8
Fifth gill slit height (GS5) 12 8
Pectoral fin radial length (PIR) 19 12
Pectoral fin anterior margin (PIA) 30 19
Pectoral fin length (P1L) 7 5
Pectoral fin inner margin (P1I) 24 15
Pectoral fin posterior margin (P1P) 21 14
Pectoral fin height (P1H) 26 17
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the Sea of Marmara either. Consequently, whilst the 
present record of a YOY white shark in the southern 
Dardanelles further supports the possibility of a 
nursery ground for the species in the northeastern 
Mediterranean, it may also be a sign that the species 
is beginning to recolonise its former habitat in the 
vicinity of the Sea of Marmara. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Authors thank to Mr. Halil ATAÇ, local fisherman, 
who informed us about the capture of the present 
white shark. Very special thanks go to two anonymous 
referees for their valuable comments, which signifi-
cantly improved the content of the article.
Tab. 2: Capture data and relevant references of the young-of-the-year and juvenile white sharks, C. carcharias, 
caught in the previous years and of the YOY examined in the present study, in chronological order. The numbers 
in the ‘No.’ column match those marked by an asterisks (⁎) in Figure 2. PS: present specimen.
Tab. 2: Datumi ulova in pomembni viri prvoletnih in juvenilnih primerkov belega morskega volka, C. carcharias, 
ujetih v preteklih letih, upoštevaje tudi prvoletni primerek iz pričujoče raziskave, nanizani po kronološkem redo-
sledu. Številke v prvem stolpcu se navezujejo na primerke, označene z zvezdico (⁎) v sliki 2. PS: pričujoči primerek. 
No Date Locality TL (cm) W (kg) Gear References
1 1 July 2008 Altınoluk 125,5 - Gill-net Kabasakal and Gedikoğlu (2008)
2 4 July 2008 Altınoluk 145 - Gill-net Kabasakal and Gedikoğlu (2008)
3 21 February 2009 Gökçeada 180 47.5 Bottom-trawl Kabasakal et al. (2009)
4 15 April 2009 Çanakkale 300 102 Purse-seine Kabasakal et al. (2009)
5 6 July 2011 Altınoluk 85 Trammel-net Kabasakal (2014)
6 2 January 2016 Altınoluk 175 - Trammel-net Kabasakal et al. (2018)
7 January 2017 Gökçeada 180 - Trammel-net (H. Kabasakal, pers. obs.)
8 April 2017 Altınoluk 160 - Gill-net (H. Kabasakal, pers. obs.)
PS 8 June 2020 Kumkale 155 - Gill-net Unpublished data
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PRVI ZAPIS O POJAVLJANJU PRVOLETNEGA BELEGA MORSKEGA VOLKA 
(CARCHARODON CARCHARIAS) V DARDANELSKI OŽINI 
Hakan KABASAKAL & Erdi BAYRI
Ichthyological Research Society, Tantavi mahallesi, Menteşoğlu caddesi, İdil apartmanı, No: 30, D: 4, 34764 Ümraniye, İstanbul, Turkey
e-mail: kabasakal.hakan@gmail.com
POVZETEK
Osmega junija 2020 je bil blizu obale Kumkale na južnem koncu dardanelske ožine naključno ujet v zabodno 
mrežo prvoletni mladič (YOY) belega morskega volka, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), ki je meril 155 cm v 
dolžino. Ulov tega in drugih primerkov te vrste potrjuje, da predstavlja severovzhodno Egejsko morje jaslice za to vrsto. 
Ključne besede: beli morski volk, jaslice, prvioletni mladič, Egejsko morje.
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