ISSN: 2577-4050
Authors: Hamwi NI*
This manuscript represents the first documented record of the occurrence of Thunnus obesus in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off the Syrian coastline. The specimen measured a total length of 182 cm, a fork length of 165 cm, and weighed 85 kg. It was caught by an artisanal fisherman off the coast of Baniyas city on the Syrian coast using a longline at a depth of 20 m, with a surface water temperature of 23.4°C. This represents the first record of this species of such a large size in the Mediterranean Sea. This species will be monitored and its presence in the Mediterranean tracked through further catches by artisanal fishermen and the acquisition of additional specimens, to determine whether this occurrence was an anomaly or if its passage through these waters has become a regular event due to changing climatic and temperature conditions.
Keywords: Meristic; Morphometrics; Syrian Coast; Thunnus Obesus
