Bosporrus Dolphins Charm Travellers In The Heart Of Istanbul

Istanbul provides free boat tours to spot Bosporus dolphins and promotes marine conservation.

As the first dolphin fin surfaced from the Bosporus, a ripple of excitement went around passengers on a free boat ride to see one of Istanbul's most graceful sights. Whether they live there or just pass through dolphins and porpoises, they feel at home in the busy strait that marks the Turkish megapolis of some 16 million people. Istanbul city council organizes free summer dolphin spotting trips with the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness of the dangers facing sea mammals. The wildlife projects head, Ahmet Yasar Yildiz, said that the city council was doing everything possible to keep them on the strait linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. "This is their home, and dolphins must continue to live here," the 59-year-old said. He added that their presence in the Bosporous was a sign of a perfect ecosystem. The strait is cleaner than most bays, and we want to keep it that way." Microphone in hand on the boat's top deck, WWF Turkiyes marine mammal program leader Cansu Ilkiline explained to the crowd below that the strait is home to two species of dolphin and one species of porpoise, an impressive number for a bustling urban waterway.

Climate change habitat loss

As a critical corridor for international maritime navigation, 39000 ships passed through the Bosporus last year as per Turkiye's Ministry of Transport, not including pleasure boast and the ferries that constantly ply from one side to the other. Despite the shipping volume and straddling Turkiye's largest city, dolphins prefer the straits to the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on either side. Yildiz said fish are abundant, and the strong currents drive pollution away. Yet, everything needs to be more pristine for the dolphins in the strait. The wildlife project lead warned of threats from climate change, pollution, overfishing, and habitat loss. "Uncontrolled construction and industrialization are a problem everywhere, and it is a serious problem in Istanbul," he added. Yet their success has been remarkable since the first free educational outings began in 2022. "Only once have we not seen a dolphin," Yildiz told Agence France Presse, adding that the hundred or so spaces on the trips are booked up "within three minutes" when they go online every fortnight.

Following seagulls

During these outings, the WWF attempts to keep a record of the strait's resident dolphins, hoping to identify them by a distinctive feature such as a mark or a scar. "One of them has been living here since 2012. You can recognize it from its dorsal fin," smiled Ayse Oruc, head of the WWF Turkiyes Marine Biodiversity program, marvelling at the variety of life in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world." Besides the harbour porpoise, the Bosporous is home to both the common and bottlenose dolphin, Ilkiline said. The 31-year-old offered a few tips for spotting them: "When the seagulls dive and disturb the water, it means they have seen fish underneath, which the dolphins feed on." She also advised those hoping to glimpse a dolphin pod to follow in the wake of cargo ships, tankers, and fishing boats. Twenty-four-year-old student Deniz Dincergok came back to shore delighted. "At one point, a baby dolphin came out of the water and turned around, showing its belly. It was a magnificent moment," they said.

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