The Marmara Sea, which succumbed to pollution for years, sees a revival of its ecosystem. Though the situation is still dire, a string of measures enabled the biggest landlocked sea of Turkey to regain its former inhabitants, from octopi to lobsters whose numbers dwindled for decades.

Experts say the comeback of creatures like the common sole, different species of squids and gorgonia corals are the outcome of efforts to protect the sea, which was subject to sea snot or mucilage last year.

Authorities have declared parts of the sea as regions under special environmental protection status after sea the snot emerged. A presidential decree released last year further expanded the efforts and unveiled an action plan for the protection of the sea where Turkey’s most populated cities are littoral to.

Associate professor Ahsen Yüksek, an academic from Istanbul University Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, said they are increasingly seeing some species return to the sea. "For instance, sighting of true tunas was rare since the late 1980s but they are more common now. It indicates that they only need the right (environmental) conditions to thrive," she told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday. Yüksek said, similarly, that lobsters, a rare species in Marmara which was under "primary protection status" due to the threat of extinction, were also more visible. "Their sightings have long been limited to some 60 meters depth but recently, they were discovered at a depth of 12 meters," she pointed out.

Yüksek noted that they also discovered common sole and gilthead bream eggs in the Golden Horn in Istanbul, while octopus, usually living in Marmara’s south, was nowadays being sighted in the north as well. "Octopi live in areas near the coast if they do not sense any danger. They exist if they have sufficient space for habitat and enough food. They have been more endemic to southern Marmara and we rarely saw it in the early 2000s, especially in the Gulf of Erdek (a main habitat for octopi)," she said. Other species becoming more common are sea urchins and sponge, she said.

New sightings indicate that measures, such as inspection of the sea against pollution and overfishing are paying off. "Even a simple act of preservation is enough for species to make a comeback. But it is still too early to celebrate. Dangers are still great. The ecosystem is on the brink of a dangerous cycle now. We will either see a change for the worse or the conditions will be stable for species to survive," Yüksek said.

She credits limits on waste discharge to the sea, enforcement of measures against illegal fishing and limits on fishing, and an increase in the number of areas designated for conservation as "positive developments" for species to thrive again.

Associate professor Nur Eda Topçu Eryalçın, a marine biologist from Istanbul University, said Marmara is going through "a very fast cycle" in terms of the return of species and their growth. "When we decrease the factors applying pressure on the ecosystem, their habitat will definitely improve. When the situation is better, we can also restore more work for corals," she said, referring to the main ingredient for a healthy ecosystem for marine life. "Even taking small steps can work. We should primarily take measures to move away from fishing activities in some places," she said. Eryalçın noted that Marmara was surrounded by a number of industrial hubs and Istanbul, Turkey’s most populated city, alone, posed a risk to the sea. "Yet, we still see corals. An enormous sea snot covered Marmara’s surface but corals still did not disappear entirely. So, I don’t give up on hope for Marmara," she said.

Busenaz Değirmen, a marine conversation volunteer and marine biologist, said they were seeing species once common in the 1960s or 1970s in Marmara and were working on transplanting corals, which proved successful. "Marmara is the last shelter for species. It lies at an intersection of the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Seas. Most species concentrate in areas near the Princes’ Islands. Illegal fishing was prevalent in the past here but the latest measures stopped it and more species are here now," she said.