Under the scope of the BSB 0794 BIOBLACK Project (“Raising Awareness for the Black Sea People to Recognize and Protect Black Sea Biodiversity”), Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Marine Sciences (KTU-FMS) successfully organized a two-day Stakeholder Workshop and Sea Survey in Trabzon, Türkiye. Bringing together 64 national and international participants including researchers, academics, regional stakeholders, and environmental advocates the event fostered cross-border collaboration to safeguard the fragile ecosystems of the Black Sea.
The first day, hosted at the KTU Nazım Terzioğlu Amphitheatre and moderated by Prof. Dr. Fatma Telli Karakoç, focused on regional scientific insights and innovative educational tools. Opening remarks by KTU Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Temiz and KTU-FMS Dean Prof. Dr. A. Muzaffer Feyzioğlu set a collaborative tone for the gathering. Project Coordinator Prof. Dr. Hacer Sağlam kicked off the technical sessions with a comprehensive overview of the project's progress and Türkiye’s coastal biodiversity baseline. Keynote presentations by partner institutions including the Institute of Fisheries Resources (Bulgaria) and Mare Nostrum (Romania) detailed regional biodiversity status reports across the Black Sea basin. Participants also explored the Black Sea’s physical oceanography, 3D miniature educational models, marine food pyramid dynamics, and BLACKPYRAMID, a citizen-science mobile application designed to engage local communities in real-time ecological monitoring.
On the second day, practical research took center stage aboard the *KTU DenAr 1 Research Vessel off Sürmene, Trabzon. Led by expert faculty from KTU-FMS, participants took part in hands-on field sampling, gathering phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic organisms using specialized net collections and beam trawls. Following the sea survey, live laboratory sessions enabled attendees to examine sampled species under microscopes and map their roles directly onto the Black Sea food pyramid.
