An important species for Black Sea biodiversity: Some population characteristics ofinvasive sea vase (Ciona intestinalis Linnaeus, 1767) distributed on the Sinop shores

This study aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the fundamental biological and certain population characteristics of Ciona intestinalis found along the Black Sea coasts of Turkey. The research was conducted between September 2022 and April 15, 2023, off the Sinop coast of the Black Sea, utilizing samples collected by commercial fishing vessels in the region. A total of 103 specimens of Ciona intestinalis were examined during the study. The average total length, width, and weight of Ciona intestinalis were determined to be 3.614 ± 0.089 cm, 1.967 ± 0.054 cm, and 2.004 ± 0.067 g, respectively. The length-weight relationship (LWR) and length-width relationship (LWdR) of Ciona intestinalis were established as W = 0.3996L1.2424 (R = 0.9389), Wd = 0.5362L + 0.0237 (R = 0.8897) and W = 0.9443Wd1.0889 (R = 0.8786) respectively. This study presents, for the first time, the LWR LWdR and WdWR for Ciona intestinalis, a species of significant importance in the benthic ecosystem of the Black Sea. It is anticipated that this research will lay the groundwork for future investigations into population dynamics and biological aspects of this species.