As the first dolphin fin surfaced from the Bosphorus, a ripple of excitement went round passengers on a free boat ride to see one of Istanbul’s most graceful sights.
Whether they live there or are just passing through, dolphins and porpoises feel very much at home in the busy strait that bisects the Turkish megapolis of some 16 million people.
Istanbul city council organises free summer dolphin spotting trips with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness of the dangers facing the sea mammals.
The wildlife project’s head Ahmet Yasar Yildiz said the city council was doing “everything they can” to keep them in 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.
Their presence in the Bosphorus was the sign of a “perfect ecosystem”, he added. “The strait is clean, cleaner than most bays, …