This study aims to investigate the diversity of fouling and boring organisms damaging wood material at Turkish coasts. Trials were carried out at six harbour sites throughout the seas surrounding Turkey. Wood samples were hanged down at a depth of six meters in the sea, for a period of one year. Identification of the organisms obtained from wood plates revealed the presence of five wood borer and 26 fouling species. Iskenderun harbour had the highest boring organism diversity (five species), followed by Trabzon, Finike harbours (three species) and Bandirma, Eregli and Alaçati harbours (two species). The two molluscan boring species, Teredo navalis and Lyrodus pedicellatus were present at all harbour sites, but Nototeredo norvegica occurred only at Trabzon and Iskenderun harbours, Bankia carinata only at Iskenderun harbour, and the crustacean wood borer Limnoria tripunctata at Finike and Iskenderun harbours. All native tree species, except for the olive, were significantly impacted from fouling and boring organisms.

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