Were Are All The Fish?

ripoffrock


Joined: 05/08/2008
Posts: 255

Message Posted:
01/12/2009 14:56

I have heard tales of explosives, poison and even electrifying the water are responsible for the diminished fish population around these shores.

Does anyone actually know the real reason?

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
01/12/2009 15:09

The sea here is:

too hot

too salty

too stagnant

for anything much, although we do get tuna out in deeper water at certain times of year.

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
01/12/2009 16:39

This end of the Mediterranean has been slowly dying since the mid 60's when Egypt built the Aswan dam on the Nile. The Nile is the only river which flows into the eastern Med and now all the nutrients are trapped behind the dam with consequent damage to the food chain. Egypt's own farmers below the dam are also having a hard time now and are heavily fertilising to compensate - and this damaging run off does reach the sea. Also there is a large Japanese fleet fishing the Med as it is 1 of only 2 breeding grouds for Bluefin Tuna (this is why we do get a long tuna season). During the December storm in 2007 there were 27 Japanese boats sheltering at Karpaz. There is also a significant Turkish fleet.

There is, however, now a motion being debated to ban tuna fishing in the Mediterranean. But even if it is passed I would not hold out much hope that Japan will comply any more than it complies with the whaling ban.

ripoffrock


Joined: 05/08/2008
Posts: 255

Message Posted:
01/12/2009 23:48

So there is no truth in any of the tales mentioned in message 1?

andy-f


Joined: 03/05/2009
Posts: 1256

Message Posted:
01/12/2009 23:59

i dont fish in the sea any more , better fishing in the freshwater lakes , big carp to be had if you know where to find these places.



andy

scruff


Joined: 15/07/2008
Posts: 1070

Message Posted:
02/12/2009 01:39

re. message 5.

I get your point about the Nile, but what about all the rivers on the Southern Turkish mainland coast that flow into the Med. Surely they would have an impact. I can understood the impact of the heat at this end of the Med. but maybe it's just a polution problem & no direct outlet to any other sea at this end of the Med. The western end of the Med. is open to the the Atlantic at Gibralter. The eastern end is effectively landlocked.

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
02/12/2009 09:58

Heat is not a problem except maybe close inshore. The water between here and Turkey is 1.5kms deep in places and even 1 km offshore it is around 250 metres according to my Admiralty charts. 4 miles out it's between 700 and 900 metres deep. Water at those depths is very cold. I fished for many years in the Arabian Gulf, which is much hotter and much shallower but had plenty of fish. I have fished/snorkelled in the Seychelles and the Maldives - both are hotter and teeming with coral and fish.

Pollution is a much bigger problem at the Western end because of the heavy industries of Spain, France and Italy. Mercury pollution is particularly serious.

The Turkish rivers obviously have an impact - but taken all together they are somewhat less than the Nile so it remains true that over 50% of the nutrients were lost.

And what if the Eastern Med is landlocked - it is still a huge body of water and far bigger than the similarly landlocked Red Sea which has huge coral and fish populations.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
02/12/2009 10:38

Also, the salinity is hardly much more than the Atlantic, or Indian Oceans.



However, ecologically: 'The Med is Dead!'



Not quite - there are still struggling to thrive small ecosytems to be found at even snorkelling depth - but most have been spearfished or blasted, small mesh netted and even chlorinated. No marine park sanctuaries in Cyprus, despite so many petitions from Greenpeace and countless other caring people.



I am proud to say that I have never used a speargun in the Mediterranean - only an underwater camera!



However, in Aussie & NZ, I have - because they're teeming with fish.

Aslan


Joined: 23/06/2008
Posts: 757

Message Posted:
02/12/2009 10:44

It did not help when ten tons of shit escaped from the sewerage depot in Girne the other month, it's does not help when rubbish is dumped or discarded on the shoreline, I do not expect fish to want 5* accommodation, but a bit of quality to life is every animals right.

cyprusairsoft



Joined: 22/06/2009
Posts: 2066

Message Posted:
02/12/2009 18:17

breeding program required