Fish conservation in north cyprus sea,

letty


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 360

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 13:36

some of the Fish caught in cyprus

grouper - lahos

grouper - orfoz

silver snapper

pacific red snapper

corb

amberjack

grey mullet

red mullet

spine foot

sarpa

baracuda

atlantic triple tail.

benito

little toon

puffer fish

weever fish

what fish can we sustainably catch,

,

puffer fish I think are an invasive species causing damage to the normal fish numbers and should be killed,



Grouper I am now aware due to research only grows at a rate of 0.52grams per day meaning that a 5kg fish is roughly 25 years old, and there for should be left in the sea,



amberjack grow at a rate of 2.6kg per year, and there are plenty of them so catching them for food is ok.



does anyone have anymore info, MR Teaoutou, about the rest of the fish,



I AM VERY interested in fishing, and will do it as long as it is legal, but I have no intention of ruining the fish stocks, so any sensible info that you can give will not fall on deaf ears. unless you want to start throwing insults around

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 14:31

Weever fish are nasty little blighters that lurk beneath the sand in shallow water, waiting for someone to tread on them. We had them on the beaches in Cornwall and stepping on one is not something I want to do - again!

letty


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 360

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 14:58

I Know about them now, First fish I ever caught here and at that time I didn,t know what it was, They can do you a mass of damage, I ended up semi consious in hospital with very low blood pressure not a clue where I was, eyes vibrating, and in agony with my arm swelled up to about 3 times what it used to be, and a hand like a bunch of bananas. 15 injections and an IV drip for 3 days sorted me out though,

letty


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 360

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 15:01

The spine foot, also known as sokan has a nasty sting aswell now and again dependant on your luck an how deep it sticks you. they are the smaller dark green and brown ones in and near the rocks at the side that go white in open water, They are the ones that you will catch on bits of bread at the side.

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 17:17

Visit fishbase.net

Move down to "Information by Country / Island", select "Cyprus" and "Marine". When the list appears then note the "Show Photos" Check Box at the top of the list.

Click on the species name to get lots of data about each fish.



But it can be dreadfully slow.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 17:24

letty: Sorry - I missed this 'thread' and asked you to post a link on the 'Fishing Licence' one - never mind - got it now!



Looks like you've got most 'catchable' species well covered!



Congers and Morays - we used to take underwater photographers (tourists) out to feed a 'tame' Moray - the mottled yellow and dark green/black variety - we fed it mackeral and chunks of tinned dog meat - amazingly, it seemed to know us guys from 'Paphos Sponge Divers', but was very wary of strangers! I always wore a pair of welding gauntlets - cos ya never know! They always look aggressive because of the way they breathe!



Another interesting (photo) subject (for a night dive) is the 'Sea Cow' - curls up round seaweed during daylight, which is why the Greeks have a very vulgar name for it! At night, it glides, flapping its 'wings', though the water like a Manta Ray - fascinating!



Here's a link on Cyprus fish species you and others might be interested in:



http://www.fishingcy.com/htmldocs/

letty


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 360

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 17:42

I am interested in all that stuff, I have never been diving and never will though I have spent hundreds of hours snorkeling, (spearfishing).

But with this thread Im interested to find out and have for all to see, some info on local fish species, ie how fast they reproduce, how long they take to grow etc.

For example AMBERJACK are not at risk from over fishing, 1 because they reproduce quite quickly and 2 because they grow fast, I read that a studdy showed that they grow at a rate of 2.6kg per year.



I will catch amberjack and keep any over 2kg.

I will no doubt catch grouper, and release them after a quick photo or video,

What about the other fish, snapper for example,

Im asking you because with all of your save the fish, dont shoot the fish business, you should be the one to know.

For me to catch a fish all I have to do is learn where it lives and what it eats, or how to attract it if I cant find it, If people fully understand why not to take a fish, They wont!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 18:16

The largest Red Snapper I've ever seen in the Med, I managed (by some fluke!) to get a good U/W photo of - it was well over a metre long - it was only about 200 metres offshore. As far as I have experienced from what I've seen, they don't shoal, as do Sea Bream, which look similar at distance underwater.



Your dead right about Grouper growth - you can tell the age of a Grouper by slicing it's ear bone and counting the rings, as with a tree. The problem with most fish growth in this end of the Med is that the sea is short of nutrients, due to a lack of fresh water pouring into the sea.



Anyway, you sound like a caring sort of a guy - like henrik.



In the South I witnessed the locals (Cyps) dynamiting and chlorinating so many areas. Most of the 'Grouper Holes' were destroyed. I haven't dived enough in the North to know the situation........

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 18:48

So are snapper ok to be caught and taken home, how many a year would you say is ok. whats the min and max size you would recomend to take with conservation in mind. Dont just say none unless that is the right answer.

is snapper and dentex the same thing.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 22:54

I'm not a knowledgeable enough icthyologist to be able to tell you if 'Dentex' is a species of snapper. They bear a close resemblance to the Red Snapper when both are juveniles, but the difference is more noticable when adults, in that the Red Snapper looks longer from the rear of the dorsal fin to the tail than 'Dentex'.



Here's a link for 'Dentex':



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_dentex



I don't think either species shoal in the Med, but maybe they do as juveniles - anyway, both are nowadays rarely seen by divers.



Ya wanna fish - go fish - just I don't, but only in the Med!



You wanna go where the fish are - try New Zealand sometime - Black marlin - Wahoo - Kingfish - Albacore tuna - Blue cod - John Dory - huge crayfish, scallops, mussels & oysters, etc., aplenty.



Why would I want to stuff around in the Med?



Haven't you heard the saying: 'The Med is dead!'



Anyway, as long as you enjoy yourself - good on ya!

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 23:08

Roy

Wrong on the cray, anything longer than a 12" max. tail and it's no good for the pot, no matter how long you boil the shit out of it! Best left to live a long happy breading life for its youngsters to captured and eaten. Once a year there is a huge migration of crays, on mass, which travel from the South to the North Island of NZ. A fascinating watch on the Discovery Channel.



Richard

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 23:08

Whoops - not Albacore tuna - I meant Southern Bluefin tuna - must 'get my act together'!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 07:56

Richard: Red crays, I agree with you, but we used to dive for the green 'Packhorse' crays round D'Urville Island - wild sea and treacherous currents there! These crays live deeper - usually from 80 - 90 - 150 feet/45 metres. Too big to cram in a 'sugar sack', or 'lobster bag'. Pulled them out of their holes wearing welding gauntlets and clamped them [only one at a time] to your thigh and head back up to the boat with it - their claws would go right through the wetsuit - and your skin, so that when you got back into the boat the blood was oozing out at the ankle! Good tucker - the best!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 08:49

Cont'd:



Here's what a 'Packhorse' crayfish looks like:





http://www.deepseaphotography.com/images/pics/packhorse_crayfish.jpg

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 09:03

Spearfish & letty et al:



Just for your interest I thought I'd post this link!





http://www.fishing.net .nz/asp_forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=39133&OB=DESC





Richard, we used to pick up the odd 'Packie' in the French Pass and up the eastern side of D'Urville Island (Marlborough Sounds) - maybe they've been fished out there by now. Always plenty of 'Reds' there, though!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 09:16

Before I get a 'ticking off' from Forum Admin., I'd better get back 'on thread'!



Here's one for all you night divers and snorkellers and is to be (rarely now!) found around Cyprus (rocky) shores. If you want to see aphysical specimen; just recently 'Hur Deniz' (by the main Girne roundabout) had one in their freezer. It was getting a bit the 'worse for wear' now, last time I was in there, due to too much handling by curious customers!



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scyllarides_latus



So, spearfish & letty, get your underwater torches charged up and you might get lucky over towards Lefke!

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 09:18

If fishing was that easy it would be boring, I don,t know who ever said the med is dead but they are not right.

Maybe not as many fish here as other places, but DEAD?

where there are rocks there are fish, and there are plenty of rocks out there,

millions of amberjack, millions of longtom garfish, millions of bonito, all in there season.

last week I was out and had 18-20 dolfins bobbing up all around the boat for about an hour,

I see about 10-15 turtles everytime I go out, big jelly fish now and again,

whats DEAD about that.

caught a huge 3Kg puffer 3days ago, that was very much alive.

Its all about what part of the sea you are in,

plus roughly 90% of the med is over 100m deep so whats down there? who knows?

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 10:16

Spearfish/ Msg 17:



That is a BIG 'Puffer' by any standards!



In NZ, one guy in our dive club found a (saleable/commercial) use for 'Puffers' - he'd spear it, gut it, then shove a condom inside it, sew up each side of the slit so the 'ring-piece' of the condom was central - then he'd blow up the condom, so the 'Puffer' looked like it had inflated itself - then he'd leave it in the sun to dry, 'til it was brittle. Then he made table lamp shades out of them - they look brilliant with the light bulb lit up inside them!



Are the jellyfish you see a purple colour?



I know there are plenty of others, but if so, they could be 'Portugese Man 'O War' - highly toxic - can be fatal, especially to children. When stung, it firstly takes your breath away!



The most 'jellies' I've ever seen in the Med was in the South of France when zillions were blown into the bays and up onto the beaches by the 'Mistral' winds. They were mostly the white or pink ones.

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 11:42

Not man o wars, there are octopus jelly fish going upto 90cm across, not venomous, moon jelly fish biggest I saw was about 30cm, there are lots of small pink purple and white ones with tentacles that sting but not sure how bad, I have not had the pleasure, I did hear stories of the man o wars coming here, it was recorded in turkey, but I dont think they made it, but after all that by next month you will be lusky to see any, I think the heat puts them off, Im not sure on the Life cycle, but I see lots in feb march, then millions of eggs, the egs sort of morph into little jelly fish, the bigger ones die, then they all disapear, some quite complicated things go on there but have not managed to understand it fully.

Im looking at the minute into the life cycle of amberjack, could do with knowing a bit about them in order to catch more, they are quite easy to hook anyway if you know a bit, but there mouth is quite soft and landing them is a different matter,

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 11:52

most unlikely to get the very poisnous jellys in that HUGE ammount down here, but you newer know. If it burns TOO much, use urea (your own? ) or vinegar to clean - never use your hands or salt water..

For all beeing alot in and around waters, I would consider buying a book about the poisnous fishes and water creatures. I have one and is very hlepfull. I did not know that I should treat the stings of an stingray or Weaverfish with "AS HOT as possible water". but after I read the book I know why; The poison is based upon proteins which is based on "eggwhite". Hot water will make this proteins dot. This will make the poison less harmfull. - But be carefull not to burn yourself! Go as hot as you can handle. Kneewing this 15 years ago I could have saved myself alot of pain from the baby stingray which got my hand, which I still fell today sometimes. My whole arm was paralysed for hours, not to menion the pain..

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 11:59

some books: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=poisonous+and+venomous+marine+animals&sprefix=poisonous+an





regarding the "med slipper lobster" @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scyllarides_latus

you can find him hardly daytimes. Nightime hunt is forbiden, and if they get you, you are in priosn for at least 1 day. On the other hand its a very nice creature, very very few left, and if you are lucky to see one,scare it, make it go away.. so that other hunters may never see them. The meat is also by far not so nice like the "real lobster". very chewy and the taste is very sweet. no good with garlic. would not eat it again, if if there were plenty.

At all, it is a very nice for underwater creature to make pictures of, if found

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 13:54

There is a little cray fish here though, can be found in on under and around the rocks right upto the shore, dont see too many, they have no claws, and have like an eye print on the opening and closing segment of there back, I did take a couple home and eat them, they wore very nice,

There are also clams here, dont know if they are actually called clams or what, you can only see them if you are looking hard at the rock, and once you make one out you will see them all.

Other thing I saw twice now, I went down about 4m and into a cave, it was enclosed but let light thru a couple of gaps so you could see at the right time of day without a torch, There wore Tiny little fish all in a shole about 15mm long, they wore transparent apart from the mid body, that was a really bright electric blue colour actually apeared to give off light (prob didnt), Im not sure that it wasnt a type of sea bream fry,

Anyway, does anyone know anything about the amberjack here, that type are they,

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 14:07

How times have changed. My home was in Cyprus for 20 years and as a youngster/teenager, I used to swim & snorkel every weekend during the long, hot Summers in the sea close to Girne castle. There was a semi-lagoon there in those days, lots of huge submarine rocks that had been eroded so mini-caves down there could be explored, and on the far side there was direct access to the open sea. We had a lot of fish to see (small to medium size varieties), turtles and octopus. Swimming/snorkelling there was a joy. Last year I went for a swim off the w.coast of Kyrenia in a sheltered bay (after a gap of nearly 30 years) and got the shock of my life. It was mid-September so I expected warmer sea temps. than I actually found but much worse, the strength of the salt in the seawater was horrendous. This is a killer. Didn't see ANY fish within that bay and while trailing a line off the boat later and well out at sea, we only caught one greedy young bonito. Cooler waters, excess salt = ???

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 14:30

When times change techniques have to change to suit, and to catch bonito use a 30 feathers per line in september and october, 2 lines weight both ends of 1 and 1 end of the other. , 20m behind the boat to first hook, youll catch them 4 6 8 10 a go. till 10am, then again after 6pm, morning better.

It may be a bit far out but swim to the new harbour and all along that wall to the end, you will see spinefoot ,sarpa ,greymullet ,white bream ,balon wrass, an all sorts. when you get to the mid corner to turn right along the wall it will get deep, there you will start to see big amberjack, 60cm grey mullet, big white bream, and 4+kg grouper. Dont take a float though or the police will shout at you when they see you.

Im sure at 1 point there it gets to about 20m deep halfway between the corner and the end.

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 15:26

new harbour.. many fish there but once catched by police its minmum a day in prison. Dont forget that the new harbour is military area and a BORDER checkpoint. I dont know about the rules and laws but I know that the police and the military police in the harbour can get quite unpolite in these manners. I hardly see any TC go hunting or snorkeling down there. If "rules" have changed or newer information is availlable please supply..

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 15:38

Thats why I said dont take a float.

They are not going to shoot you.

I never had any trouble except for when I took my bouy.

must have been there 15 20 times.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 19:35

spearfish (24). Thanks for all that info and great to hear that the fish are still out there. Clever sods, they've obviously learned the new harbour is a restricted (fishing) area! Any ideas as to why the coastal waters off Kyrenia are so salty ? (west side anyway). Any scientific reason for excess salination in that region?

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 20:17

Not a clue. Ill find out. you would have had more luck asking how to catch em.

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 20:24

http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1992/92JC00767.shtml

Bit too complicated for me to put into words.

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 20:27

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/Fishing-North-Cyprus/118221838207520?ref=ts

HOWS THAT?

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 22:30

Spearfish, thanks for the link on 29. Can't access the Facebook one as I'm not a member of that illustrious site (!). Got the gist of the salinity problems and at least my experience was corroborated. I also suspect that the amount of NC coastal development and dumping of associated waste materials over many years has contributed to pollution levels, excessive salinity or otherwise.

Happy fishing!

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 23:30

Thats the problem with it. but lots of people are on facebook though. there are 33 people who have the north cyprus spearfishing page as favourit but only 3 on the fishing only one, two of the 3 are me unfortunately. everything starts off small though.

racoonchic



Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3223

Message Posted:
20/05/2010 06:50

your misses says it starts off small and it stays small a bit like the fish you catch

Spearfish



Joined: 23/04/2010
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
20/05/2010 08:51

Your missses was quite impressed with my fish! so she was.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
20/05/2010 18:02

In terms of salinity and its affect on fish life - I don't think there's so much difference between Atlantic and Eastern Med.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
20/05/2010 18:23

Msg.35. Atlantic suffers from over-fishing in some areas but at least its a HUGE expanse of sea (ocean, to be precise) compared with the waters of the E.Med'n which has 2 major coastlines close by. Think of the man-made impact over many years on fish stocks and the effects of pollution & eventual excess salinity.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
20/05/2010 22:48

Swannee/Msg36:



The water in the Med, restricted by the Straits of Gibralter, only changes 'once in a blue moon', less in the Eastern Med. - I used to know how often, but can't remember right now.



Man's decimation is the main cause of marine ecosystem destruction and degradation - that's why I choose to be in favour of conservation - Quod erat demonstrandum!



Whatever - the 'culprit' is simply over population of a given area.



Fish farming is the only way forward - only if done in a responsible manner. Should this eventuate in sufficient and sustainable numbers and the open sea left alone, will the Med. have a chance of recovery.



That's also too simplistic - the dumping of toxic waste must decline, or cease - regrettably most unlikely.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
20/05/2010 23:10

Tenakoutou. Can't argue with your arguments, they're spot, on but as the 'peoples of the Med' are not exactly renowned for an ethos of conservation, I share your pessimistic outlook on the future of the E.Med.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
21/05/2010 07:36

swannee7/Msg 38: 'peoples of the Med' are not exactly renowned for an ethos of conservation...'



There you've 'put the ring round it'!



I don't want to be pessimistic - but what's needed, but currently sadly lacking, is a co-operation and co-ordination of purpose.



Even if there was an EU 'crackdown' - it would still come down to what you've said.



Just look at what happened in 'The Great Lakes'................