PodcastCrayfish in Van Lake risk extinction of local pearl mullet
Crayfish have been spotted in a reservoir that feeds into Van Lake, threatening the existence of the local pearl mullet, aka Van Fish. Crayfish feed on fish eggs, and their presence in the closed basin of Van Lake might lead to the extinction of the Van Fish, leaving 15,000 locals without a source of income.
Oktay Candemir/ DUVAR
Crayfish have been spotted in the Zernek Reservoir of Van province for the first time. Although crayfish are extremely valuable, they they risk harming thousands of locals' means of living: the local pearl mullet.
Even though the crayfish population is booming at the moment they've never been spotted in the southeastern Van Lake Basin in its 600,000 years of existence. Feeding on fish eggs, the crayfish risk the existence of the local pearl mullet, the sole source of income for 15,000 locals.
Crayfish is extremely valuable, which may have been motivation for someone to breed them in Zernek Reservoir, President of Van Environment Association (Çev-Der) Ali Kalçık said. Zernek Reservoir flows into Van Lake, which is the main habitat for the pearl mullet aka "Van fish," he noted.
"These crayfish reproduce like crazy, one of them will leave hundreds of eggs every year," Kalçık said. "The crayfish's existence means giving up the Van Fish because Van is a closed basin."