19 Nov 2005
OVERVIEW OF FISHING YEAR 2005
SEA FISHING
This has generally been another disappointing year as far as sea fishing (with a rod from shore) is concerned. A very much similar year to 2004. Some spinefood, gilthead seabream, mullet, needlefish, small striped seabream and limited seabass have been caught according to the various reports we have. Most of the anglers are disappointed again. They complain that there are no more fish in our sea. And they are probably right. The lack of any fishing regulations regarding sea fishing from shore, results in many kilometers of fishing nets by anglers with boats, just a few meters from shore practically killing all fish of any size. Of course another reason for this situation is the use of dynamite from some people. What these people don't know (or maybe they just don't care) is that an area where dynamite has been used, cannot hold any fish for approximately eight years after the explosion. Even some gas cylinders with fuze were found in the sea in Zygi area.
The Fisheries Department had started a project a few years ago, breeding and releasing some good quantities of sharp-nosed seabream. This project aimed in providing a good quality fish for the shore anglers. What happened after the release of the fish and the announcement from the fisheries department, was that many anglers with boats and fishing nets arrived in the area and practically caught all the fish. Those fish that escaped, were attacked by predators (jack, amberjack, barracuda etc..). That was the end of the project.
Something similar happens when some good quantities of seabass or gilthead seabream escape from the different fish farms due to storms during the winter (or released by the owners because they could not sell them etc..). As soon as the news are spread, the area is packed with fishing boats and hundreds of meters of nets appear just next to the shore, sometimes in 3 or 4 rows. The result is, tons of fish being caught in a single day. Fish that would otherwise provide an excellent fishing opportunity for many anglers for a long time.
FRESHWATER FISHING
The sudden weather change marked the end of yet another fishing season for warmwater dam species. Unfortunately, what we wrote a few months ago (Read more...), has been confirmed again. Other than a few exceptions, it has been a disappointing season, especially as far as the Largemouth Bass is concerned. We have seen a few nice specimens being caught, but generally bass fishing this year was worse than ever before, for most people. Don't forget that you only see a photo on a good days' fishing trip. Nobody ever tells you how many bad days they had, until they caught the fish they proudly show in the picture. And believe me, the bad days this year for most people, were a lot. And the way things are, unfortunately we do not see any improvement for next year. Fishing will most probably be even worse next year. Yermasogia, Kalavasos, Dhypotamos dams with the known problems, and other smaller dams almost empty, leave no room for hope. The only exceptions are Kourris, Asprogremmos and Evretou dams.
Yermasogia dam: At the edge of destruction (Read more...). Bass fishing was generally poor, but some good size roach and big carp have been caught this year. With only 26% capacity of water and decreasing rapidly (about 25-30 thousand cubic meters of water being wasted each single day), it is only a matter of time for the total destruction of the dam. Considering the possibility of mud being concentrated at the bottom of the dam, I wouldn't be surprised if the real water capacity is much less than the one announced by the water development department. Most probably, many fish nests have been destroyed already, including bass nests (as we know bass makes its nest in 1-2 feet of water). If we have a dry winter this year, Yermasogia should close for fishing next year and no more water should be allowed to be taken from the dam. This is if we want to preserve one of the oldest biotopes of our country. Of course some so called anglers would prefer to see even lower water levels, with the hope to catch some fish, without caring for the future of fishing at the dam. We have seen this before and I'm sure we will see it again in the future.
Kalavasos dam: With the known problems (Read more...), it was a total disappointment, especially for bass anglers, this year. A one-kilo bass we have caught in October, had a 14 cm bass in its mouth, halfway down its throat, proving our theory that bass have turned to cannibalism to survive due to lack of forage fish. The fisheries department has to do something about it and real soon, if we want better days to come in the future. Otherwise, one of the big dams of our country will continue to be of little fishing value. What a waste!!!
Dhypotamos: Similar problems as Kalavasos dam, with one additional predator to share the forage fish, the zander. Bass fishing was limited again this year, and in general fishing there was again disappointing for most of the time. However, a lot of small size catfish were caught (10-15 cm) and some medium size zander. One possibly good sign, was the appearance of some good size Roach, after three years of not seeing or catching any. Of course the absence of roach the last 3 years should at least make us wonder.
Xyliatos: The dam has been closed for fishing for quite a long time (Read more...). Latest confirmed but unofficial information coming from the fisheries department, is that most probably all watersnakes are dead. The German expert, Dr Brigit Blosat, was in Cyprus again a couple of months ago looking for the watersnake. All efforts made by the fisheries department before her arrival and all efforts made by her, had no result at all. No watersnake was found alive in or around the dam. Of course we knew this would happen, and we warned people (Read more...), but it just happened earlier than we thought. Lets hope that at least now the fisheries department will open the dam for fishing and not try to keep this a "secret" by keeping the dam closed. After all, I'm sure they will find a nice excuse for this. The dam water level is very low, but with the dam being closed and the coming rain (we hope), there should be no real problem.
Lympia dam: Just a small dam with limited possibilities. A few small bass are present but nothing worth the effort. A fairly good amount of small tilapia and some large ones were caught, along with some small roach.
Tamasos dam: A dam with good potential, but the fisheries department just does not care about it at all. With the right fish stocking, it could become a very good dam for bass and other fish like tilapia and roach. The fisheries department should at least stock the dam with roach and tilapia to start with. But who cares about fishing anyway?
Lefka dam: Used to be one of the best dams in the country (Read more...). Stocked with different types of fish, it was a paradise for Nicosia anglers. Unfortunately, all the water was removed a few years ago, resulting to the death of thousands of fish. Now, it is stocked with rainbow trout. We found out some time ago, that roach is present in the dam as well. So what is stopping the fisheries department from stocking the dam with bass?
Kourris dam: The biggest dam in Cyprus. For some unknown reason about 200 thousand tons of water are being wasted every day from the dam for the last year or so. With a water capacity today of only about 51% (it was overspilling at the beginning of March 2004), it is still a very good dam for fishing and especially for bass and zander. Some really big specimens were caught there this year. Things would have been much better if the water was not removed so rapidly, and thing will be much worse if they continue to waste water like that (Read more...).
Asprogremmos, Evretou and Lefkara dams: Possibly the only dams that do not present any real problems (at least not yet). Fishing there this year has been very good, especially for bass (Asprogremmos and Evretou) and zander (Evretou and Lefkara).
