Nov 2003

XYLIATOS DAM

Xyliatos dam was built in 1982. Its a beautiful dam in the forest. It was originally stocked with Carp, Roach, and Mosquito fish.  The fisheries department used nets in the dam to grow the Rainbow Trout and released good quantities every year for angling purposes.

An endangered water snake species lives in the dam, (Natrix natrix cypriaca), which was thought to be extinct since 1971, when it was last seen, mainly due to the spraying of rivers and still waters with DDT to fight malaria. Since 1982 when the dam was built, the grass-snake increased slowly but steadily in numbers. (Read more...)

Every year around June, a good quantity of trout was released in the dam (5-8 thousand) and the trout fishing season began shortly after that. The fishing was good, but due to the behaviour of some so called "anglers" (swimmed in the dam and destroyed the nets to get the fish, used big searchlights at night, and generally did anything one can imagine to get large quantities of fish without actually fishing), this procedure was stopped by the fisheries dept. And it was a very wise decision. After that, smaller quantities of trout were released at times and the dam was open all year round. Real paradise for the serious anglers.

The Rainbow Trout, Carp, Roach, Mosquito fish, Crawfish and water snake co-existed in the dam. All that until 1998 when the Largemouth Bass suddenly appeared. As one would expect, the water snake numbers began decreasing rapidly.  Then an expert was called from Germany (Dr. Brigit Blosat), in 2001, to study the new situation and give answers to the problem. At that time, the fisheries dept was actually encouraging anglers to fish for bass as much as possible to limit their numbers. It was the second time the German expert visited Cyprus. The first time was in 1995 when she studied the behaviour and the quantities of the water snake.

The German expert, Dr. Brigit Blosat, prepared a series of measures which would help protect the water snake. These included stopping fishing at the dam in order to protect the natural habitat (this could have been a decision by the fisheries dept to get rid of the problem for ever), and the construction of small lakes around the dam to attract frogs. The only problem was that she was NEVER TOLD that by that time the dam was full of Largemouth Bass, with specimens up to or even maybe exceeding 3 kilos.

The anglers visiting the dam in recent years knew about the water snake and did not hunt it down. What about the thousand of visitors though? Do they know? Does anybody care to explain to them?  And what about the illegal anglers, mostly foreigners? Who explained to those people?

The information given to the German expert was misleading and thus the wrong measures that she announced. Fishing should not be stopped, and constructing the five lakes around the dam, to create frogs' natural environment so that they are attracted to the area, is not good enough. They will only feed the Bass. And the Bass will grow even more and attack more water snakes. As we are told, there are about 10 adult water snakes in the dam.  And they have electronic transmitters on them. Well, I believe that a couple of those transmitters could be in the stomach of some Bass by now. Whatever the case, all newborn water snakes will be attacked and eaten by the Bass. In a few years, the adult water snakes will die of natural death and then the species will be extinct.  Unless something proper and right is done about it.

I believe, there are only two solutions to the problem. One is to dry the dam, so that all the bass die including thousand of other species of fish, with all the consequences that this action will have to the environment, the farmers and land owners in the area etc... Not to mention that after the dam is full again, the Bass will most certainly appear in there again, as it happened before. The second solution would be to re-locate the water-snake. Move them all in another dam such as Kafizes which is isolated and almost inaccessible. Or maybe a smaller dam not known to us at all.