FISH, FISHERIES AND WATER QUALITY IN ANZALI LAGOON AND ITS WATERSHED

FI:UNDP/IRA/88/001
Field Document 2
December 1992

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

	FISH, FISHERIES AND WATER QUALITY IN ANZALI LAGOON AND ITS WATERSHED
	TABLE OF CONTENTS

Report prepared for the Project -
Anzali Lagoon Productivity and Fish Stocks Investigations

J. Holčik,
Institute of Zoology and Ecosozoology
Slovak Academy of Sciences
Bratislava
Czech and Slovak Federative Republic

and

J. Oláh
Fish Culture Research Institute
Szarvas
Hungary

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This document summarizes the results of all investigations carried out during the project (1989–91) identified on the title page. The conclusions and recommendations given in the report are those of the authors, based on their studies of fish stocks, fisheries and environment. Special attention was paid to the impact of the rising water level of the Caspian Sea upon the coastal lagoons and their fishery resources. Proposals for future management are included.

ABSTRACT

This document evaluates the impacts of watershed manipulations and of the Caspian Sea water level fluctuations upon the environment, fish species composition, fish stocks, and fisheries of the Anzali Lagoon, a coastal waterbody in northern Iran. This lagoon was important as a rich source of fish some 50–60 years ago when the catch was dominated by diadromous fish, mostly Rutilus frisii kutum. Investigations carried out during the IRA/88/001 project have shown that Anzali Lagoon now has a low fishery value. The catch is 50–75 times lower than before when the fisheries were at their peak. It is now dominated by Carassius auratus, an accidentally-introduced coarse fish. The low yield can be seen as reflecting extreme environmental changes which have occurred in the catchment and in the Anzali Lagoon over the past 5–6 decades as a result of the synergistic impact of the Caspian Sea level decline and increasing river bed erosion. Man induced changes such as the damming of the inflowing rivers, accidental introduction of exotic species, extraction of water for irrigation, eutrophication and to an extent also pollution are responsible. In addition, the absence of fishery management is a further constraint on the lagoon ecosystem. The rise in the level of the Caspian Sea observed since 1977 is gradually bringing about a slow improvement in the situation, and the Lagoon is now slowly returning to its former brackish-water status. However, to bring back the fishery to its former level, one needs to adopt and introduce remedial measures including hydraulic engineering, an antipollution strategy and implementation of fishery management.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Food and Agriculture Organization is greatly indebted to the following organizations and individuals who assisted the authors in the implementation of the project by providing information, advice and facilities:

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the privilege of participating in studies on Anzali Lagoon which presented a most interesting ecological situation.

V. Haghpanah and H. Abdulhay, two successive directors of the IFRTO branch in Bandar Anzali, for their interest and mobilization of the institute staff. N. Hosseinpour, National Project Director, for his invaluable help, advice, and collaboration.

M. Karimpour and D. Haghighi, National Project Staff, for their valuable work in the field. A. Mohammed, hydrologist from the North Water and Power Organization in Rasht who provided hydrological data and organized the topographical survey on Anzali Lagoon.

B.A. Razavi, who supplied interesting and important information on the Caspian Sea fish and fisheries and, together with A. Mellatparast, S.H. Khodaparast and Mrs. T. Mohammedjanii, organized sampling in their laboratories.

N. Gorouhi, head of the FRC Experimental Hatchery and H. Yosefpour, head of the Shehidbehesti Warm Water Fish Hatchery, who were most helpful in providing samples of interesting fishes, information and data on the fisheries and hatcheries programme.

E. Olami, fishing gear expert of the FRC in Bandar Anzali, who kindly arranged manufacture of experimental fish traps.

M. Tahjah and M. Mahboub, indefatigable drivers and also to M. Iranpour, the boat pilot who was helpful with his knowledge of the lagoon conditions. Fishermen, Sayiad, Abbas and R.S. Ghanbari, who provided field fishing and invaluable information of the former fishery in the Anzali Lagoon.

A.A. Esteky and S.A.B. Nezami, then postgraduate students in Szarvas, Hungary for their sampling, analyses and in part also evaluation of various hydrochemical and hydrobiological data and also to H. Ahnelt, Institute of Zoology, University of Vienna for identification of gobies.

A. Malkovitsová, T. Besedová and J. Weisová from the Institute of Zoology and Ecosozoology, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia assisted with the preparation of the manuscript, typing, statistical calculations and drawing of figures. A.I. Glubokov, Vsesoyuznyi Institut Morskogo Rybnogo Khozyaistva i Okeanografii (VNIRO), Moscow, was most helpful in providing some old Russian literature.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 1992

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1. INTRODUCTION

2. FINDINGS, RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

2.1 Implementing strategy
2.2 Technical training
2.3 Status of the Anzali Lagoon

2.3.1 Environment
2.3.2 Pollution
2.3.3 Azolla invasion
2.3.4 Fish fauna
2.3.5 Fisheries