Fish in Euphrates Face Extinction

Illegal fishing methods have caused the extinction of 20 types of fish in the river Euphrates, the pro-government newspaper Syrian News reported on October 25.



Fishermen are using explosives, poison, gas and electric shocks to kill fish wholesale. The use of poison, in particular, can be harmful to anyone who eats the fish, the website said.



Both species diversity and total fish stocks have declined over the last 30 years, according to the website.



Muhammad Abdullah, a veteran fisherman, told the website that his daily catch had dropped from 200 to 50 kilograms a day, and most of the fish he brings in are small.



He blamed the decrease on the use of dynamite to catch river fish.



Other fishermen told the website that sending electrical charges through the water to stun fish doubles their income because it is a fast way of bringing in a large catch.



Syria News said overfishing and population growth are also to blame for the declining stocks in the Euphrates. For instance, the population of Al-Raqqa, a city that sits on the river, grew by 25 per cent between 1997 and 2006 while the catch increased by only eight per cent.



An estimated 4,000 tons of fish were caught from the river in 2006, accounting for 28 per cent of Syria’s total fish production.