TITLE:
Regulated Fishery Is Beneficial for the Sustainability of Fish Population in Lake Kinneret (Israel)
AUTHORS:
Moshe Gophen, Oren Sonin, Menachem Lev, Gregory Snovsky
KEYWORDS:
Sarotherodon galilaeus, Bleaks, Fishery Crisis, Cormorants, Viral Disease, Environmental Conditions
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.5 No.10,
October
26,
2015
ABSTRACT: Analysis of long-term data-sets of limnological and ichthyological features
of the Lake Kinneret ecosystem structure revealed evidence that the decline of
fish landings during 2007-2008 was not an unpredicted crisis and included only
Tilapias, and mostly S. galilaeus. Several factors were found to be
responsible for the decline and recovery afterwards: decline of stocking,
enhancement of population size of food competitors (Bleaks), the use of smaller
mesh size of fishing nets, increase of predation pressure by Cormorants, the
burst of Viral Disease, natural cyclic oscillation of ENSO event and its higher
frequencies and intensities during the 2000’s. Therefore, recommendations aimed
at ceased fishing are not justified and fishery continuation is correct: renewal
of Bleaks fishing effort, improvement of fishing legislations, enforcement and
management of fish stocking, and efficient implementation of Cormorants
deportation.