Lake Van Haberleri - Son Dakika Lake Van Haber Güncel Gelişmeler

The diving season has opened at Lake Van

With the rise in water temperature, the diving season has opened at Lake Van, the world's largest soda lake with a history of 800,000 years. Formed by the eruption of the volcanic Nemrut Mountain, Lake Van spans an area of 3,713 square kilometers, resembling a vast sea, making it ideal for diving tourism. Lake Van hosts a variety of species, including the pearl mullet fish, later discovered microbialites, and the Lake Van small coral fish in its depths. Additionally, further dives have revealed a Russian shipwreck and castle ruins. As the weather warms up, the mysterious depths of Lake Van await visits from amateur and professional divers this year as well. This year, members of the Underwater Search and Rescue Training Association (AKEM) successfully completed the first dive of the season as the waters warmed. "It could become an attractive diving center." Speaking to İHA reporter, AKEM President Halil İbrahim Atacan stated that they opened the season very late due to the weather not warming up. Atacan, who noted that they performed their first dive after the waters warmed up, said, "We hope to have a season with beautiful and successful dives. We know that Lake Van is situated at a high altitude. Therefore, it could become an attractive diving center because we know that every diver wants to dive at high altitudes. Our underwater visibility ranges between 5 and 7 meters. Our underwater riches include microbialites, the Lake Van small coral fish, and the Van fish. We can meet at three special points in this way." Inviting diving enthusiasts to diving training schools, Atacan noted that this would allow them to step into the magical world of Lake Van.

Nemrut and Süphan Mountain became the new route for campers

Featuring shades of blue and green, Nemrut Crater Lake and Süphan Mountain, which received the 'Excellence Award' within the framework of the European Distinguished Destinations (EDEN) project, hosted both day trippers and those who wanted to camp during the summer months. Bitlis Eren University (BEU) Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Nursing Dr. Cihan Önen, who has been observing the region for many years, said that with the provision of a peaceful environment, the number of campers in the region is increasing every day. Dr. Önen said, “I have been making observations in the region for many years. I also record my observations. Bitlis has magnificent natural areas with its natural areas, Lake Van and Nemrut Crater Lake. In addition, it also has a nature that shows us its magnificent star view many times. There are many tourists coming to our country from Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Finland and many countries in Europe. Especially the number of people coming to Bitlis and its surroundings for camping is increasing day by day. In addition, I observed that domestic tourists also stayed in the region. Recently, there has been a decrease in the number of campers in Nemrut due to the increase in the bear population in the Nemrut Lift. But in addition, I witnessed an increase in tourists in the Süphan Mountain and Van Lake basin.”

Pearl mullet hunting ban begins

All preparations have been completed for the 2023 hunting ban for the pearl mullet, which is one of the important values of the Van Lake Basin and swims against the stream and flocks to the streams from time to time as if it were flying. The fishermen drew their nets for the last time for pearl mullets, which provide a livelihood for approximately 15,000 people in the Van Lake Basin. Fishermen who dock their boats at the marina will not be able to catch pearl mullet in Lake Van for 90 days. During this time, pearl mullets will come out of the salty and sodic waters of the lake and flock to the streams flowing into the lake in order to make their migration journey to breed. This difficult migration journey also contributes to the tourism of the region. In this context, the "Pearl Mullet Festival" is held every year in Erciş Fish Dam, where the flight of fish can be watched. “We observed good improvements in fish quantity and size” Speaking to the İHA reporter, Van Agriculture and Forestry Provincial Director İbrahim Görentaş stated that the hunting ban will begin as of April 15. Stating that they have taken all the measures regarding the hunting ban until July 15, the Provincial Director Görentaş said, “Instructions regarding all institutions were passed by holding meetings under the presidency of our Governor's Office and all the things to be done were determined. In addition, we will provide the vehicles we rent and deliver them to the gendarmerie, security and municipal police. Our staff do the necessary training in the field. As a result of these studies, we have observed good developments in the amount and size of fish as a result of the studies we have done in previous years. Hopefully, these measures will continue to increase our efforts." “We will protect the fish together” Stating that it is very important to be conscious against poaching, Görentaş said, “As the people of Van, we must protect the fish together. In this context, in cooperation with our Provincial Directorate of National Education, the promotional activities of the pearl mullet hunting ban that we have done for students in schools will continue. There was a really good consciousness among citizens at the point of not eating or hunting the fish. Hopefully, this consciousness will continue to increase."

Withdrawal in Lake Van will extend pearl mullet's migration journey

Van In addition to the drought that has been effective in recent years, the retreat on the shores of Lake Van, whose level has decreased due to excessive evaporation, continues. The recession in some shallow water points will also affect the migration route of thousands of pearl mullets, which migrate every year from the salty and soda water of Van Lake to the fresh waters. Fish that reached the stream beds in a short time due to the high water level before will have to cover a longer distance on their migration path to fresh waters due to the withdrawal this year. Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ) Faculty of Fisheries Doctor Faculty Member Mustafa Akkuş told Anadolu Agency (AA) that there are only a few days left for the difficult migration journey of pearl mullets living in the salty and carbonated waters of Van Lake every year. Stating that measures are taken to protect the fish that swim against the flow of the water and overcome the obstacles they encounter by flying almost every year, Akkuş said, "There are only a few days left before the migration starts, but there is a question in our minds: There were withdrawals of almost 2-3 kilometers in some parts of Lake Van, there are decreases in the flow rates of the rivers, how will this withdrawal and the decrease in the water level affect the fish? Pointing out that many people in the region make a living from fishing, Akkuş said, "The continuation of fishing depends on the journey of pearl mullets to the rivers during the breeding period." "A difficult migration journey awaits the pearl mullet" Emphasizing that pearl mullet is as important for tourism as the city's economy, Akkuş said: "The migration route of the fish has been extended. The distance from the point where the stream empties into the lake in the past is almost 2-3 kilometers from the lake today. Therefore, pearl mullets will have to cover a distance of 2-3 kilometers more than last year. To go to the upper reaches of the streams, they have to enter the lake from a point farther than the point they entered last year. That's not the only problem. One of the biggest problems is the decrease in water flow rates due to global warming. For this reason, a more difficult migration journey awaits the pearl mullet compared to previous years. The rapid decrease in the flow rate of the streams increases the temperature and the oxygen level decreases. At this point, we need to help. We need to prevent sudden water cuts in rivers, especially illegal fishing. We hope that the precipitation will increase and thus the flow rates of the rivers will increase."

#Lake Van

The diving season has opened at Lake Van

Nemrut and Süphan Mountain became the new route for campers

Pearl mullet hunting ban begins

Withdrawal in Lake Van will extend pearl mullet's migration journey