Some 1.3 tons of poached pearl mullets seized in Lake Van

VAN

The Turkish Coast Guard units patrolling Lake Van, the country’s biggest lake, to protect pearl mullets have raided poachers and seized some 1.3 tons of fish caught illegally.

“Some 550 kilos of pearl mullets were alive,” Demirören News Agency reported on May 19.

Pearl mullets that can live in the salty waters of Lake Van leave their habitats at the beginning of April and migrate to streams to reproduce.

Officials announce a fishing ban between April 15 and July 15 every year to protect the species.

Breaking new ground, the Turkish Coast Guard joined other units to protect the migrating pearl mullets in Lake Van following a decision of the governor’s office.

The officials tossed back half a ton of alive fish to the lake.