THE IDEA of using Cyprus’ many reservoirs to reel in tourists to go fishing is not new, but with steady rainfall keeping water levels high over the last two years, this specialised type of tourism is on the increase.
“This year we issued over 3,000 licences,” said Loizos Loizides, head of the Fisheries Department, adding that this was a sharp increase from the 1,888 given out in 2008.
He said most are issued to tourists and foreign residents on the island, with Cypriots lagging way behind.
“Many of the licences are issued to tourists coming from England and Germany,” said Loizides.
“We have ideal conditions in Cyprus especially in terms of the weather.”
The varied landscapes and fishing grounds – from mountains to near the sea within minutes – is another attraction. As is the price. An annual fishing licence is €34 and covers more than 20 reservoirs.
Aquatic tourism officer, Glafkos Kariolou, at the CTO confirmed that drought conditions meant the island’s reservoirs were not particularly impressive to tourists. “There was an increased interest last year and this year because we’ve had more water,” said Kariolou.
Elsewhere in Europe, reservoirs are also popular destinations for various types of water sports and camping, all of which generate income. It’s an alien concept here where most people are used to swimming in their own pools or simply driving 30 minutes or less to the nearest beach, but the Water Development Department is making some first steps in establishing a set of rules on permits for sports such as sailing and canoeing.
“We only want activities that won’t pollute the water as we’re talking about drinking water,” said Andreas Manolis, deputy head at the Water Development Board.
He said regulations are under discussion along with which dams would be included. The next steps are for it to go to the legal services department and then Parliament.
“It’s difficult to predict when everything will be in place but maybe in four to five months,” said Manolis.
Cyprus currently has over 100 reservoirs islandwide, with 26 of the bigger ones open to recreational fishing. They are home to fish such as the rainbow trout, the brown trout, roach, bass, carp, catfish, pike and perch.
The Kouris dam in Limassol is the largest with a capacity of 115,000,000 m3 while the second largest is the Asprokremmos dam in Paphos with a capacity 52,375,000 m3. Both dams are open to fishing.
Fishermen can keep the fish they catch at most reservoirs – except Ahna and Polemidia where there is a strict ‘catch and release’ policy – but there are strict quotas on numbers, species and the size of fish caught. For example, a trout less than 20cm must be returned to the water as must a bass less than 25 cm. Fishermen can only use fishing rods and line. All other methods of fishing such as nets or chemicals are prohibited.
The rules and regulations exist in order to protect fish stocks. If stocks run low, the Fisheries Department have to close a reservoir for up to two years to replenish stocks. “A few years ago we had to close a particular dam to fishing until some of the small fish that had been put there had enough time to develop [in size and number],” said Loizides.
Unfortunately, the Fisheries Department has to deal with ongoing violations of these rules predominantly from foreign permanent residents. “It’s a fact that it’s the foreigners [violating the rules] with some using it as a source of food,” said Loizides. “Even though they may be poor they can’t destroy the reservoirs for this reason.”
Complaints to the Fisheries Department have increased since 2008 from 78 to 187 in 2010.
The fines for violating regulations can be up to €8,542, up to six months in gaol or both. However, Loizides explained that most people are only ever fined around €200 but stressed that from October 1 the fine has been doubled to attempt to discourage violators.
For bona fide fishermen, illegal fishing is the bane of their lives.
“The situation is getting worse and worse with nets being used at the larger dams such as Kouris” resulting in a dramatic drop in stocks, the Cyprus Freshwater Angling Association (CFAA) complained earlier this year.
They also expressed deep disappointment in the Fisheries Department saying that they do not have enough patrols in the areas or checks.
Loizides confirmed this, attributing the root cause of the problem to the economic crisis, explaining that because the patrols work outside of the usual hours (as many of the violations occur at night) it is an extra cost. “But we do work well with the police and the Game Fund to try and deal with these problem,” he said.
Another attempt to combat the problem was the setting up of a hotline three years ago in conjunction with CTO so that anyone can report anything suspicious.
According to Kariolou, they have had plenty of reports mainly involving fishing in reservoirs which are not open to it, fishing outside designated hours and fishing in ways that are against the rules such as in a boat using a spear gun, a strong light to attract fish to the surface or nets.
