Thousands of Prussian carp wash up on Black Sea shores

According to information received from the Samsun Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, the water level in the lagoon lakes located in the 19 Mayıs and Bafra districts rose, leading to the opening of channels connecting the lakes to the Black Sea.

With the opening of the channels, thousands of Prussian carp—an invasive species that has become a nightmare for Turkey and prevents the reproduction of other fish species—poured into the Black Sea.

The invasive fish died after mixing with the saltwater. Some of the dead Prussian carp that washed ashore became food for seagulls and cats.

Local resident Emrullah Yılmaz said, "We saw the seagulls here while exercising in the morning. I was curious and looked, and the place was full of fish. I hadn't seen this before. It's the first time I've seen it."

'WE WERE RELIEVED WHEN WE SAW IT WAS PRUSSIAN CARP'

Citizen Olgun Aydoğan stated, "There is a very high density of fish on the shore. We saw the dead fish. We were scared and hesitant. When we looked, we saw that it was Prussian carp and we were relieved. These are an invasive species. Of course, we saw that these fish died by washing ashore over time because they cannot live in saltwater."

News Source: İHA