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| Small "sickle-shaped" exo-potamian reservoir to the south of Arakambas village; totally dry in summer, no fish, many insects. |
November 2014
There are many types of wetlands. One artificial type is what Greek engineers call Εξοποτάμιοι Ταμιευτήρες, reservoirs that are situated just beyond the river channel. On Cyprus there are many.
Vasso and I visited Cyprus for a short investigation with aquatic biologist Iakovos Tzortzis.
In fact, the target was to investigate allegations of the occurrence of...freshwater blennies** in one of these exo-potamic reservoirs that is fed with waters from the Germasogeia River.
We went to three reservoirs, each different, but no blennies.
It was worth the trip.
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| Arakambas reservoir, place where the 'blennies" are. None? But many small stocked Carp. |
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| Sickle-shaped exo-potamian. Vasso walked around and looked for fish: none here. |
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| Comfort in the eyes of fisher's young and old. A Northern Pike in the third reservoir we visited. But an alien*. |
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| Underwater trophy pike. Silt covered substrate of the 'Pike reservoir': Three fish species here. |
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| Iakovos with younger Pike. Several easily caught. |
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| Biggie Northern Pike. What an incongruous sight in a reservoir so south! |
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| Amazingly rich concentrations of Mosquito Fish in the 'Pike reservoir'. |
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| Carpies stocked in the 'Blenny reservoir"... Loads, all young and healthy-looking. |
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| Roach: In the 'Pike Reservoir". Also a grey heron was fishing here. |
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| Germasogeia River just East of Lemessos. Rain from storm sewer water after an Autumn storm. |
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| The coast just East of the dry river-mouth of the Germasogeia river. |
* Footnote: Non-indigenous alien fishes and other aquatic life can be very harmful to local ecosystems, even in artificial waters such as these reservoirs. We must be more aware of this and how to somehow keep track, survey, and even control the spread of non-indigenous species. Especially on an island, alien monitoring, research and control is an important part of biodiversity conservation.
** For information about why we are interested in blennies on Cyprus:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260227542_Does_the_river_blenny_Salaria_fluviatilis_%28Asso_1801%29_%28Actinopterygii_Perciformes%29_still_survive_on_the_Mediterranean_island_of_Cyprus
