The First Record of Zebra Mussel in Sarımehmet Dam (Van) and Its Possible Effects on Regional Fisheries

Abstract

The present research was conducted between October 2018 and October 2019 at Sarımehmet Dam which is on Karasu Stream. Sarımehmet Dam is a dam that is 60 kilometers away from Van city center and it has approximately 10 km² of surface area. It was first opened in 1991 for agricultural irrigation and electricity production. The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha Pallas, 1771) captured in Sarımehmet Dam is a kind of invasive species and this is its first record in Van Province. In this study, the length-weight relationships of 733 zebra mussels from four stations were determined and the temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen values of the stations were measured. The length-weight relationship was calculated according to the stations as W=0.0003XL2.976, W=0.0002XL2.971, W=0.0002XL2.962 and W=0.0002XL2.963. The measured maximum-minimum water quality values were noted for temperature as 1.5-22 °C, pH 8.2-8.9, salinity as ‰0.21-0.39 and dissolved oxygen as 6.44-11.45 mg/L. Based on the data, if zebra mussels in Sarımehmet Dam are moved to other water resources in the region, it was determined that invasion of pearl mullet breeding areas will cause great damage for fishery in the region. In the light of the gathered data, it was found out that if the zebra mussels in Sarımehmet Dam were transported to other water resources in the region, they would invade pearl mullet breeding areas and cause great damages for the fishery of the region. © 2019, ABADER (Adıyaman Bilimsel Arastırmalar Dernegi). All rights reserved.