Fish will be released into rivers and freshwater bodies

The Metropolitan Municipality, which has been carrying out the Izmit Gulf Fishery Project in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Directorate General of Agricultural Research and Policies and has ceremonially released 42,000 young fish into the Izmit Gulf, has now initiated efforts to enhance fish populations in inland waters and streams across the city. Following consultations with the Kocaeli City Council and a positive response to the request made by the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Directorate General of Nature Conservation and National Parks, a project has been launched under the Environmental Protection and Control Department. Following technical examinations at the Bolu Abant Trout Production Station affiliated with the Directorate General of Nature Conservation and National Parks, officials from the production station arrived in Kocaeli to conduct field inspections in the region. A team consisting of technical personnel from the Bolu Abant Trout Production Station and relevant authorities, institutions, and associations in Kocaeli conducted field inspections in the streams of Kartepe, Başiskele, and Gölcük. The week-long fieldwork, initiated in streams such as Kiraz Dere (Cold and Hot Stream), Serindere, Yanıkdere, Karpuz Dere, Müflis Dere, Aygır Dere, and Asar Dere in the region, aimed to identify grazing areas suitable for obtaining brown trout.

Increased trout population Within the framework of sustainable development principles, the project aims to ensure the conservation of the environment, agricultural areas, and water basins, increase trout populations in forest streams, rehabilitate deteriorated trout habitats, preserve genetic resources, raise awareness about species, develop recreational fishing, and transfer biological diversity to future generations in a sustainable manner. Within the scope of the project, broodstock fish obtained from Kiraz Dere were milked at the Bolu Abant Trout Production Station to produce young fish.

After successfully obtaining young fish from the broodstock fish obtained from Kiraz Dere in Başiskele district, the technical team of the Environmental Protection and Control Department conducted technical examinations at the Bolu Abant Trout Production Station. The technical examination was accompanied by the technical team of the Directorate General of Nature Conservation and National Parks in Bolu Province and the technical team of the Abant Trout Production Station Facility. The production of thousands of young fish from the milked broodstock fish was warmly welcomed. After being informed about the production and growth process of the fish, the young fish that acquired feeding habits in the facility were transferred to a separate tank. These young fish will be released back into Kiraz Dere when they reach a certain size.