| İnci kefali | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Chalcalburnus |
| Species: | C. tarichi |
| Binomial name | |
| Chalcalburnus tarichi (Güldenstädt, 1814) (Pallas, 1811) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Alburnus tarichi, Pearl Mullet |
|
The İnci kefali (Chalcalburnus tarichi), also known as the Pearl Mullet, is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family. It is found only in Turkey, where it is the only fish known to inhabit Lake Van.
The Pearl Mullet is the jewel of Lake Van in Turkey. Found nowhere else in the world, this fish thrives in the lake's salty and carbonated waters,[1] which are inhospitable to other forms of fresh-water and marine fish. In May and June of each year the Pearl Mullet travels upstream through the lake's tributaries to lay eggs, flying through the air like salmon. And there lies the problem.
Many locals have become accustomed to the ease of sticking out bags and catching troves of fish as they jump out of the water. They catch so many Pearl Mullets in May-June that they don't have to fish for the rest of the year. And locals prefer to catch the fish during reproduction season, when the females are filled with eggs, which are considered a delicacy.
This is also the best recipe for killing off the species. Despite a government ban on fishing during reproduction season, this kind of fishing has become a big business. In the 1960s only 600 tons of Pearl Mullets were harvested annually; today that figure has jumped to 15,000 tons.
Other taxonomic names for this species include Alburnus tarichi (Güldenstädt, 1814), Alburnus timarensis (Kuru, 1980), Chalcalburnus tarichi (Güldenstädt, 1814), Cyprinus tarichi (Güldenstädt, 1814), and Leuciscus vanensis (Günther, 1868).[2]