The Persian Gulf Martyrs Lake (Chitgar) of Tehran with a water area of about 130 hectares is the largest artificial lake in Iran. This study was conducted in different seasons of 2018 and 2024 with the aim of determining the species composition and abundance of fish in the lake. Three stations were selected for fishing with 8-80 mm gill-nets, 4 stations with 5 mm beach seine, and 10 stations with 8 mm cast-nets. The results showed the presence of 17 fish species from 10 families in the lake in 2018 and 11 species from 7 families in 2024. The families Xenocyprididae and Cyprinidae had the highest number of species in 2018 with 4 and 3 species, respectively, and in 2024 with 3 and 3 species, respectively. In 2018 and 2023, there were 13 and 10 non-native fish species, respectively, and a total of 14 species in the two years, of which 4 were farmed, 2 were non-target species, and 8 were ornamental. With 15-80 mm mesh-sized gillnets, in 2018, Sharpbelly and common carp were dominant, and in 2024, Sharpbelly and silver carp were dominant, with little change observed among stations. With a 5 mm mesh-sized seine, in 2018, the dominant species were the Sharpbelly and the Transcaucasian bleak, and in 2014, the dominant species were the Topmouth gudgeon and the Sharpbelly. With a cast net, in 2018, the dominant species were the Sharpbelly, Topmouth gudgeon, and the gibel Carp, while in 2024, only the Sharpbelly was dominant. During the last study (2024), gibel carp, grass carp, and northern pike were not observed in the lake, which could indicate their removal from the lake, but the lack of observation of some ornamental fish could indicate their poor population. It is recommended that, in order to maintain water quality, 2000specimens of juvenile pike (to control Sharpbelly and Topmouth gudgeon) and 20000specimens of juvenile silver carp (to control algae blooms) be introduced to the lake annually, and that the lake be monitored every 3-5 years.
Abbasi K, Bagheri S, Moradi M, Mirzajani A, Vesaghi M J, Mohammadidost R, et al . Changes in the fish population (Abundance) of the Martyrs' Lake of the Persian Gulf (Chitgar) during 2018 and 2024. JAIR 2026; 14 (2) :11-20 URL: http://jair.gonbad.ac.ir/article-1-944-en.html