Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.19
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will provide support for the implementation of two fishery projects in Iran.
Mohammad Pourkazemi, head of the Iranian institute of fishery research, said that the two projects are related to the farming of trout and artemia in the country, Iran's Fars news agency reported on August 19.
Artemia, known also as brine shrimp, is currently the sole living creature in Iran's Lake Urmia, which is drying up.
By virtue of its high salinity, the lake no longer sustains any fish species. Nonetheless, Lake Urmia is considered a significant natural habitat of Artemia, which serve as food source for the migratory birds such as flamingos.
The drying out of Lake Urmia has been widely debated by the Iranian officials and experts.
Lake Urmia in north-west Iran is experiencing its worst drought in many years, where over 70 percent of its water has dried up. The level has been declining since 1995.
Officials have said if the current restoration efforts are not effective, the lake will be turned into a swamp within four years. Previous reports said Lake Urmia needs 3.1 billion cubic meters of water per year to survive.