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Ohrid, a UNESCO world heritage site on the Balkans, suffers environmental problems and looks for their solution. Whether the Macedonians will succeed to save their heritage site remain uncertain issue.
The famous Ohrid Lake is an attractive place for tourists. Most of the people who come here for a vacation do not have any idea about the environmental problems that suffer this region. One of them is the extinction of the unique Ohrid trout. It is a particular dish that everybody, who is coming in this region, is keen to taste.
Today Macedonia and Albania who share the lake shore are facing the possibility of impose a 5 years moratorium on fishing in the Ohrid Lake. The illegal fishery of the trout appears to be the livelihood of many families in the area, but overfishing promises to be the quickest way to push to extinction the Ohrid trout, which is one of the relic world species and lives only in this lake.
The concession for fishing in the lake is used by the local company, which together with the police authorities is responsible to monitor the area. The troubles come because of the illegal fishermen and the high amount of fish they catch every day. Few offenders are caught and even less punished. The fine for illegal fishery is 33 euros, which is the equivalent of the price of 2,5 kilograms fish at the market.
Another threat for the trout is the perpetual pollution of the lake. The most aggressive sources are communal and industry waste waters, big amounts of silt drifted by the inflowing Sateska River, urbanization of the coast, agriculture pesticides washed into the waters. The pollution is not a local problem of Ohrid residents. The Lake is a trans-border water basin – almost one third of it is in Albania – so the waste troubles concern both countries.
Any attempt from Macedonian side to protect the lake needs an immediate response from the Albanians. In spite of this the local Albanian residents continue to build hotels at the shore although the sewage system and the wastewaters still go straight to the lake.
Additionally the illegal fishing with dynamite is a common practice of many fishermen on this side of the lake. The central government of Albania admits that cannot control all the activities of the municipality.
The suggestion of the moratorium comes from the Hydrological Institute of Ohrid in order to stop the constant trout decrease during the last years. Continual pollution of the lake waters will cause “eutrophication†of the Ohrid Lake, which is considered “oligotrophic†or clear water lake. Eutrophic lakes have lots of plant growth and are characterized by cloudy or green waters. The trout fish live in clear waters only, the experts say. Except overfishing the trout suffers degradation of traditional spawning habitats.
One of them is the reed belt at the shoreline. The local non-governmental organisations are working on a project to protect it from the cutting on the purpose of beach extension. Additional problem for the reed belt is the illegal deposit of construction waste in the reed made by local residents.
Lake Ohrid has one of the largest biological reserves in Europe. 10 of its 17 fish spicies exist nowhere else in the world. There are also five species that are endemic to small areas of the lake, offering special micro ecosystems. At present the main question on the Lake Ohrid is whether the locals will succeed to safe one of the oldest lakes in the world on time.
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