Photo credit: Amal Mogga (South Sudan) and Lury Garcia Nunez (Colombia)
Description: Abdel Rahman El Gamal
These photos show the soles (Solea vulgaris) which represents a key species of Lake Qarun especially when considering the increasing levels of the salinity of the lake.
Sole was first introduced to the lake in 1938, and followed by subsequent introductions in 1943, 1945 and 1948. The species established itself in the lake and propagates naturally and hence no further introduction of the species was carried out.
Soles are considered a luxury fish species especially when caught at large size. The catch of the species has witnessed considerable fluctuations over years as mainly affected by over fishing practices. In 2009, the catch of Lake Qarun soles amounted 581 tons that represented 16% of the total catch of the lake in that year.
