Anzali Lagoon

The lagoon divides Bandar-e Anzali into two parts, and is home to both the Selke Wildlife Refuge and the Siahkesheem Marsh.

[3] The lagoon's water ranges from fresh near the tributary streams to brackish near the mouth into the harbor and the sea.

[7] Prior to 1950 the Anzali Lagoon provided about 70% of the commercial fish taken in Gilan Province, with catches of over 5,000 tons annually.

[2] Commercial fishing was done during the spring and autumn spawning cycles when the kutum, pike-perch and bream, would enter the lagoon from the Caspian.

[2] However, a number of factors acted against the continuation of the fishery and by the time commercial fishing ceased in 1960 annual catches were less than 100 tons.

[15] This wetland has a special environment due to the presence of animals and plants, the morphology, shape of the stream bed, the connection with the rivers and the sea.

[16] Anzali Wetland is a spawning place for aquatic animals and a habitat for native and migratory birds.

Anzali lagoon is also one of the most important sources of reproduction and production of sturgeon and bony fish in the Caspian Sea.

[17][18] Anzali International Wetland, located in the southwest of the Caspian Sea, plays a strategic role in establishing an ecological balance between animals and birds due to its special characteristics.

This wetland serves as a place for natural reproduction and recovery of various groups of Caspian Sea fish.

It also serves as a habitat and spawning ground for migratory Caspian Sea fish in the early stages of their lives.