Over-harvesting may wipe out water frogs in Turkey

London, May 24 

Water frogs are in danger of becoming regionally extinct in parts of Turkey, where they are native, due to over-harvesting for human consumption, scientists have warned.

A study has shown the population of Anatolian water frogs fell by around 20 per cent each year between 2013 and 2015 in Turkey’s Ceyhan and Seyhan deltas.

Researchers from Ege University, Middle East Technical University, Stony Brook University and the Turkish government, predicted a 90-per-cent chance the frogs would be wiped out in the south-central Cukurova Region by 2050. If harvesting trends continue, they could even be extinct by 2032.

The frog harvesting industry in Turkey, which is about 40 years old, is worth nearly $4m (£3.2m) each year.

The amphibians are widely eaten in east and southeast Asia, as well as in the US and France. A joint investigation by the Moving Animals group and The Independent in February found that live frogs were being crammed into tubs and sold in street markets in Vietnam.

The new study, published in conservation journal Oryx, said Turkey occupied a precarious position in an "extinction domino" line, in which the pressure to supply frogs could threaten other populations that are currently stable.

Kerim Cicek, one of the authors, said: “Declining amphibian populations worldwide could have an irreversible and destructive impact on both natural ecosystems and human welfare. They are integral components of many ecosystems, often constituting the highest fraction of vertebrate biomass.

“Unfortunately, the literature on declining amphibian populations and its conservation has increased exponentially each year. We must stop the alarming decline of amphibians before it’s too late.”

However, the solution may not be as simple as banning the harvesting of frogs wholesale. When frog harvest was banned in France and Romania, exports of wild frogs from India and Bangladesh increased. When harvesting was subsequently banned in those countries, the problem of declining frog populations was replicated in Indonesia and China – the latter of which is the largest exporter of frogs. — The Independent

40-yr-old harvesting industry

Frog harvesting industry has taken place in Turkey for 40 years. Frog harvesting is the main livelihood for many local people in the Ceyhan and Seyhan deltas. Most harvesters have low income, no permanent job and no social benefits.

Frogs are used in France for dishes such as cuisses de grenouilles à la Provençale. In China, frog legs are often eaten stir fried, while in Indonesia they are eaten in a frog leg soup. In the US, they are either fried or grilled.

Researchers predicted 90 per cent water frogs would be wiped out in the south-central Çukurova Region by 2050.