The fish trap gate opens into an entirely new world. Here begins the Delta where the reeds spread out into a 1700 hectare area, massing like an enormous straw field that roots down to a brackish bed. The contours of the Delta are drawn by the reeds that filter the water through its roots providing a haven for small shrimps (crangon crangon). The young fish function as an important part of the ecosystem, moving like clouds as they travel together. Looking from above, you see this meandering chaos that lacks any describable shape.
Boats travelling from Dalyan to the Iztuzu Beach pass through the gate of a fish trap constructed of gauze stretched between poles, so as to block the fishes from one side to the other. A “Dalyan” in fishing terms, is controlled by a watchman’s post, before boats enter the delta’s labyrinth of reed islets and complicated waterways. It is customary to salute the fish trap watchman while going in and out of this gate, which is sunken below to provide passage for the boats and raised back in place immediately after the boat has passed.