The great majority of the land surrounding Bayano was reserved for the native American settlements that had to be flooded to create the lake. Lake Bayano now provides a major source of income for its native American residents who harvest thousands of tons of tilapia fish for sale locally and to foreign markets. Although an “artificial” lake, Lake Bayano has become the natural habitat of hundreds of bird and animal species, including some that are found in very few locations in the world.