Poaching key obstacle in way of restoration of whitefish in Sevan

Expert: Poaching remains key obstacle in way of restoration of
whitefish population in Lake Sevan

Saturday, June 1, 17:35

Poaching remains the key obstacle in the way of restoration of the
whitefish population in Lake Sevan, Bardukh Gabrielyan, Director of
the Institute of Hydroecology and Ichthyology, National Academy of
Sciences of Armenia, said at a press conference on Saturday. Though
the Government’s decision to raise the water level contributes to the
increase in the whitefish reserves, nevertheless, effective measures
should be taken to prevent poaching.

To note, at present the whitefish reserves are gradually declining in
the lake and make up about 6.5 tons. To note, in the late 1980s early
1990s the reserves made up about 30 thsd tons.

As regards the pollution of the rivers flowing into the Sevan,
Gabrielyan said that the situation is desperate. He said that most of
the settlements in Armenia lack cleaning stations, subsequently, the
household and industrial waste falls into the rivers and eventually
into Lake Sevan. The water release from the rivers and the
activity of the small hydropower plants deteriorate the situation.
Gabrielyan added that the river pollution hinders the trout spawning.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress