Due to the whitefish spawning season, enhanced control measures will be implemented in Lake Sevan and throughout Armenia from December 20, 2021 to January 15, 2022. Within the framework of the control measures, the representatives of the responsible departments will jointly hold meetings with the heads of the settlements, fishermen and citizens near Lake Sevan.
Explanatory work will be carried out on the purpose of the event and the actions to be taken, which prohibited the hunting of whitefish in Lake Sevan due to the spawning period of the fish. In this context, swimming equipment, hunting equipment and temporary shelters for fishermen will be removed from the territory of "Sevan" National Park. All types of hunting gear and vessels will not be allowed to enter Lake Sevan.
Officers of Gegharkunik, Kotayk, Tavush and Vayots Dzor Regional Departments of the Police will establish strict 24-hour control over all forest roads surrounding Lake Sevan, and checkpoints will be located at the exits of the main roads leaving Gegharkunik Region. A 24-hour duty will be established in the territory of "Sevan" National Park.
Within the framework of the events, inspections will be organized to prevent the sale of whitefish from Lake Sevan in the markets of Yerevan and the regions. Inspections will be carried out on Lake Sevan and other areas of Sevan National Park, as RA Environment Ministry informs.
Reminder: the ban on industrial whitefish hunting in Lake Sevan has been imposed since October 15. Deadline for industrial whitefish hunting in Lake Sevan, which started on May 14, 2021, was set for September 1. During that time, 250 tons of whitefish had to be caught: 303 contracts were signed with Environment Ministry to catch about 221 tons and 164 kg of fish.
However, no application was submitted for about 29 tons of whitefish out of the set amount; at the meeting of RA Government September held on 2, a decision was reached to extend the fishing period until October 15. EcoLur was informed by the ministry that starting from December 20, a month-long stricter control measures will be launched to exclude fishing by illegal fishermen, as the latter try to hunt even under conditions of prohibition.
According to the data provided to EcoLur by the Center for Zoology and Hydroecology of NAS RA, if in 2013-2018 the total biomass of fish increased year by year, from 1296 tons to 2948 tons, then decreased in 2018 to 2668 tons, and 2345 tons in 2020. In the same way, the industrial stock of sausage decreased to 667 tons in 2019 and 586 tons in 2020, respectively. The Center for Zoology and Hydroecology of NAS RA carried out the annual assessment of fish and crayfish stocks within the framework of a contract signed with the Ministry of Environment.
Declining fish stocks in Lake Sevan, in their turn, worsen the ecological condition of the lake, given that fish are the assimilators of organic matter in the lake. Due to the inflow of wastewater, the decrease of the level, the insufficient fish stock, the concentration of organic matter in the lake increases. In this situation, the high temperature contributes to the activation of the swamping processes of Lake Sevan.
December 20, 2021 at 13:15