Movsisian presents measures on Lake Sevan biodiversity preservation

1.8 million trout (ishkhan) fries of the total amount of 425 million AMD have been released into Lake Sevan in the last seven years, Chairman of the Commission on Lake Sevan problems Vladimir Movsisian said at a meeting with journalists today.

It is also planned to import whitefish fries from Russia’s Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga in order to replenish fish stock in Lake Sevan, but the amount of state budget resources for this measure has not been estimated yet.

It is noteworthy that Sevan trout (Ishkhan) is an endemic species, while whitefish was imported from Russia.

According to Movsisian, three factors hinder the preservation of Lake Sevan’s biodiversity: the pollution of the rivers flowing into Lake Sevan, the eight hydropower plants built near the lake, five of which operate on irrigation canals, as well as illegal fishing.
In Movsisian’s words, the pollution of river beds is a serious problem. As regards illegal fishing, the Sevan National Park deals with this problem. The commission head underlined the need to ban the hydropower plants’ operation from April through June when fish spawn.

When asked by the correspondent of Aysor.am whether it would not be more correct to ban the construction of hydropower plants instead of allocating 425 million AMD for the purchase of fries, Vladimir Movsisan replied that their commission is an advisory body and “submits only proposals related to Lake Sevan to the Armenian president”.