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A six-month ban on the export of whitefish from the RA territory will be imposed. Ministry of Environment

Based on the food security requirement of the Republic of Armenia, the sustainable use of living resources in Lake Sevan, and the preservation of biodiversity, the Ministry of Environment proposes to establish a six-month ban on the export of whitefish fry from the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

As a result of the process of regulation of industrial fishing of whitefish in Lake Sevan, in recent years, there has been an increase in the biomass of whitefish in Lake Sevan (in 2019: 2668 tons, in 2020: 2345 tons, in 2021: 5348 tons), which makes it possible to ensure the implementation of small quantities of industrial fishing in Lake Sevan. (300 tons in 2020, 300 tons in 2021, and 600 tons in 2022). However, the trend of increasing whitefish biomass in recent years still does not ensure the average growth and an optimal number of wild fish species in the lake (according to some scientific data, the total stock is up to 10,000 tons, and the industrial catch is about 2,000 tons and more). Based on the above, we can state that in the Republic of Armenia, we still need such a wild fish species whose spawn has a production value because it is still necessary to increase the volume of the fish species continuously.

Taking into account the initial and pilot nature of the process of regulation of industrial fishing of whitefish in Lake Sevan, as well as the tremendous negative anthropogenic impact on the lake and the consumer attitude towards bioresources formed in recent decades, it is necessary to prevent possible negative consequences, to organize the preservation and normal reproduction of wild fish species with high industrial value. Based on this legal action, it is planned to ban the export of whitefish from the territory of the Republic of Armenia.