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SEVAN TROUT: TO BE OR NOT TO BE?
ARMINFO
Wednesday, March 27, 21:37
Experts still think that the level of natural reproduction of trout
(ishkhan) in Lake Sevan is still unsatisfactory.
Vladimir Movsisyan, Head of the Commission on Issues of Lake Sevan,
said at today's press conference that over the past 10 years a total of
1.8 mln juvenile fish have been released into the Sevan. "But we cannot
permanently maintain the ishkhan population artificially. Now there
is almost no natural reproduction of ishkhan, as the rivers flowing
into the lake are polluted or small hydropower plants are working on
those rivers", he said. He added that at the moment there are 8 HPPs
on the rivers flowing into the Sevan. "We suggest either banning the
operation of the given small HPPs during the spawning period, i.e. from
April till June, or oblige them to launch fish-paths", said Movsisyan.
For his part, Bardukh Gabrielyan, Director of the Scientific Center
of Zoology and Hydroecology, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia,
told ArmInfo that there is one more problem hindering the growth of
the ishkhan population - the fish poaching. He said that the ishkhans
of the breeding age are simply caught on their way to the spawn.
He said that the large spawning streams are in a poor condition:
some of them dry out during the summertime and this breaks the whole
ecosystem, the others flow through the turbines of small HPPs. In
addition, part of the river water flows to the ponds where rainbow
trout are bred, which are obligate predators, and the experts advocate
banning the rainbow trout breeding in the Sevan basin.
"The state annually allocates funds to increase the ishkhan
population. On the one hand, one can welcome this, but on the other
hand, these steps are ineffective, because the allocated funds
eventually go to the pockets of the poachers who do not allow the
fish to spawn", said Gabrielyan.
ARMINFO
Wednesday, March 27, 21:37
Experts still think that the level of natural reproduction of trout
(ishkhan) in Lake Sevan is still unsatisfactory.
Vladimir Movsisyan, Head of the Commission on Issues of Lake Sevan,
said at today's press conference that over the past 10 years a total of
1.8 mln juvenile fish have been released into the Sevan. "But we cannot
permanently maintain the ishkhan population artificially. Now there
is almost no natural reproduction of ishkhan, as the rivers flowing
into the lake are polluted or small hydropower plants are working on
those rivers", he said. He added that at the moment there are 8 HPPs
on the rivers flowing into the Sevan. "We suggest either banning the
operation of the given small HPPs during the spawning period, i.e. from
April till June, or oblige them to launch fish-paths", said Movsisyan.
For his part, Bardukh Gabrielyan, Director of the Scientific Center
of Zoology and Hydroecology, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia,
told ArmInfo that there is one more problem hindering the growth of
the ishkhan population - the fish poaching. He said that the ishkhans
of the breeding age are simply caught on their way to the spawn.
He said that the large spawning streams are in a poor condition:
some of them dry out during the summertime and this breaks the whole
ecosystem, the others flow through the turbines of small HPPs. In
addition, part of the river water flows to the ponds where rainbow
trout are bred, which are obligate predators, and the experts advocate
banning the rainbow trout breeding in the Sevan basin.
"The state annually allocates funds to increase the ishkhan
population. On the one hand, one can welcome this, but on the other
hand, these steps are ineffective, because the allocated funds
eventually go to the pockets of the poachers who do not allow the
fish to spawn", said Gabrielyan.