The SOS Sevan environmental protection initiative should focus its attention on Lake Sevan’s fish resources, Bardukh Gabrielyan, Director of the Institute of Hydroecology and Zoology, Armenian National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), told journalists of Monday.

The lake’s fish resources have never been in such a disastrous state, he added.

“We have no recoverable fish resources except for crucian carp. Whitefish has disappeared. Three or five years ago we said the population might recover provided no fishing was done. But it is not the case now,” Gabrielyan said.

In 1970s, a ban was imposed on fishing lake trout as it was considered an endangered species. “Fortunately, Armenia’s Ministry of Nature Protection has elaborated a program in recent years. Under the program fry is let into the lake for the purpose of recovering the trout population in Lake Sevan. Full-grown fish have to spawn in rivers, but they are caught before they reach the spawning area. It means that the government is wasting money by purchasing fry from the private sector,” the scientist said.

He cited some figures: in 1980s fish resources in Lake Sevan totaled 10 to 11 thousand tons; in 1990s, 28 to 30 thousand tons; in 2000s they were only 2,000 tons; in 2010, 170 tons, and last year, as little as 8.5 tons.