22 March 2010, 19:00
Armenia: authorities and ecologists seek to increase fishery stocks of Lake Sevan
Currently, Armenian Lake Sevan has about 200 tons of lake herring and 300 tons of trout. The works are on to clean the lake and preservation the fish stocks.
According to Artashes Ziroyan, chairman of the Agency for managing natural resources of the Ministry of Ecology of Armenia, at present, the major tasks, apart from raising the lake water level, are ensuring the water cleanliness and preservation of fishery resources.
Vladimir Movsisyan, head of the commission on Lake Sevan problems at the President, has noted that for settling the problem of fishery resources, the order of licensing should be revised, assuming that fishers should form their unions.
"The license to be issued to such unions will demand, apart from the unions to be engaged in fish cultivation, to make investments towards fishery development and works to defend the fishery resources of Lake Sevan," said Mr Movsisyan.
According to his story, an important step will be is also to ban fishing for 3-4 years, to let over 300,000 thousand hatchlings of some breeds let out into the lake reach their puberty. Vladimir Movsisyan said that these proposals of his commission should be considered by the government.
He had already stated that today Armenia has 50 percent of the fishery resources it once had.
Author: Lilit Ovanisyan Source: CK correspondent
