ArmInfo. Armenia will extend the ban on whitefish caviar exports for another six months. The decision was made at a government meeting on November 12.
The rationale for the draft decision notes that the ban is aimed at ensuring food security in Armenia, the sustainable use of Lake Sevan's resources, and the preservation of its biodiversity. As a result of the regulation of industrial whitefish fishing in Lake Sevan, a stable whitefish biomass has been observed (2,668 tons in 2019, 2,345 tons in 2020, 5,348 tons in 2021, 4,700 tons in 2022, 3,974 tons in 2023, 1,293 tons in 2024, 3,591.8 tons in 2025), which allows for the implementation of industrial whitefish fishing in Lake Sevan (300 tons in 2020, 300 tons in 2021, 600 tons in 2022, 600 tons in 2023, 679 tons in 2024, 1,123 tons in 2025).
However, the upward trend in whitefish biomass in In recent years, the lake has still not achieved the natural growth and optimal numbers of wild fish species (according to some scientific data, the total stock is up to 10,000 tons, the commercial catch is about 2,000 tons or more). One of the important conditions for ensuring sustainable commercial whitefish fishing in Lake Sevan is ensuring natural reproduction. As experience in recent years shows, ensuring natural reproduction of whitefish maintains a stable commercial volume. In order to prevent illegal whitefish fishing in Lake Sevan, a comprehensive program of strict measures is implemented annually from the end of November to February of the following year. In order to prevent possible negative consequences of the export of whitefish caviar, which has high value on the international market, as well as to prevent possible negative consequences of high anthropogenic impact and consumer attitudes towards biological resources, and to ensure the conservation and natural reproduction of a fish species of high commercial value, this legislative act provides for the establishment of a ban on the export of whitefish caviar from the territory of the Republic for a period of six months, starting from January 2, 2027.
