At least 4 years are required for regeneration of fish populations in Lake Sevan, Boris Gabrielyan, Director of Institute of Hydrology and Ichthyology of NAS RA told a press conference in Yerevan.

According to him, the Institute submitted the Ministry of Nature Protection and the Commission on Lake Sevan, the suggestion to ban fishing in the lake for the next 4 years. In this regard, he stressed that the regeneration of different populations require different time, particularly for whitefish - 4 years, for trout - up to 8 years. The entire fauna of the lake is on the brink of extinction, the expert said.

According to Karen Chenterechyan, Head of bio-resources management department at the Ministry of Nature Protection, the Armenian government in 2010 allocated AMD 60 million against AMD 72 million in 2009 for the purchase of fingerlings from local companies that produce fish.

In turn, deputy director of the Institute of Hydro-ecology and Ichthyology of RA NAS, Evelyna Ghukasyan added that the results of research indicate that, since 2004 the population of crayfish in the lake is declining annually.