Armenian Government Sets Limits and Timeframes For Commercial Fishing From Lake Sevan For 2026

YEREVAN, February 5. /ARKA/. At a meeting on Thursday, the Armenian government approved limits and timeframes for the commercial cathch of fish and crayfish from Lake Sevan for 2026, as well as the conditions and requirements for organizing the fishing.

According to Deputy Minister of Environment Ara Mkrtchyan, the government decision sets the maximum commercial catch of whitefish at 550 tons for the period from February 6 to November 20, 2026.

According to him, the decision is based on fish stock inventory data provided by the Center for Zoology and Hydroecology of the National Academy of Sciences. According to these data, as of the end of 2025, total whitefish stocks in Lake Sevan amounted to 3,591.8 tons, of which 1,373.9 tons are commercial stocks.

Mkrtchyan also announced that the Center will conduct a second phase of research in the summer of 2026, following which an additional catch limit will be established for the fall season.

"In accordance with amendments to the Tax Code, the fee for natural resource use in 2026 has been set at 200 drams per kilogram of whitefish, up from the previous 65 drams. Payments will be made based on the allocated limit, not the actual catch," Mkrtchyan stated.

According to the data he cited, the permissible commercial whitefish catch limit in 2025 was set at 1,123 tons in three stages (314 tons, 189 tons, and 620 tons). The actual catch amounted to 1,103 tons, and the total fee for natural resource use was 72.5 million drams. ($1 = 378.26 drams).-0-