243 kg of illegally caught whitefish discovered
On January 15, water patrol officers in the Gegharkunik region discovered 243 kg of illegally caught whitefish. The patrol stopped an “Opel” car for inspection. The driver, a 37-year-old resident of Artanish village, was found transporting whitefish in the car.
At that moment, a 45-year-old resident of Tsovagyugh approached and claimed that he had purchased the fish from the Jil settlement area, while the “Opel” driver was just transporting it. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The 375 whitefish found weighed 130 kg.
On January 16, water patrol officers stopped a “Mercedes” for inspection. Fish were found in the car. The 43-year-old driver from Tsovagyugh and the vehicle were taken to the Community Police Department of Sevan. It was revealed that the fish belonged to the driver’s brother, who was summoned to the department. He stated that he had purchased the fish that same day from an unknown individual at the Tsovagyugh crossroads. The 370 whitefish found weighed 113 kg.
It is worth mentioning that environmental fees for whitefish and crayfish fishing will increase in Armenia. Specifically, the fees for whitefish will rise from 50 to 200 drams per kilogram. The same rate will apply to crayfish. This measure is necessary to limit the scale of hunting and fishing and to preserve the country’s biological resources. The change will take effect in 2026.
The government, based on the need for sustainable resource use and biodiversity conservation, also adopted a new decision on December 27 regarding whitefish roe. Starting from January 2, 2025, the export of whitefish roe from Armenia to the EAEU and other countries will be banned for 6 months.