Armenia’s fish exports sharply rose in 2014.

The National Statistial Service reports that the country exported close to 96,000 tons of live fish last year. Despite yearly increases, during the previous four years the annual amount never exceeded 25,000 tons.

The four fold increase flies in the face of a recent statement by Artur Atonyan, president of the country’s Fish Farmers’ Union, that exports haven’t been increasing and that a decrease was expected in the near future.

The reason for the expected drop, according to Atonyan, was a plan Armenia’s Ministry of Nature Protection to tighten controls of the use of artesian water in the Ararat Valley where many fish farms are located.

Apparently, such conservation efforts do not seem to have put a dent in the fish farming business.

Exports of refrigerated fish have risen over the past five years to a bit over 2,000 tons last year. Exports of frozen fish, on the other hand, have decreased. Last year almost no frozen fish at all were exported` 200 tons.

Refrigerated fish exports (tons)	Frozen fish exports (tons)