Armenian Environment Minister Romanos Petrosyan today announced that the water level of Lake Sevan is on the rise and is expected to hit the highest level seen in recent decades.

Petrosyan said that the lake, the largest body of fresh water in the South Caucasus, has risen by fifteen centimeters when compared to March 18 last year.

"The maximum mark is recorded in June-July, but with this year's forecast I can say that we will have an unprecedented mark for the last decades, reaching 1901 meters. This is also the result of an unprecedented inflow of water through the Arpa-Sevan water pipeline,” said Petrosyan.

The Armenian government, last year, launched a pilot project for sustainable fishing and the harvesting of crayfish, an imported species, at Lake Sevan.

The second phase of the project will be implemented this year.

Petrosyan, at a government cabinet session today, said that whitefish stocks in the lake are pegged at 2,345 tons, of which some 586 tons are available for harvesting and production.