SILTING OF LAKE SEVAN FRAUGHT WITH DISAPPEARANCE OF FRESHWATER
MOLLUSKS

YEREVAN, JUNE 9. ARMINFO. Silting of Lake Sevan fraught with the
disappearance of some species of freshwater bivalves (Euglesa), Head
of Hydrobiology Department of the Institute of Hydroecology and
Ichthyology of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences Evelina
Ghoukassyan says in an interview to ARMINFO.

She says that the recent investigations of the lake bottom shown that
the bivalves’ population deeply shortened. 8 species of bivalves have
been seen in the lake before, most of them are freshwater. However,
the species adapted to live in muddy water have been seen in small
quantities nowadays.

Changes of the lake’s structure follow to both the degradation of the
whole ecosystem and the modification of various processes taken place
in lake’s area (including biological dissociation, deposition of
sediment and diffusion), Ghoukassyan notes. In her words, various
species of lake’s habitants are on the verge of
disappearance. Ghoukassyan also informed that the Institute workers
will start the large-scale investigations of lake’s bottom with the
“Hydrologist” scientific-and-research vessel given by the Russian
Academy of Sciences. To note, the level of mirror of Lake Sevan has
been risen by 1 meter within the last two years.