Sevan trout

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Sevan trout

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Genus: Salmo
Species: S. ischchan
Binomial name
Salmo ischchan
(Kessler, 1877)

The Sevan trout (Salmo ischchan) is an endemic fish species of Lake Sevan in Armenia. It belongs to the genus Salmo of the salmon family (Salmonidae).

It is endangered, because various competitors have been introduced into the lake during the Soviet period, including common whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) from Lake Ladoga, goldfish (Carrasius auratus) and crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus). Should the Sevan trout become extinct in its "home" lake, it seems that it will survive in Issyk Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan where it was introduced during the Soviet era. A resolution by Armenia's Council of Ministers in 1976 stopped the commercial fishing of Sevan trout and organized National Park "Sevan". Sevan khramulya is another important fish of the Sevan lake.