Shuakhevi HPP Continues Fish Stocking in Adjaristskali Basin
Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC (AGL), as part of its environmental obligations, continues fish-stocking activities in the Adjaristsqali Basin. This year, the company has finalized stage two of fish stocking by releasing 11,000 river trout into the Adjaristskali basin.
The river trout is on Georgia’s Red List as an endangered species. The company’s above- mentioned activity above is designed to promote the preservation of the river trout. The process of fish stocking is implemented by a local fish farm and Georgian ichthyologists.
In 2020, Adjaristsqali Georgia selected and put in charge of said process the region’s largest fish farm Boasting Modern Equipment and Top-notch staff.
The process of fish stocking/restocking is monitored by Adjaristsqali Georgia on a quarterly basis, under its Shuakhevi HPP project, through ichthyologic monitoring underway as part of the company’s environmental plan ongoing since 2014 and set to continue in the years to come. This monitoring activity involves keeping an eye on the quantitative and qualitative parameters of aquatic fauna, including the river trout, at preselected stations.
“The activities implemented by Adjaristsqali Georgia bear witness to the company’s high environmental responsibility and commitment to contributing to the cause of maintaining and reviving the Adjaristskali basin aquatic fauna, through utilizing the best approaches and practices in this sphere. On one hand, the company has a years-long record of intensive routine monitoring, while—under its environmental obligations and based on said monitoring—also taking practical measures toward restocking endangered species, on the other. In practice, the foregoing means extracting aboriginal larvae and releasing them into their characteristic locations and habitats.” - ichthyologist Archil Guchmanidze explains.
Our fish-stocking efforts in the Adjaristsqali Basin meet every principle—those populated-related, geographic, genetic, and environmental alike—adopted in international restocking practices.
Adjaristsqali Georgia’s environmental team is led by Nino Gagua, who singles out environmental obligations as a must and the company’s top priority.
“To meet the conditions issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, and as part of the company’s Corporate Environmental Responsibility, Adjaristqali Georgia carries out a whole set of compensatory and mitigation activities. Fish stoking is one of the most important compensatory measures.
For its fish-stocking efforts, the company engages the sphere’s highly qualified experts, to ensure that this compensation measure yields desired outcomes. Every step on our fish stocking plan and its implementation is coordinated with the relevant Ministry.” - Nino Gagua says.
In 2021-2022, the Shuakhevi HPP has released 21,000 trout fries into the Adjaristskali basin. Based on the results of monitoring, and in coordination with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the company is committed to continuing fish stocking in the Adjaristskali basin.