The National Wildlife Agency reports that the population of brook trout, a species listed in Georgia’s Red List, has shown a remarkable recovery in the mountain rivers of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region.
Recent field data indicates that in rivers where the species had virtually disappeared by 2022, the brook trout population has now grown to around 50 individuals, with sizes ranging from 14 to 30 centimeters.
Experts attribute this rebound to a long-term restocking and monitoring program launched by the National Wildlife Agency in 2016 which focuses on releasing trout eggs into selected rivers and tracking population dynamics in subsequent years.
The program uses a conservation technique that releases brook trout eggs and larvae directly into natural habitats, a method proven to strengthen the survival rate of vulnerable species and encourage natural hatching processes. In 2024, Georgian rivers were restocked with approximately 140,000 trout eggs while the 2025 plan aims to increase this figure to 700,000.
