Illegal Fishing on the Danube: Three Poachers Detained
On the Danube River and in the Dniester estuary, law enforcement has uncovered the activities of three individuals from the Odesa region engaged in illegal fishing. Their actions are estimated to have caused the state losses exceeding 1 million 300 thousand hryvnias, according to police reports.
The first incident occurred near the mouth of the Danube in the vicinity of the city of Vylkove. The water police of the Izmail district apprehended two men, aged 45 and 57, who were illegally catching Black Sea sprats without any permits using nets. The offenders had their boat, four nets totaling 300 meters, and 50 kilograms of fish confiscated.
On the same day, along the Dniester estuary near the village of Kalagliya, the water police of the Odesa district, in cooperation with border guards, detained a 60-year-old man from the Ovidiopol community. He was fishing for pike, bream, sprat, and perch using eight gill nets. He had 798 meters of nets, a boat, and over 300 fish confiscated.
"Ecologists estimate that the men from Izmail inflicted damage of 500 thousand hryvnias, while the resident from Ovidiopol caused more than 800 thousand. Criminal proceedings have been initiated under Part 1 of Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal fishing). The penalty can be up to three years of restriction of freedom. The investigation is ongoing under the procedural guidance of the Izmail and Chornomorsk District Prosecutor's Offices" - the statement said.
Law enforcement reminds that since April 1, a spawning ban has been in effect in the region, thus fishing for aquatic bioresources during this period is strictly prohibited. It was also reported that from April 20, there will be restrictions on catching sprats.
