On the Danube River and in the Dniester estuary, police uncovered three residents from the Odessa region engaged in illegal fishing. Preliminary estimates suggest their actions resulted in over 1 million 300 thousand hryvnias in state losses. This was reported by the police.
The first incident occurred at the mouth of the Danube near the city of Vilkove. The river police of the Izmail district detained two local men aged 45 and 57 who were catching Black Sea sprats using nets from a boat without any permits. The offenders had their vessel, four nets totaling 300 meters in length, and 50 kilograms of fish confiscated.
On the same day, at the Dniester estuary near the village of Kalagliya, the Odessa district water police, together with border guards, stopped a 60-year-old resident of the Ovidiopol community. He was fishing for pike-perch, bream, sprats, and perch using eight gill nets. He had 798 meters of nets, a boat, and over 300 fish confiscated.
"According to ecologists, the men from Izmail caused damages of 500 thousand hryvnias, while the resident of Ovidiopol caused damages exceeding 800 thousand. Pre-trial investigations have been initiated under part 1 of Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal fishing). The penalty for this crime can be up to three years of imprisonment. The investigation continues under the procedural guidance of the Izmail and Black Sea district prosecutors" - the report states.
Law enforcement officials remind that as of April 1, there is a spawning ban in the region, meaning fishing for aquatic biological resources is strictly prohibited during this period. We also reported that from April 20, restrictions on catching sprats will be in effect.
