Illegal Fishing Incident in Odesa Region

Preliminary estimates indicate that the damages caused by the perpetrator exceed 650,000 UAH. The offender faces up to three years of imprisonment.

This morning, during a joint patrol near the village of Kalagliy, officers from the Odesa district water police in collaboration with border guards discovered a 24-year-old resident of the Ovidiopol community who was using illegal fishing gear and catching fish without the necessary permits.

The investigative team that arrived at the scene confiscated a fishing suit, two fishing nets totaling 200 meters in length, and 287 fish totaling 180 kilograms, including: herring, carp, bream, crucian carp, perch, roach, flatfish, and asp. All items were handed over to a specialized enterprise for safekeeping.

According to preliminary calculations, the illegal actions of the fisherman resulted in damages to the state exceeding 650,000 UAH.

In connection with this case, investigators have recorded information in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under Part 1 of Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, concerning illegal fishing that caused significant harm. A judicial ecological examination has been assigned to determine the exact amount of damage inflicted on the state. After conducting necessary investigative actions and obtaining the expert conclusion, the issue of notifying the suspect will be decided. He faces up to three years of restriction of liberty.

The investigation is ongoing under the procedural guidance of the Chornomorsk District Prosecutor's Office.

Police urge citizens to act responsibly, comply with current legislation, and protect nature.

We remind you that from April, an annual spring-summer spawning ban on catching aquatic biological resources began in the Odesa region. In the Dniester estuary, this ban will last until July 31 (the ban does not apply to the specialized fishing of herring).