Earlier, there were several inspectors on Bauska’s side, but now there is one for a large area; lack of control options when catching illegal fishermen

From April 1 to May 15, licensed fishing is organized in the sections of the Lielupe, Mūsa and Mēmele rivers. This means that fishing in certain areas is only allowed with licenses and a limited number of fishing rods may be kept. The goal is to improve the fish stock, protect it during spawning, and also make people think about the rational use of the caught fish. However, the fishermen’s association says that there is a lack of control opportunities when catching illegal fishermen and counting how many fish each person takes, Zemgale regional television reports.

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Aleksejs is a long-time fisherman who can often be seen on the shores of Mēmele. As already neat janitorhe is not eloquent, but there are two small fish splashing in the ball.

He has a license. There has also been a bigger catch, and as he says behind the scenes, if you don’t eat everything yourself, give it to your neighbors. It is rational fishing, thinking about fish resources in rivers, especially during spawning, that is the goal of various restrictions.

Eight fish may be left in the licensed areas and five in other fishing areas in the sections of the Lielupe, Mūsa and Mēmele rivers for a month and a half. The money obtained from the licenses will be used to re-introduce juvenile fish, as well as to take care of the river bed and spawning grounds.

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“In order to limit and conserve resources, there are certain days when you can fish and there are certain days when there is a conservation period. So we are allowed to fish on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. On the other days, we rest ourselves and let the fish rest,” said Valērijs Gabrāns, an environmental specialist in the Bauska region.

“Actually already [makšķernieku] there are a lot. Well, it is difficult for me to say how many, how many thousands they are; but I see from the returned licenses that everyone catches the allowed rate. Well, of course, it’s not a secret that they probably catch more than the allowed norm,” added Māris Vaitekūns, head of the Bauska hunters’ and fishermen’s association.

The biggest concern is those fishermen who do not buy licenses and do not follow the rules. The weakest point for the conservation of fish resources is the lack of control.

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Earlier, there were several inspectors on Bauska’s side, but now there is one for a large area.

“There is practically no control, because it should also be understood that there is currently only one inspector in this region, who is in Jelgava. He has about, I guessed it, about 300 km of surveyed territory, but it is not realistically feasible,” said the head of the Bauskas hunters and fishermen’s association.

The maximum administrative fine for violations of fishing regulations is 350 euros; for the violation of industrial fishing – 700 euros for a natural person, 4300 euros for a legal person. If significant damage is found as a result of the criminal offense, the offender faces criminal liability.

Photo: from the archive