Participants of the roundtable noted that April 1 was the start of fish spawning thus, the issue of illegal fishing after that date acquired special importance.
According to Head of the Committee Mykola Tomenko “rates of illegal fishing tend to increase and lead to catastrophic consequences for the environment, the disappearance of the industrial and ecological significance of species. Especially great, sometimes irreparable, damage that is far greater than the cost of directly caught fish, is caused to the environment by poachers, who use different technical means for obtaining their catch — explosives and toxic substances, electric current.”
The head of the Committee also said: “It is not enough only to strengthen environmental protection measures. There is a need for integrated, innovative programs that would include both protection of aquatic biological resources and the implementation of constructive measures to preserve and increase their total reserves and diversity. An important factor in the implementation of such a program should be preventing of illegal, barbaric fishing.”
The roundtable participants paid particular attention to the fact that poaching today is developing rapidly, inter alia, through illegal sale of Ukraine-made and imported technical means used by poachers.
The participants also noted that the Law of Ukraine “On introduction of amendments into the Law of Ukraine “On wildlife” as to enhancement of combating poaching” bans production, sale, use, storage of toxic baits, piercing, crushing and trap-like means, electric fishing rods, explosives, bird glue and mono-thread fishing-nets (other than those designed for commercial fishing) and other means prohibited by law.
Tomenko also said that in order to tackle the issues of poaching and improve environment protection, the Committee has submitted draft laws prepared for the consideration of the Verkhovna Rada in second reading. In particular, these are the draft laws on: introduction of amendments into some legislative acts of Ukraine on wildlife protection (No. 0916), which offers increase of fines for production or sale of banned fishing means as well as the sale of obtained products; and on introduction of amendments into some legislative acts of Ukraine (as to protection of biodiversity) (No. 0917), which will facilitate formation of modern environment-oriented attitude to objects of biodiversity.