Fishers community alarmed by extent of poaching

The Moldovan fishers and ecological community demand the immediate involvement of authorities to repair the situation in the domain of water ecology and fishing. Its representatives sent an open letter to the Parliament and to the Ministry of Environment, Info-Prim Neo reports. “On behalf of fishers, amateurs or professionals and their families, of the Moldovan scientific and ecologic community, we warn you about the disastrous state of our waters and especially of the Nistru River, our country’s main water source. As a result of aggressive attitude and practices to aquatic resources, the breeding of over 30 fish species has severely dropped. The most precious species, like sturgeons or beluga, are on the brink of extinction. If we don’t take measures, our fishery resources will be depleted and our children and grandchildren will be deprived of a sport and leisure available in the whole world – fishing”, the document reads. The petitioners blame the lack of cooperation with Ukraine in protecting and maintaining the Nistru River’s ecosystem and aquatic resources, and the flourishing poaching in Moldova for the current state of things. According to the letter, fishery inspectors are few and lack equipment. 16 people can’t control 23,670 hectares of waters. “Poachers are active all year round, but during the breeding season, their greed grows limitless. The Nistru River is full of nets and its banks are literally blocked. The fish have no chances of reaching the canes to spawn. Even children participate in this disaster. Local administration tolerates this and some of its representatives take part in the crime as well”, the letter authors say. They suggest some steps to be taken by authorities. The first one is enhancing cooperation with Ukraine in protecting the aquatic resources and ecosystem of the Nistru River. This should include the signing of an agreement regarding fishery resources repartition, shares and coordinated measures of protection and restoration. Restrictions on imports of poaching nets and tools must be approved. Such equipment must be available only in specialized stores and only to owners of special permits and licenses issued by the State Fishery Inspectorate. Traders must record each sale of such nets in a special register. There are similar laws in Ukraine, Belarus and EU countries. Authorities should increase the number of inspectors and properly equip them. They should have to right to recruit volunteer inspectors among fishermen. The restrictions on fishing during the breeding season must be adjusted according to each species’ specific and coordinated with restrictions from neighbor countries. The current calendar is obsolete and different from the Ukrainian and Romanian ones. The petitioners affirm their proposals could become amendments to the Water Code and the Law on fishery and aquatic resources. Should their requests be rejected, they reserve the rights to protest and fight through international institutions, public manifestations and other peaceful ways. The letter is signed by the Moldovan Hunters and Fishermen Association, the International Ecological Association Eco-Tiras, Aquacultura Moldovei organization, the Zoology Institute of the Academy of Sciences, the periodicals “AиФ-Молдова”, “КП в Молдове”, “Trud-7 Moldova”, Novosti-Moldova Agency, Pomul Vietii civic organization and others.