In Poland fish poaching is occurring at staggering rates, experts warn.
Growing Problem
There is no process in place to estimate the rate of illegal catches in Polish rivers, but according to the scientists from the Marine Fisheries Institute and Volunteer Fish Guards in the Western Pomeranian region in Poland, the rates are very high and consequences very costly and destructive for the river ecosystems. The debate is heated, and recently Polish Radio 3 has prepared a short reportage on this issue.
The problem has grown to colossal proportions. Karol Zacharczyk, Anglers News journalist, says that during the 2009 fall spawning season in the Pomeranian region, large amounts of poachers were detected, but most not caught or sentenced. Hundreds of illegal nets were removed from the Parseta River. The scale of the problem is severe as there are many more rivers in Poland where such activities occur.
The fish are caught not only with nets but also with large farming forks, and worst of all – electrocution of fish is also practiced. Poachers are well informed and take advantage of the times when guards are not on duty, and unfortunately there are not enough Volunteer Fish Guards to fill in all gaps in all areas. Poaching affects all social strata in Poland, from clergy to alcohol dependant individuals (exchanging fish for alcohol); there are also gangs, some of which even have weapons. Financial and environmental losses are scary. Releasing fish smolts from artificial hatcheries is extremely expensive.
The prevailing motive for illegal fishing is purely financial. Zbigniew Szumanski, District Fisheries Guard Commander, claims that poaching is a very profitable activity. In his twenty year career in this field, he is certain that nowadays poachers don’t only poach fish for themselves or their families. The situation is so critical that poaching is done for friends and neighbours, and poached fish are sold in black markets, and even stores.
Szumanski adds that the penalties are negligible for poaching offenses, and situation is getting worse. A few years ago poaching cases received sentences, even though they were not fully served. Today, the system administers penalties which are monetary, and more recently it has reached a point where letters are sent from the prosecution offices asking for complete conditional remissions of poaching offences, Szumanski points out.
In Poland the law is commonly broken because poachers are not penalized, and Tomasz Kiercel, Department of Environmental Law and Cha³as& Wspólnicy Law Office, concedes that there are manycontradictions and loopholes within the fishery law. One example is the misinterpretation of the concept of ‘storage’ (Article 10). Currently illegal material, such as poached fish, found in someone’s bag is not considered illegal. ‘Storage’ does not only imply actions which protect the ‘object’ from rotting or other elements, but it also relates to actions, which simply imply storing an object or hiding an object, such as illegally caught fish.
Katarzyna Matusik, Member of Parliament, stresses the fact that the prosecution bases its fishery law interpretation on the language rather than on the intention of the law itself. She claims that clarification on the fishery laws is needed from the Minister of the Environment, particularly referring to Article 10, which relates to fish storage, transport and processing, using a concrete poaching example.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is currently working on updating the Inland Fisheries Act. It is suspected to be even less restrictive than the current one.
Measures to end poaching take a stronghold in Goleniow
In reply to the poaching crisis, the growth of the Volunteer Fish Guards has been particularly notable in the Polish Western Pomeranian Region.
Artur Furdyna, the head of the Society of Friends of the Ina and Gowienica River (SFIGR), reports on protecting a 500m stretch of the Ina River Tributary, Wisniowka, during the spawning season (November 1-December 31, 2009).
The ‘Wisniowka’ section of the Ina River is important for its trout spawning grounds.
In mid-December, about 24 spawning nests have been recorded and around 50 trout spawners have been observed. The 500m river section was fiercely protected 24 hours per day, with about 20-30 individuals involved in this process on a voluntary basis. Three-people patrol teams have been formed to guard the river day and night. About 10 individuals held vigil over the grounds at night.
Artur Furdyna stresses that around 100 fish were able to spawn compared to only a few individuals last year when the stream was not guarded. There have been many visitors (mostly families) to see the spawning sites. The Volunteer Fish Guards took this opportunity to raise awarareness about the challenges of poaching and the importance of maintaing natural spawning sites for balanced ecosystems. A Television station in Goleniow picked up this effort and aired a 5 minute piece on SFIGR’s current efforts (along with PZW- the National Angling Association).
In the future there is a plan to create an special ‘educational path’ as a guide for visitors to enjoy the natural spawning grounds and appreciate the importance of protecting them.