The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine supported the initiative of the State Agency for Land Reclamation and Fisheries of Ukraine to increase the amount of taxes for illegal fishing.

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

The corresponding resolution on October 6, 2021 was approved at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which amended the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated November 21, 2011 No. 1209 “On Approval of Taxes for Calculating the Amount of Compensation for Damage Caused as a Result of Illegal Extraction (Collection) or Destruction of Valuable Types of Water bioresources".

“Mass poaching of aquatic biological resources poses a huge threat to the national ecological security of Ukraine, and the restraining levers have not yet worked as they should. It is easier for a poacher to pay a fine because it was 0.1% of their earnings. In some years, poachers could catch as much fish per year as all the fishing industrial enterprises of Ukraine together,” comments Roman Leshchenko, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

Note that the need to adopt this resolution is due to the fact that the last time the rates for illegal fishing were revised almost 10 years ago, and therefore today in no way correspond to the economic situation in the country and do not induce violators to stop illegal activities.

“The new level of fines is a prerequisite for ensuring the rational use of natural resources and sustainable development of fisheries in accordance with the ecosystem and economical approaches proposed by the FAO Code for Responsible Fisheries,” the ministry said.

Therefore, from now on it will be necessary to pay 130 times more for the illegal catch of crayfish, 93 times more for silver carp, and 186 times more for perch. Tax rates have been revised for illegal fishing of a number of fish species and other aquatic biological resources:

• silver crucian carp 93 times (from 17 to 1581 UAH)
• perch 186 times (from 17 to 3162 UAH)
• rudd by 23 times (from 68 to 1564 UAH)
• tench by 13.4 times (from 119 to 1598 UAH)
• bream 9.7 times (from 170 to 1649 UAH)
• flat pans 46 times (from 34 to 1564 UAH)
• pike (204) 10.2 times (from 340 to 3468 UAH)
• pike perch by 7 times (from 510 to 3587 UAH)
• som 12 times (from 425 to 5117 UAH)
• crayfish 130 times (from 25.5 to 3332 UAH) and others.

“The depletion of fish stocks is much more of a threat than it seems. Mass illegal fishing, uncontrolled pollution of water bodies leads to a radical decrease in the ability of fish to reproduce, which in some cases means their complete destruction. Therefore, the state policy towards violators who resort to illegal fishing will be tougher and tougher,” the minister said.

In addition, the implementation of the decree will increase the revenues to local budgets in the form of compensation for losses caused to the fisheries of Ukraine as a result of a violation of fishing rules.

We would like to remind you that the production of finished products and canned fish products increased by 24%.

Agravery