Results of the spring "Spawning" in 2026
During the spring spawning season, the Verkhnedvinsk Interdistrict Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora took measures to ensure favorable conditions for fish reproduction and continuous renewal of fish populations.
During the spawning period, the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora under the President of the Republic of Belarus conducted a special comprehensive event "Spawning".
Not all citizens observed fishing rules during the spring spawning season when fish are most vulnerable and defenseless.
Throughout the entire spawning period, the Verkhnedvinsk Interdistrict Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora identified 23 violations of amateur fishing rules.
The offenders had the following seized:
- Fishing nets – 78 units (3.1 km);
- Other prohibited fishing gear – 15 units;
- Illegally caught fish – 29.4 kg;
12 fishing nets with a total length of 546 meters and 6 other prohibited fishing gear were found and seized from water bodies.
As part of the preventive measures carried out by the inspectorate for the voluntary surrender of prohibited fishing gear, citizens surrendered 26 nets with a total length of 1.63 km and 18 other prohibited fishing gear.
Here is one of the high-profile cases of violation of environmental legislation:
- On May 25, 2026, during field activities on the Degtyarevka canal near the village of Kostrovo, Verkhnedvinsk district, employees of the Verkhnedvinsk Inter-district Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora detained an unemployed resident of the Verkhnedvinsk district (full name and address are not disclosed in the interests of the investigation). During the spring spawning period (in the Vitebsk region from April 10 to June 8, 2026), he illegally caught fish using a motorboat and two fishing nets. He illegally caught 57 individuals of various fish species, with a total weight of 20.9 kg.
The amount of damage caused to the environment amounted to 618 basic units, totaling 27,810 rubles.
The Verkhnedvinsk District Department of the Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case under Part 4 of Article 281 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus regarding this fact.
The violator's nets, motorboat, and fish were seized. An investigation is underway.
It should be noted that, according to current legislation, during the spring ban on fishing for all types of fish, the damage caused to the environment is calculated at a triple rate for each fish species, regardless of its weight.
The best indicators of our work, and the very reason for the existence of the State Inspectorate, are the preservation and increase of wild animal populations, fish in lakes and rivers, forests, and all natural wealth that is so essential for human life, which we must preserve and enhance for our children and grandchildren.
For additional information or to report poaching, please contact the Verkhnedvinsk Inter-district Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora by calling the "hotline" at 6 17 23 or at the following address: Verkhnedvinsk, Sovetskaya St., bld. 193/2.
Deputy Head of the Verkhnedvinsk Inter-district Inspectorate V.A. Goncheronok