Environmental inspectors and representatives of the Bolshaya River Association have detained two illegal fishermen on the western coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The individuals were operating on a tributary of the Yakutova River within the Ust-Bolsheretsk district, using two rubber boats and fishing nets to conduct their activities.
Prior to their apprehension, the individuals harvested four sockeye salmon and two chum salmon. The environmental damage caused by this illegal catch is preliminarily estimated at 100,000 rubles. Authorities confiscated the boats, fishing nets, and the unlawfully acquired fish at the scene. All collected evidence has been transferred to local law enforcement to determine whether a formal criminal case will be initiated.
Environmental regulations in Kamchatka impose strict financial penalties for poaching, calculated per individual fish – regardless of its size or weight. Fines are set at 11,575 rubles for sockeye salmon, 10,635 rubles for chinook and coho salmon, 2,009 rubles for chum salmon, 961 rubles for pink salmon, and 925 rubles for char. Additionally, the penalty for extracting salmon roe is calculated at 27,455 rubles per kilogram.