The voluntary fish conservation organization “Vabatahtlik Kalakaitse” monitors illegal fishing activities, including poaching, which its members help the Environment Board control.
When one of the volunteers, most of whom are keen anglers, spots what they believe to be illegal fishing activity, their first port of call is to contact the police or Environment Board to report the incident . In most cases, volunteers are responsible for monitoring specific areas of water, including potential hotspots such as salmon-rich rivers. However, they also receive regular reports from the people of the country about suspicious activities taking place in their local rivers and streams.
Harik admitted that on their own, volunteers can often do little to stop illegal fishing, beyond waiting with suspects for the police or an Environment Board representative to arrive on the scene. Even this requires the agreement of those who believe they are fishing illegally.
“We get no other reward for doing this,” Harik said.
However, if the accused refuses to cooperate and begins to flee before the police can arrive, the volunteers do have the right to pursue them. According to Harik, there have been occasional persecutions, and some volunteers have even been held at gunpoint. Fortunately, these incidents are rare. “Most of the time, things go peacefully,” Harik said.
One of the main thrusts of the organization is to prevent salmon fishing during the spawning season, as this has a detrimental impact on population size.
According to Harik, those who fish during the spawning season tend to have been doing so for decades, and he fears they may pass those habits on to future generations.
“It’s mostly what you might call the old-school boys, the ones who live by the salmon river. They drag their younger relatives along and teach them, too. So the chain goes on,” Harik said.
However, Harik explained that fish conservation in Estonia is not only about saving salmon, but also about protecting pike and crayfish, as well as bream and zander (zander pikeperch) that live in the Emajõgi river The volunteer even recalled a situation where a poacher hid crayfish in his underpants.
Harik said the main reason he volunteers is to create a better fishing environment for everyone. “I wish my son, and the sons of many parents, could catch their own fish, instead of having to just buy them from the shops,” he said.
“People could just wait a month and a half while the fishing ban is in place, and then (later) go fishing like a human being, instead of killing all these little fish,” Harik continued, acknowledging that one of the main fish The problem is that many people are not aware of fishing laws and therefore may engage in illegal fishing without knowing it.
“It’s very difficult for a 70-year-old to find information online,” he said.
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