The fish poaching problem in the Biebrza National Park

Poland has 23 national parks that occupy around 1% of the country’s territory. Pursuant to the provisions of the Nature Conservation Act,

Dz.U. 2004 nr 92 poz. 880, Ustawa z dnia 16 kwietnia 2004 r. o ochronie przyrody.

The efforts made by countries to protect their natural resources are significantly undermined by poaching, and one of the greatest problems faced by the Biebrza National Park is fish poaching [Ginalski 2008, Hibszer 2013]. According to the authors of the report entitled “Najważniejsze problemy ochrony przyrody w Polsce” (“Key nature conservation problems in Poland”), poaching poses one of the greatest threats to nature conservation. In some areas, poaching leads to catastrophic depletion of fish stocks in streams and lakes, and the problem is exacerbated by the fact that poaching is widely tolerated in Poland. According to Kotowska and Duda [2012], the losses sustained because of poaching may appear to be minor in the local dimension, but on a global scale, poaching has disastrous consequences that significantly jeopardize aquatic habitats.

Poaching leads to the loss of juvenile fish, and illegal fishing often takes place in protected locations and in critical developmental periods during the life cycle of fish. Fishing in protected areas can induce changes in sensitive habitats and lead to the loss of the most valuable species in Poland and the European Union [Zębek, Napiórkowska- Krzebietke 2015; Kujawa i wsp., 2013].

Unlike other types of poaching, fish poaching has not been comprehensively researched to date, not so much in the legal context as in view of its influence on aquatic ecosystems in legally protected areas, particularly in national parks.

The Biebrza National Park has a total area of nearly 60,000 ha, and it is the largest national park in Poland. The main aims of the Biebrza National Park are

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to protect and preserve the most vulnerable wetland habitats in Europe,

The Biebrza National Park is a unique nature area in Poland and the world. It is one of the few national parks that encompass an entire river, from the source to the mouth, and preserve the biological diversity of the longitudinal and transverse axes of the river valley [Batyk 2012, citing Dyrcz A., Werpachowski C. Przyroda Biebrzańskiego Parku Narodowego, Ed. BPN, Osowiec 2005, p. 333].

The Biebrza River spans the length of 156.5 km, and the combined length of other rivers flowing through the Biebrza National Park is estimated at 107 km [Jakatieryńczuk-Rudczyk 2012]. Biebrza and its tributaries are colonized by 45 fish species, the highest number in any Polish national park. Six species are protected: weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis), bitterling (Rhodeus sericeus), European bullhead (Cottus gobio), Siberian bullhead (Cottus poecilopus), spined loach (Cobitis taenia), and stone loach (Barbatula barbatula) [Żołnierowicz et al., 2013]. Three fish species inhabiting the Biebrza National Park have been listed in Annex II to the Habitats Directive. They are bitterling (R. sericeus), European bullhead (C. gobio), and weatherfish (M. fossilis) [Kujawa i wsp. 2013].

Recreational fishing in the Biebrza River is permitted, but only in the following designated areas:

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section of the Biebrza River between the park’s northern border and the railroad bridge in Osowiec, including oxbow lakes,

Fishing is prohibited in the remaining sections of the Biebrza River and oxbow lakes.

The aim of this study was to analyze the negative influence of fish poaching in the Biebrza National Park on the biological diversity of the Biebrza River Valley. The analysis was conducted based on the information and documentation supplied by Biebrza National Park Ranger Service for 2007–2016.

Poaching is a concept that is difficult to define. According to Article 4 Section 3 of the Polish Hunting Law, poaching is the illegal capture of wildlife that does not involve hunting or violates hunting regulations. Fish poaching has never been formally defined in the Polish law; therefore, its impact is not easy to determine. For practical purposes, fish poaching can be simply defined as illegal fishing. In the Polish legal system, poaching has always been a punishable offence that had been initially classified as a misdemeanor, then a crime, and, subsequently, a misdemeanor or a crime depending on the type of catch [Radecki 2011a].

In general, the following actions constitute fish poaching:

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fishing without a license,

According to Szpetkowski [2013], the main causes of poaching are:

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custom and tradition, including in families and in entire villages where poaching is often conducted on a large scale,

Acts of poaching are also committed by nonresidents, mainly tourists.

In Poland, game and fish poaching is regulated by several acts of law.

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Rozporządzenie Ministra Ochrony Środowiska, Zasobów Naturalnych i Leśnictwa z dnia 23 czerwca 1997 r. w sprawie współdziałania Państwowej Straży Łowieckiej z Policją i Polskim Związkiem Łowieckim.

Rozporządzenie Ministra Ochrony Środowiska, Zasobów Naturalnych i Leśnictwa z dnia 17 marca 1997 r. w sprawie wysokości ekwiwalentu za zwierzynę bezprawnie pozyskaną.

Ustawa z dnia 27 września 1996 r. o zmianie ustawy o rybactwie śródlądowym.

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Zarządzenie Ministra Ochrony Środowiska, Zasobów Naturalnych i Leśnictwa z dnia 27 listopada 1991 r. w sprawie cennika na zwierzynę bezprawnie pozyskaną.

Zarządzenie Ministra Leśnictwa i Przemysłu Drzewnego z dnia 28 grudnia 1982 r. w sprawie cennika na zwierzynę bezprawnie pozyskaną.

Zarządzenie Ministra Leśnictwa i Przemysłu Drzewnego z dnia 17 listopada 1975 r. w sprawie cennika na zwierzynę bezprawnie pozyskaną.

In 2007–2016, a total of 52 persons had been detained on fish poaching charges in the Biebrza National Park, which produces an average of 5 offences per year. Fish poaching could appear to be a minor issue if this analysis were to be limited to the above figures. However, the list of confiscated poaching equipment testifies to the seriousness of the problem. In the discussed period, park ranges seized a total of 2294 pieces of poaching equipment (nets, strangle snares, snagging hooks, electrofishing tools, lift nets, trawls), that is, nearly 230 items per year, on the assumption that all poaching tools have been eliminated (Table 1). Such high discrepancies can probably be attributed to the fact that rangers often discover poaching equipment but are unable to detain its owners. Kotowska and Duda [2012] analyzed fish poaching cases tried before the District Court in Olsztyn and reported that many poachers rely on several illegal fishing methods and use various types of equipment.

Table 1

Fish poaching offences in the Biebrza National Park in 2007–2016.

Fish poaching is a year-round problem in the Biebrza National Park, and it peaks in spring and summer, which coincides with the tourist season (Table 2). Similar observations were made by Koprowska and Endler [2012] who reported that the incidence of fish poaching is influenced by weather, tourist traffic, and demand for fish, in particular the demand for game fish species, which is higher during the tourist season. The extent of illegal fishing has been investigated by Mickiewicz [2016], who surveyed 60 National Fishing Guard officers and concluded that fish poaching is the most common illegal fishing activity whose negative consequences are second only to organized poaching.

Table 2

Poaching equipment seized in the Biebrza National Park in different months between the years 2007 and 2016.

Such high discrepancies between the number of tried offenders and the number of seized equipment indicate that anti-poaching operations in the park are not highly effective. The above could result from the park’s extensive area and the relatively small number of park rangers. The problem is additionally exacerbated by the fact that fish poaching is socially accepted and local communities are reluctant to cooperate with the park’s rangers in this respect.

In 2007–2016, the park’s rangers imposed 483 fines totaling PLN 73,600 (Table 3). The number of interventions that end with a fine continues to increase, which indicates that poaching is a growing problem that will adversely influence the parks’ ichthyofauna.

Table 3

Fines levied in 2007–2016.

Poaching emerges as an evident problem in view of the fines levied under the provisions of the Nature Conservation Act (Table 4). In the analyzed period, most fines were issued for violating the ban on fishing and catching other aquatic organisms, excluding in locations designated in a Conservation Plan or protective measures (Art. 15, Section 1, Point 14 of the Nature Conservation Act). The remaining offences delineated by the above act were far less frequent, including

Table 4

Fines per type of offence in 2007–2016.

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Art. 15, Section 1, Point 5—acquisition, destruction, or intentional damage of plants and mushrooms;

The species composition and the number of fish that are found in seized fishing equipment do not have to be registered, which significantly obstructs the estimation of the damage caused by poaching in the Biebrza National Park. The above measures are initiated only when the perpetrators are caught in the act of poaching with the aim of presenting evidence in court.

The Biebrza National Park features water bodies where fish diversity and abundance are among the highest in Polish national parks. The Biebrza River with its oxbow lakes and tributaries is a highly valuable ecosystem in Poland and the European Union, and it has been included in the Natura 2000 network. However, similar to other nature conservation areas in Poland, the Biebrza National Park is confronted with many problems that have adverse effects on habitat and species protection. Fish poaching is one of such problems. An analysis of the data provided by the Biebrza National Park Ranger Service indicates that fish poaching poses a growing problem and that the implemented anti-poaching measures are not highly effective. There are no legal procedures for estimating environmental losses sustained because of poaching. The number and weight of illegally captured fish are recorded only if the perpetrators are caught in the act of poaching. At present, only the market value of confiscated fish is determined, which prevents reliable estimation of environmental damage. A detailed analysis of seized poaching equipment should be an obligatory procedure for the park’s ranger service. Local communities should also be actively involved in anti-poaching measures. The decline in fish populations in the Biebrza River will decrease the park’s attractiveness for tourists, and it will compromise the local communities’ ability to derive additional income from tourism.