There is no process in place to estimate the rate of illegal catches in Polish rivers, but according to the scientists from the Marine Fisheries Institute and Volunteer Fish Guards in the Western Pomeranian region in Poland, the rates are very high and consequences very costly and destructive for the river ecosystems. The debate is heated, and recently Polish Radio 3 has prepared a short reportage on this issue.
The problem has grown to colossal proportions. Karol Zacharczyk, Anglers News journalist, says that during the 2009 fall spawning season in the Pomeranian region, large amounts of poachers were detected, but most not caught or sentenced. Hundreds of illegal nets were removed from the Parseta River. The scale of the problem is severe as there are many more rivers in Poland where such activities occur.
