Lukashenka allows commercial fishing in radioactive area

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has amended its Decree #41 and changed the boundaries of Palessie Radiation Ecological Reserve. Now the river Pripyat, which flows inside the reserve, will belong to the fishing grounds where commercial fishing is allowed.

The reserve was established 30 years ago. It combines the three most contaminated areas of the country — Brahin, Naroulya and Khoyniki. The total area of ​​the reserve before the amended decree was about two hundred and sixteen thousand hectares. The current limits are not yet known.

“By opening the fishery you allow to fish in teams, using nets, all this will destroy fish stocks. The reserve is not used for fishing in general, and even more so in this river. Secondly, you will not be able to control whether the fish is contaminated or not,” said Alyaksandr Sykala, sustainable development expert and ecologist.

According to experts, Belarus has enough natural resources for agriculture and fisheries even without protected land. Belarus is among the five European countries with the areas most suitable for agriculture per capita. We have about 21 thousand rivers and 11 thousand lakes.

At the same time, experts note the high level of poaching in the fishing zone of the reserve under the roof of the local state services.

Fishing and other economic activities in the reserve are bad for both local flora and fauna, as well as potential consumers of products. However, there is little evidence that authorities are worried about it.