Employees of the Department of Environmental Supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture identified a case of poaching in Baghdati Municipality.

A citizen was engaged in illegal fishing using an electric fishing device on the Kershaveti River in the village of Zekari. The offender had illegally caught a river trout, a species protected under Georgia’s Red List.

Fishing with an electrofishing device constitutes a criminal offence. The case materials have been forwarded to the relevant authority for further action. Electric fishing devices pose a threat to human life and health. The manufacture, purchase, possession, carrying, transport, shipment, or sale of such devices is punishable by law.

Combating poaching remains a top priority for the Environmental Supervision Department. The patrol crews of the Department of Environmental Supervision conduct continuous 24-hour monitoring nationwide to ensure the timely prevention, detection, and suppression of illegal fishing, hunting, and other environmental violations. In addition, they provide immediate responses to all reports received through the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture’s hotline [153].