| 9.
POLITICAL-ECONOMICAL SABOTAGE OF LITHIANIAN POLITICIANS AND OFFICIALS
ASOCIACIJŲ SĄJUNGA „ŽUVININKŲ RŪMAI“
„ŽUVININKŲ RŪMAI“ THE ALLIANCE OF ASSOCIATIONS
L. Kerosieriui Iki pareikalavimo, Centrinis paštas, Vilnius, tel. 8674
38465, e. p. leonaslabora@gmail.com
To:
General Director of Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations
José Graziano da Silva
Ms Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Saulius Skvernelis, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Giedrius Surplys, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Kestutis Mažeika, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Andriejus Stančikas, Chairman of the Committee on Rural Affairs of the
Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Juozas Imbrasas, Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Protection of
the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Rimantas Sinkevičius, Chairman of the Committee on Economics of the
Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Mr Linas Kukuraitis, Minister of social Security and Labour of the Republic
of Lithuania
Ms Inga Ruginienė, President of Lithuanian Trade union confegeration
Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
The Media
POLITICAL-ECONOMICAL SABOTAGE OF LITHIANIAN POLITICIANS AND OFFICIALS
REGARDING SETTING OF LIMITS FOR COMMERCIAL FISHING
(catching of Rutilus rutilus, Perca fluviatilis, Carassius carassius,
Esoxlucius, Abramis brama, Tinca Tinca, Scardinius erythroph thalmus, Sander
lucioperca, Blicca bjoerkna in state lakes, Kauno Marios lake and ponds)
Draft law XIIIP-1205
Vilnius, 03.06.2019
With its 2.8 million citizens, Lithuania occupies 65.3 thousand sq. km.
There are about 3000 lakes in Lithuania, about 1500 ponds and about 29
thousand rivers, streams and canals and the Curonian Lagoon.
The Law on Fisheries of the Republic of Lithuania states that commercial
fishing is permitted on the basis of data from fisheries surveys in inland
water bodies that are larger than 200 ha. There are 99 such national water
bodies.
We are talking and asking only about setting limits for catching Rutilus
rutilus, Perca fluviatilis, Carassius carassius, Esoxlucius, Abramis brama,
Tinca Tinca, Scardinius erythroph thalmus, Sander lucioperca, Blicca
bjoerkna and other low-value fish.
It is FORBIDDEN for entrepreneurs to catch the above mentioned fish in
Kaunas Lagoon from 01/01/2013, and in state lakes and ponds larger than 200
ha from 01/01/2014, except for the Curonian Lagoon.
On 12/10/2017 Members of the Seimas K. Mažeika, M. Majauskas, V. Vingrienė
and A. Gaidžiūnas have registered Amendments No. XIIIXP - 1205 to the Law on
Fisheries proposing to prohibit commercial fishing in state water bodies
larger than 200 ha except for the Curonian Lagoon. FOR THAT PURPOSE,
CONCLUSIONS WERE REQUESTED FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
EVEN 10 YEARS AGO, the leaders of responsible authorities, politicians,
their collaborators and fishermen amateurs have taken the INITIATIVE TO
PROHIBIT INLAND COMMERCIAL FISHERY by misleading that business fishermen
have exhausted water bodies, set up water bodies with nets, poach, and
prevent fishermen amateurs from catching fish.
HEREWITH WE INFORM that we haven`t received any official information
regarding offences of businessmen and fish catches.
HEREWITH WE NOTE that the initiators of the draft law HAVEN`T PRESENTED any
studies and suggestions of scientists and specialists, any economic
calculations and forecasts, haven`t indicated losses of fishermen
entrepreneurs, who and in what ways will cover losses incurred by fishermen
entrepreneurs, how legitimate expectations of fishermen entrepreneurs and
the members of fishing communities, legalised in the Constitution and the
laws will be followed and ensured.
IT IS KNOWN that all the world, including the neighbouring STATES, PROMOTE
AND ENCOURAGE inland water commercial fishing and sales of fresh fish and
Lithuania PROHIBITS it.
On 07.04.2017, Minister of Environment K. Navickas provided the information
that in 2011–2016, the total fish biomass in the 384 lakes and ponds
researched increased 1.5 times while the average fish weight increased 1.3
to 1.4 times.
The recommended catch limits for the production of the recommended fish in
the 68 researched water bodies exceeding 200 ha, total area thereof
amounting to 41,463 ha, are the following: Perca fluviatilis: 142,627 kg,
which constitutes 16.33 percent, Carassius carassius: 7,836 kg (0.9
percent), Esoxlucius: 23,864 kg (2.73 percent), Tinca Tinca: 33,946 (3.89
percent), Abramis brama: 126,876 (14.53 percent), Stizostedionlucioperca:
9,627 kg (1.1 percent), Rutilus rutilus: 270,390 kg (30.97 percent), Blicco
bjoerkna: 94,419 percent (10.81 percent), Scardinius erythroph thalmus:
13,035 kg (1.49 percent), other fish: 150,570 kg (17.24 percent), total:
873,190 kg. We hereby attach the recommended catch limit table (supplement
No. 1, 1.5 pages).
WE NOTE that on 12/09/2017, Minister of Environment K. Navickas wrote to the
Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Chairman of the
Rural Affairs Committee: “Mostly, ... the limit of catches of other fish
(not vendace) in lakes was used only about 20 percent (underlined by us). On
25/10/2017 Vice-Minister of the Environment R. Brandišauskienė presented
similar information to the Office of the President, and on 16/12/2018,
Vice-Minister of the Environment M. Norbutas to the Office of the Government
of the Republic of Lithuania and to the Law and Law Enforcement Committee of
the Seimas”. The letters from the leaders of the Ministry of Environment
explain that only about 20 % of fish limit were caught. That means that 80 %
of fish remained in water bodies.
WE NOTE that about 90 percent of the fish are caught in the Curonian Lagoon
with an area of 22 percent of all inland water bodies and only 10 % of fish
are caught in the remaining water bodies. Fish resources from many other
waters are good and entrepreneurs would be able to catch fish.
During the last 10 years the Alliance of Associations “Žuvininkų rūmai”
presented over 100 letters regarding disruption of commercial fishing in the
state lakes, Kauno Marios lake and ponds to the officials of Lithuania, main
Lithuanian institutions, parties, and members of the Seimas. WE NOTE that
there was not at least minimum reaction from the Presidency, the Office of
the Seimas, the Government and the members of the Seimas. According to the
scientists` studies there are a lot of fish in water bodies and regrettably
the AUTHORITIES do not permit entrepreneurs to fish. Therefore the letter to
the President of the United States of America Donald Trump, the President of
the People's Republic of China Xi Jinpingu, the Prime Minister of Great
Britain Theresa May, the President of France Emmanuel Macron, the Chairman
of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of Estonia
Kersti Kaljulaid, the President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis, the President of
Poland Andrzej Duda, the President of Sweden Stefan Lofven, the Chancellor
of Germany Angela Merkel and the Commissioner for Environment, Maritime
Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella, the members of the European Parliament
was written (please find attached the letter).
HEREWITH WE REMIND that due to total prohibition of commercial fishing in
water bodies there is an increasing presence of trifling fish. For catching
of this fish and planting predatory ones the Government is planning to
allocate over 600 thousand euros. INTERESTING DIALECTICS – water bodies are
full of fish, but the GOVERNMENT PROHIBTS ENTREUPREUNERS TO FISH.
It reminds us of times when the communists disposed kulaks and sent them to
Siberia for the hardest works.
Now the members of various parties of DIFFERENT GENERATION are going to
DESTROY in the Seimas THE OLDEST SMALL-SCALE BUSINESS OF FISHING, deprive
fishermen of work, so that enemies of fishermen entrepreneurs will be
elected to the Seimas.
WE NOTE THAT the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO),
the member of which Lithuania is, adopted the Code of Responsible Fishery
back in 1995. General prohibition of small-scale net fishing in lakes, Kauno
Marios lake and ponds so far and ATTEMPTS TO LEGALISE IT BY LAW manifestly
contradict this Code. We cite one article of it completely: “6.18
Recognizing the important contributions of artisanal and small- scale
fisheries to employment, income and food security, States should
appropriately protect the rights of fishers and fishworkers, particularly
those engaged in subsistence, small-scale and artisanal fisheries, to a
secure and just livelihood, as well as preferential access, where
appropriate, to traditional fishing grounds and resources in the waters
under their national jurisdiction.” WE NOTE that large part of fishermen
entrepreneurs are farmers and other residents of villages, who were engaged
in fishing in the state and rented water bodies for meeting their food
demands and realisation of small-scale fishing.
HEREWITH WE INFORM that since 01.01.2015 commercial fishing has been
prohibited in the state lakes, Kauno Marios lake and ponds and the Seimas is
going to LEGALISE IT BY LAW.
WE ASK to impose appropriate sanctions on the officials and politicians of
Lithuania, SOLVE the issues of damage compensation and IMPOSE OBLIGATIONS to
issue limits to catch Rutilus rutilus, Perca fluviatilis, Carassius
carassius, Esoxlucius, Abramis brama, Tinca Tinca, Scardinius erythroph
thalmus, Sander lucioperca, Blicca bjoerkna and other trifling fish in the
state lakes, Kauno Marios lake and ponds.
President of “Žuvininkų rūmai” The Alliance of Associations L. Kerosierius
Tel. +370 674 38465, e-mail leonaslabora@gmail.com
|