In early October, during a patrol, officers from the water police, in collaboration with the Odessa Fish Protection Patrol, discovered a 63-year-old man engaged in poaching by Lake Katlabug, unloading fish caught with illegal nets from his boat.

This information was shared by the police.

Arriving investigators confiscated the suspect's boat, 150 meters of gill nets, and 69 fish, including crucian carp, carp, grass carp, bream, and pike. During the preliminary investigation, the illegally caught fish were handed over for safekeeping to a specialized company.

According to the findings of the ecological engineering examination, the damage inflicted on the state amounted to nearly 209 thousand hryvnias.

The fisherman admitted his guilt, explaining that he was aware of the prohibition on fishing with gill nets but chose to use them for personal gain.

During the preliminary investigation, overseen by the Izmail District Prosecutor's Office, police established all the circumstances of the offense, gathered sufficient evidence, and charged the suspect with illegal fishing that caused significant damage. The indictment was submitted to the court under Part 1 of Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which carries a maximum penalty of three years of restriction of liberty.