The Parliament will decide in its spring session on tougher sanctions for violations of the rules on commercial fishing.

The Environment Committee of the Seimas, having improved the amendments to the Fisheries Law, which were introduced last year, proposes to suspend the right to a fishing quota for 3 months instead of 1 month for a serious violation of the procedure for commercial fishing in inland waters.

Suspension for 1 year in case of a serious infringement causing significant damage to fish stocks corresponding to 140 or more basic amounts of fines and penalties (€7000 and more).

„If companies lose the right to fish for serious violations, they will definitely think about whether it is worth it next time“, – social-democrat Linas Jonauskas, chairman of the Seimas Committee on Environmental Protection, who initiated the amendments to the law, told Elta.

In his opinion, the current sanctions are null and void and do not discourage violations of commercial fishing rules.

„There are still absurd situations, such as the well-publicised case where a company with national heritage status, fishing in the Curonian Lagoon with more nets than allowed, caused damage to fish stocks worth more than 53,000 euros, but according to the current legislation, it could have gone out to fish a month later and tried to make up for the fines imposed. There should be no such cases," said Mr Jonauskas.

By the way, at this month's meeting of the Seimas Committee on Environmental Protection, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture proposed to make companies fishing at sea equally liable for serious offences.

„We agreed that the Ministry of Agriculture will review the existing laws and prepare amendments to them so that serious violations of commercial fishing at sea are not less responsible than such violations in inland waters“, – says L. Jonauskas

It is proposed that the amendments to the Fisheries Law providing for stricter sanctions should enter into force on 1 July this year.

Under the current legislation, a serious breach of the inland commercial fishing regime results in a one-month suspension of the right to a fishing quota. Two serious infringements in two years will result in a 2 month suspension of the quota and 3 such infringements in two years will result in a 1 year suspension.