Fishermen detained over illegal nets

Police confiscate fishermen's equipment after reportedly catching them using illegally small-holed nets on Lake Kinneret.

By SHARON UDASIN
Fish 311 (photo credit: Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)
Fish 311
(photo credit: Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)
Police officers and Agriculture Ministry inspectors took a group of fishermen in for questioning and confiscated their equipment on Tuesday night, after reportedly catching them using illegally small-holed nets on Lake Kinneret.
The holes in the nets were allegedly below the minimum size required by law – 80 millimeters.
According to the ministry, catching such small fish “undermines development of the fish population in the Kinneret.”
If the smallest fish are not sufficiently reproducing, then the natural food chain within the lake’s ecosystem becomes disrupted, as the larger fish have no food to substantiate their own reproduction and expansion.
The fisherman, all in their 40s and residents of Moshav Migdal, allegedly had in their vessel about 30 kilograms worth of mullet fish that, for the most part, did not even reach 40 centimeters in length.
The minimum size of fish that may be caught is 45 cm., the ministry reported.
As the inspectors spotted their activity, the fishermen attempted to thwart their capture by throwing the nets into the water and trying to hide from their trackers, according to the ministry.
The penalty for such activity is NIS 1,500, and if repeated, the maximum penalty is NIS 12,900 plus three months of imprisonment.
“[Fishing for] smaller fish than permitted brings grave harm to the fish population, in their reproductive chain and in their possibility to grow and reproduce,” Hagai Neuberger, director of the inspectors’ unit in the ministry’s fish and aquaculture department, said in a statement released by his office. “The Kinneret fish population is dwindling, and the Agriculture Ministry is doing all it can to stop the phenomenon and strengthen the fish population.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article carried an illustrative picture. JPost.com wishes to clarify that the people in that picture were not related to the story.