From Tuesday, April 30, it will be necessary to release caught not only sturgeons smaller than 50 cm, but also larger than 65 cm. Up until now, it was mandatory to release fertilizers smaller than 45 cm.
Pike smaller than 50 cm and larger than 80 cm will also need to be released. There will be no limit on the size of pike allowed to be caught in the rivers and their sections specified in Annex 2 of the Rules, because these rivers are important habitats for trout and bream, so it is not appropriate to store pike in them. Until now it was mandatory to release pike smaller than 50 cm.
Brown trout of any size must be released in all rivers of Lithuania, except for the Merkis River above the Ožkelaičiai bridge, where limited fishing for brown trout and brown trout is organized. In this section of the Merki River, after purchasing an amateur fisherman’s card, it is allowed to take two brown trout, not smaller than 30 cm and not larger than 40 cm, during one fishing trip.
Adopting such stricter regulations should increase the number of large fish in water bodies.
An analogous procedure, when it is forbidden to take caught large pike and pike, was already in force in 15 water bodies whose ecological condition is to be improved, as well as in another 9 water bodies where limited pike and pike fishing is organized.
The amendments to the rules waived the exceptions to not applying the fishing ban on public holidays and weekends, if the first day of the ban was a weekend or public holiday, that is, the ban came into effect the next day.
The insurance was also not valid on the last day of the insurance if it was a weekend or public holiday. Such regulation, according to fishermen’s organizations, was too confusing, so it was proposed to abandon it. With the repeal of this provision, all recreational fishing bans are valid on both their first and last day, regardless of which day of the week or holiday it is.
The ban on fishing from July 1 has also been lifted. until December 1 In the Nemunas stretch in the city of Kaunas, from the Kaunas winter port to the Neris estuary. This ban was put in place to curb poachers who caught fish with hooks.
It is hoped that re-establishment of fishing opportunities and a greater focus on control and assistance to citizen fishermen will prevent poaching.
