A two-year fishing ban should be set in place in order to restore the declining population of pike, one of the most caught Danube Delta fish species, which is also prized for its large-pearl roe, Danube Delta Reserve governor Gabriel Marinov declared for Agerpres.

The first measure to protect the species was ordered by the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration (ARBDD) in 2018, when recreational sports fishermen were forbidden to retain any pike specimen, whereas until then they could keep five kilograms per day.

„We should understand that the species is in a real decline and that each of us can contribute to the restoration of pike stocks. I would venture to say that a fishing ban for this species should be set in place both for recreational/sports fishing and commercial fishing, of course with the payment of compensations where applicable and under the conditions of the law,” governor Marinov explained.

He also said that breeding areas should be unclogged in order to protect the pike and that ARBDD will take such action in the coming years.

„The species spawns between January and February, but we want it protected from January 1 to March 15,” the Reserve governor said.

Amid the decline of the pike population, the price for a kilogram of pike roe has doubled over the past two years to around 400 RON at the fishermen.

According to data published on the website of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, this year the fishing prohibition order was published in the Official Journal on March 25, and the pike fishing ban ended on March 15.

Pike catches have varied over time from a maximum amount of 2,666 tons in 1965 to 4 tons in 1995, states the Atlas of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Fish authored by researcher with the Danube Delta National Institute Vasile Otel.

Agerpres