Georgia’s Environment Ministry introduces new devices stop illegal fishing

The Ministry of Environment of Georgia is taking strong action to stop illegal fishing in the country.

Special devices will be installed at lakes and rivers throughout Georgia that signal to authorities when fishermen illegally use an electric current to kill large numbers of fish.

This type of fishing – where an electric shock was sent into the water, killing large numbers of fish – was a widespread problem that needed to be urgently addressed, said the Ministry.

The testing process. Photo by the Ministry of Environment of Georgia. 

The new equipment was able to detect electric shocks within a 100m radius and send immediate real-time messages to the Supervisory Department of the Ministry of Environment. 

The devices were tested yesterday at the Central Park Lake in Rustavi, about an hour just east of capital Tbilisi. 

The testing process, which met expectations, was attended by the Minister of Environment Gigla Agulashvili, the device’s Georgian inventors Davit Gulbani and Giorgi Kurtanidze and other state officials. 

The inventors have cooperated with the Ministry to create the special devices for the past six months. 

The Ministry believed the device would decrease the number of cases of illegal fishing, which would help restore fish numbers.