Fisherman dubbed "millionaire" illegally caught crayfish and fish in the Mykolaiv region

On the Inhul River near the village of Kalynivka in the Voskresenska community a 49-year-old man illegally harvested more than 17 kilograms of crayfish and fish. The preliminary estimate of damage to the state is over one million hryvnias. According to mk.npu.gov.ua.

The fisherman was discovered last night, October 1, during a river patrol. This was reported by the Mykolaiv Oblast Police. According to them, the man caught more than 300 crayfish and 11 fish.

For underwater fishing he used the following equipment:

• a wetsuit, mask and snorkel;
• a vest and a belt with additional weights;
• a homemade underwater speargun with a flashlight;
• a net.

The police explained what happened to the catch and equipment:

“Law enforcement officers and staff of the fish protection service released the illegal catch back into the river. Investigators also seized the equipment the fisherman used.”

On the fact of illegal engagement in fishing, hunting or other extractive occupations, the police opened a criminal case under part 1 of Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The prescribed punishment is up to three years’ restriction of liberty. The circumstances of the case are still being determined.

Over the nine months of 2026, in the territories of Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts, Ukraine’s fish stocks suffered damages amounting to 6.5 million hryvnias.

Previously we wrote:

• Poacher with scuba gear caught 182 crayfish in the Southern Bug
• Diving with a mask for crayfish: illegal catch in the Mykolaiv region caused nearly 256 thousand hryvnias of damage to the ecosystem
• Caught crayfish — residents of the Mykolaiv region face an astronomical fine or three years in prison
• Instead of fish soup — court: two men caught crayfish worth half a million hryvnias
• More than 600 thousand hryvnias in damages due to two poachers