Ukraine introduces digital fishing rights system to improve oversight and protect biodiversity
What's the problem?
According to the ministry, the initiative aims to close existing legal gaps and establish a transparent process for setting catch limits for aquatic biological resources.
What's the solution?
The government is introducing new rules for the special use of aquatic biological resources that will include:
How does it work?
Under the new system, rights to special use of aquatic biological resources will be allocated through open auctions on the Prozorro.Sale platform.
The procedure also introduces mandatory fees for fishing activities, which are expected to generate additional revenue for local budgets.
"For the first time, we are creating a unified digital system for the special use of aquatic biological resources within protected natural areas. This means transparent rules for businesses, reduced corruption risks, and real oversight of biodiversity conservation," said Taras Vysotskyi, deputy minister of economy, environment, and agriculture. "At the same time, we are creating the conditions for sustainable sector development in line with modern European practices."
Under the new rules, the Ministry of Economy will approve catch limits in coordination with the State Fisheries Agency. The agency will be responsible for:
All activities related to the special use of aquatic biological resources will be recorded in the eFishing digital system. This includes catch logs and the generation of official receipts.
The ministry expects the project to create a complete and reliable database of catch volumes, provide public access to relevant information, and establish clear and equal operating conditions for businesses in the fisheries sector.
As previously reported, the first global assessment of risks facing freshwater animals found that 24% of species living in rivers, lakes, streams, and other freshwater ecosystems are threatened with extinction. The study examined more than 23,500 species, including dragonflies, fish, crabs, and others.
Concerns have also been raised about pollution in the Seim and Desna rivers. According to experts from WWF-Ukraine, the environmental damage is affecting both local communities and the wider river ecosystem, including endangered sturgeon species that have managed to survive in these waterways
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4 of June 2026
