As local authorities in Greece declare all-out war on illegal fishing in Lake Dojran during the all-important spawning season from Monday, their counterparts in North Macedonia appear reluctant to see a problem.
The lake, called Dojran in Macedonian and Doirani in Greek, is a valuable nature reserve shared by both countries. North Macedonia holds 64 per cent of the lake while 36 per cent lies in Greece.
The vice-regional governor of the Greek region of Kilkis, Andreas Vergidis, on the other side of the lake, told media last week that, starting from Monday, Greek police, border guards, forestry inspectors as well as locals equipped with drones and thermal cameras will be on the lookout for illegal fishermen, who he said usually operate at night.
He said extra patrols were needed to protect the fish and their offspring during the spawning season, when both countries ban all fishing in the lake. “Preservation of the [fish] offspring is a decisive factor for the multiplication of the fish,” Vergidis told Greek media.
Ratko Ajcev, head of Dojran’s municipal council in North Macedonia, welcomed the move.
“Boosting their [Greek] inspections is surely a good step,” Ajcev told BIRN on Monday.
But when asked whether his council will also boost patrols during the spawning season, Ajcev said he would only know more after a planned meeting with the mayor on Thursday.
Mayor Ango Angov, meanwhile, was not available to answer questions from BIRN on the phone by time of publication. Nor was North Macedonia’s Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Water.
Due to its abundance of fish, mainly from the carp family, the lake supports several species of rare birds, including pelicans, little cormorants, herons and others.
The lake and its surroundings enjoy official protection in both states. North Macedonia has declared its share of the lake a ‘Monument of Nature’. Greece’s portion forms part of Natura 2000, a network of protected areas covering Europe’s most valuable and threatened habitats and species.
But while the Greek vice-regional governor insisted illegal fishing does serious damage, North Macedonia’s Ajcev downplayed concerns. He told BIRN that “illegal finish was a problem in the past but recently, not so much”.
“Dojran is a small place and all of its residents know that if we devastate the fish stock, there will be nothing left,” he asserted.
Mayor Angov last week dismissed fears of a “fish plague” after North Macedonia news websites published photos of dead fish on the lakeside shores. It was a natural occurrence during the spawning season, he insisted.
“During this period, the fish are laying roe, and those specimens that are unable to get rid of their roe simply die,” the mayor told North Macedonia’s MIA news agency on Thursday.
Photos published on Wednesday by MKD.mk news site were said to have been taken a day earlier on the shores between the towns of Star Dojran and Nov Dojran in North Macedonia.
The mayor said there is also no need for concern about water quality in the lake, as it was “constantly being checked and is good”. The Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Water and state inspectorates in North Macedonia have not commented on the issue as yet.