Fisherman sentenced for environmental degradation and health offenses in South Karelia

A South Karelia district court has sentenced a professional fisherman operating on Lake Saimaa to a conditional prison term for environmental degradation and health offenses. The sentence amounts to three months.

According to the court, the fisherman from South Karelia engaged in environmental destruction by spreading waste generated from fish processing on his own field between 2020 and 2022. During the court proceedings, the fisherman admitted to disposing of fish waste on the field only once in 2022, claiming the quantity was minimal and that it served as fertilizer. However, the court found credible testimonials indicating that fish waste had been disposed of on the field in subsequent years as well.

The court determined that the professional fisherman must have known he was prohibited from burying organic fish waste in the soil, since he had also disposed of waste properly at a waste disposal site.

In relation to the health offense, the fisherman was found guilty of conducting fish processing in unsuitable and unsanitary conditions between 2019 and 2023, where fish and roe were prepared for sale. The processing facility lacked approval from food safety authorities. The fisherman was only permitted to catch fish and supply them unprocessed to another operator. Although he claimed he processed fish for personal use, the court deemed this explanation unconvincing.

The fish processing activity was halted following an inspection by authorities. In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered the fisherman to pay €103,000 to the state, representing income from the sale of fish and roe. The verdict is not yet final and can be appealed.

Another fisherman, who had provided fish to the convicted fisherman, was also prosecuted, but the court found insufficient evidence to prove he was aware of the poor conditions at the processing facility, leading to the dismissal of charges against him.