Police seize 116.9 kg of Ohrid belvica and 4,000 m of nets

01.09.2026 — Police patrols operating on Ohrid Lake discovered a large illegal fishing setup and removed the catch during action controls carried out on the water between the Struga-area villages of Kalishta and Radozhda.

Confiscation and figures

Officers from the Ohrid Lake Border Surveillance Police Station located twenty so‑called hanging fishing nets — a type of gear strictly prohibited for fishing — with an overall length of about 4,000 metres. The nets contained 872 fish, identified as Ohrid belvica, with a total weight of 116.9 kilograms.

Following instructions from a public prosecutor, lake police units together with personnel from the Regional Center for Border Affairs West recovered the nets and the catch from the water. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the operation this morning and notified the competent fisheries inspectorate.

Authorities said the action was part of intensified controls aimed at combating the criminal offence of "illegal fishing" and at protecting the fish stock of Ohrid Lake.

The Ohrid Lake Border Surveillance Police Station announced it will continue stepped‑up patrols and targeted operations to locate and identify those responsible and to reduce further harm to the lake's ecosystem.

Photo: press material from the event