Some UAH 140 million is required to buy equipment for 26 territorial fish patrol departments in all regions of Ukraine, the State Fish Agency of Ukraine has said.

"One of the largest problems of launching fish patrol in the Ukrainian regions is financing of purchase of new equipment. The draft 2017 national budget sent for second reading to the Verkhovna Rada today does not foresee the provision of these funds," Agency Head Yarema Kovaliv said.

He said that UAH 140 million is a small sum in the scale of the state. The fish patrol in the regions would help to reduce poaching and create conditions for expansion of fish resources.

He took the results of the work of Kyiv fish patrol that started operating since June 16, 2016. Over the period of its operation the patrol revealed infringements worth UAH 1.2 million.

"If we multiply this experience to the operation of 27 departments all over Ukraine we would have infringements worth UAH 90 million. This is investment in equipping new fish patrol and they will be returned to the state less than in two years," he said.