Campaign "Let's make holes - save fish from freezing!"

From December 12, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus announced the launch of the environmental campaign "Let's make ice-holes – let's save fish from oxygen depletion!".

One of the negative phenomena on water bodies of Belarus, causing great damage, is oxygen depletion – mass fish kill as a result of a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the water.

The established frosts contribute to the formation of an ice crust on the surface of the reservoir, blocking the access of atmospheric air and oxygen, which can be accompanied by this process. In some cases, winter oxygen depletion can be caused by the presence of a large amount of humic substances and ferrous oxide in the water, the oxidation of which is accompanied by a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the water.

Among the effective measures to prevent winter fish oxygen depletion is the creation of ice-holes on water bodies prone to oxygen depletion. The number of ice-holes depends on the area of the water body and averages 3-5 pcs./ha. Ice-holes should be located in the center of the water body and along its perimeter, where the depth of the unfrozen layer is 50-60 cm. To prevent ice-holes from freezing, it is necessary to install sheaves made of reeds, cattails, and other hollow "breathing" plants in them or to hang bags of salt in such ice-holes at a rate of 5 kg/bag. Technical salt, which is used for cleaning boilers in boiler houses, can be recommended as salt.

Also, in accordance with the Rules for Fishery Management, approved by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of July 21, 2021 No. 284, the implementation of measures to prevent oxygen depletion and eliminate its consequences on leased water bodies is the responsibility of the lessees of fishing grounds. The protection of fishing grounds that constitute the reserve fund of fishing grounds is carried out by local executive and administrative bodies or by legal entities specially authorized by them.

In case of mass fish kill, it is necessary to report it to the local executive and administrative body, territorial bodies of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus.

Information about water bodies prone to oxygen depletion can be found on the website or on the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, as well as by phone 8(0212)24-74-58, 24-74-39.