In accordance with the rules of amateur fishing and the rules for conducting fishing in the fishing grounds of the Republic of Belarus, fishing for all types of fish in wintering pits is prohibited from October 1 to April 15.
In accordance with the rules of amateur fishing and the rules for conducting fishing in the fishing grounds of the Republic of Belarus, fishing for all types of fish in wintering pits is prohibited from October 1 to April 15.
In natural conditions, fish overwinter in wintering pits or in deeper parts of water bodies. Fish of usually the same species and age gather in these pits, which ensures the most favourable conditions for overwintering. Many species of thermophilic fish, such as bream, carp, and tench, gather in huge shoals and head for wintering pits. During the winter period, the behaviour of predators under water also changes. For example, a catfish, when ice covers the water body, hides in deepened places, pressing itself against the soft silt, and falls asleep, occasionally moving its fins and long barbels. Catfish often settle in pits in quite numerous groups.
As a rule, the same wintering pits are used by fish annually. Their change occurs only in artificial reservoirs with an unstable level (reservoirs, ponds). Fish become easily accessible prey in wintering pits. In this regard, during the fish overwintering period, additional protective measures are necessary to prevent their mass catch in wintering pits.
The list of wintering pits is determined by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food jointly with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.