The Province of Bolzano decides to reduce the personnel assigned to the surveillance of woods and watercourses seconded to the hunting and fishing offices.
The president of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Luis Durnwalder, has thus significantly reduced the forestry workers employed in the hunting and fishing office, consequently reducing the surveillance of forests and streams.
Durnwalder's decision was not well received by many hunters and fishermen in the province who appreciate the work done by foresters probably because it was not limited only to the control of licenses and catches but which also extended to the release of water from dams, to the implementation of abatement and repopulation plans as well as to the interest in the activities of private associations of hunting and fishing enthusiasts.
In light of all these considerations, the provision of the province, in force since 19 March, has received countless criticisms that have resulted not in a simple protest but in a complaint presented by two fishermen to the public prosecutor's office according to which the crime of interruption of public service could be hypothesized.
The director of the provincial hunting and fishing office, Heinrich Erhard, comments on the question "We certainly cannot be satisfied with this choice because so obviously we will inevitably reduce our presence on the territory and on the other hand we will lose precious, specialized and qualified professionalism, for a very delicate job ".
The two fishermen signatories of the complaint affirm "The situation is known to all the people of the environment: the director of the provincial office and the president of the hunters Klaus Stocker have long been in strong contrast, so much so that the latter cannot bear the authority of the Office e does everything to weaken it and to give more power to its hunters association, reducing the control operated by the hunting authority. And Stocker is a Durnwalder loyalist ”.
Then the two fishermen continue, "However, we do not think it right that fishermen and the community should suffer these power games. Our federation has taken a firm stance against this reorganization by exposing all the reasons for maintaining the existing fish - hunting custody posts ”.
Continuing the fishermen say, “Unfortunately the" political connections "are not good since as fishermen we contest Durnwalder's position of still wanting to build power plants on our streams. The president replied that these are savings on personnel linked to compliance with the stability pact, but this cannot be true if we think that they will hire another 25 foresters. Is it possible that in order to save money, the jobs of fish keeper - ventatorio must be cut? ".
Another file is then presented to the Public Prosecutor's Office which is already investigating lotteries with the culling of deer in reserve and cases of hunting in derogation in the reserves of the province arranged by the president himself.