Payment for fishing and hunting rights is moved to a new platform

‘A new platform was needed for technical reasons alone, but in building it, we set the goal of creating a convenient solution, where it is possible to carry out the necessary operations for fair fishing all in one place,’ said Herki Tuus, Head of the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of the Environment and project manager of the new platform. 
   
Payment for recreational fishing rights can be submitted starting from 1 March at kalaluba.ee; to pay the hunting rights fee, the same platform can be reached through jahiluba.ee as well. Up until now, these payments have been mediated by pilet.ee, but from 1 March, it will no longer be possible to make payments through this platform. All rights acquired through pilet.ee will remain valid and can be found on the new platform as well.
   
‘We can positively reminisce how, when we started introducing paperless purchasing and verifying of fishing rights in 2007 on the pilet.ee platform, we were pioneers in Europe and exemplary representatives of Estonia as a digital country. The phone payment solution received the best public service award in 2008. This is why we, along with all Estonia’s recreational fishermen, would like to thank pilet.ee for all that has been done so far,’ emphasised Herki Tuus.
   
The platform accessible at kalaluba.ee or jahiluba.ee permits the payment for recreational fishing or hunting rights either via a bank link, credit card, or mobile pay, and the already familiar authentication system used for other state services. Thanks to the basket function, it will be possible to pay for multiple different permits at once, if desired; the solution similar to an online shop will also facilitate foreigners to obtain permits. If there is no Internet connection, it will be possible from 1 March to submit payments for recreational fishing via text message; to do this, a text message with the ticket code and personal identification code must be sent to 1717. It will still be possible to apply for a fishing card at the offices of the Environmental Board. 
   
‘The Environmental Board is glad that the country now has its own platform, which offers additional value in the form of useful extra information to fishermen regarding the established rules,’ said Rainer Vakra, Director General of the Environmental Board.
   
Herki Tuus finds the transition to be a reasonable investment from the state’s point of view. ‘By placing permit sales, personal and catch data, and surveillance all in one platform, we will gain a more safe and reliable service, as communications between several systems will be reduced, and this kind of communication is always related to risks,’ confirmed Tuus.
   
Recreational fishing continues to grow its share in the fishing sector, which is why better surveillance in that area is of the essence. This is why the transition to a modern platform was 90% financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and 10% by the Estonian state.