Trawl fishing in island lagoon allowed with council permit
Large schools of Bigeye and Round scads enter the coast of some islands in Maldives at certain times.
By
Aminath Shifleen
Government on Tuesday amended the general regulations on fishing to allow all fish, including all species of bait entering an island's lagoon, to be caught by trawl fishing for personal purposes with the permission of the respective island or city council.
As per the previous regulations, trawl fishing for certain species of fish in the lagoon is prohibited. These include:
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All kinds of bait including Silver sprat (Rehi), Cardinal fish (Boadhi), Old World silversides (Thaavalha), Fusilier (Muguran), Blue Sprat (Hondeli), Anchovy (Miyaren), Blue-green Damsel (Nilamehi)
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Bigeye scads (Mushimas)
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Round scads (Rimmas)
However, the amendment to the regulations deleted this article and said that fish can be trawl fished in the lagoon area of inhabited islands with the permission of the respective island or city council.
Large schools of Bigeye and Round scads enter the coast of some islands in Maldives at certain times. The public comes out and catches the fish with great enthusiasm.
However, the previous regulations prohibited it. The regulation also prohibited the catching of baitfish entering the lagoon by people for their own consumption.
With the new amendment, it can be done with the permission of the council.
According to the new amendment:
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In addition to inhabited islands, fish can be caught from the lagoon areas of uninhabited islands within the jurisdiction of the island, and islands under another government agency with the permission of the guardian agency of the island
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Details of the permit must be given to the fisheries ministry
Trawl fishing outside the lagoon areas of the islands is still prohibited. However, the new amendment exempts licensed fishing vessels from the ban on trawl fishing for bait fish outside the lagoon area.
As per the previous regulations, the net used for private fishing should not be longer than 100 feet. However, according to the new amendment, a net no longer than 300 feet can be used.
