Fishing Bill Bans Licence Leasing, Foreign Boats

TDT | Manama

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A Shura-drafted bill banning the leasing of fishing licences will be put to a vote in Parliament on Tuesday, alongside a clause barring foreign vessels from catching fish in Bahrain’s waters.

The draft amends Decree-Law No. 20 of 2002 on regulating the fishing, exploitation and protection of marine resources. It would also require veterinary quarantine procedures before marine products can be imported or exported, and would limit entry into no-fishing zones to emergency cases.

The Public Utilities and Environment Committee has recommended approval in principle, with all members present in agreement, and said the draft will then be handled article by article during the sitting.

Under the proposed changes, licences issued under the law would remain personal and could not be transferred or leased to others. The draft also spells out a ban on foreign vessels fishing in Bahrain’s fishing waters, while keeping separate provisions relating to citizens of GCC states. Foreign fishing vessels arriving at ports would still be barred from selling or marketing marine resources and their products unless they obtain a permit from the competent authority under a ministerial decision.

New articles would also cover fish and marine-life farms. The ministry would be tasked with encouraging and supervising such farms, giving technical guidance to those running them, and identifying suitable sites. Areas set aside for these farms could not be dried out or filled in except for the public interest and by a decision from the minister.

Another addition would bar fishing vessels from anchoring or moving through prohibited fishing zones except in emergency cases linked to weather, security, vessel faults, or rescue work to save lives or property.

The draft also deals with what happens to a fishing vessel licence after the death of the licence holder. The original text allowed transfer to the wife and minor children, if fishing was their only source of income, with the licence used on their behalf by a Bahraini citizen who practises fishing personally and bears personal responsibility, under rules set by the minister. The committee recommended revising this so the licence transfers to first-degree heirs, keeping the same condition on who may use it on their behalf.

The government, in an opinion memorandum attached to the draft, urged Parliament to reconsider it. It argued that key aims are already covered by existing rules, pointing to provisions in the current decree-law restricting commercial fishing to Bahrainis and to GCC veterinary quarantine rules approved by Bahrain under Law No. 8 of 2003, which require permits for imports and exports of animal products.

The memorandum also warned that provisions referring to grants, loans and support for those working in fishing could add costs to the public budget and would require agreement under constitutional and budget-law requirements. It said support already includes diesel price support, concessional loans through the Bahrain Development Bank, and aquaculture work linked to food security, including a training programme that began with 15 Bahrainis and a planned second phase over five years aimed at training 600.

The committee report said the Ministry of Oil and Environment backed the legal observations in the government memorandum.