Bottom trawls: Coast guard seizes boat from Nabih Saleh

TDT | Manama

Bahraini coast guard patrols seized a fishing boat and two its employees for using illegal bottom trawl nets in Bahraini waters. The Coast Guard Commander said officers seized the boat from the coast of Nabih Saleh. Officers arrested two men onboard aged between 19 and 43 years. The arrests were part of Bahrain’s efforts to deal with violations related to fishing and the tools used.

Ministerial Resolution No. (205) of 2018 in Bahrain bans fishing using trawling nets which indiscriminately harm marine life and destroys its habitat. Reports also say that the bottom trawling can also disrupt the ability of microbes to remove excess nutrients in coastal waters, thereby increasing pollution. The Coast Guard Commander said they took necessary legal measures to refer the case to public prosecution.