Shark Fisheries Management (High seas) Regulations, 2015

I fldgi ( ^I& fPoh - YS% ,xld m%cd;dka;s%l iudcjd§ ckrcfha w;s úfYI .eiÜ m;%h - 2015'10'26 PART I : SEC. (I) - GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - 26.10.2015 2A L.D.B. 1/2012 (II) FISHERIES AND AQUATIC RESOURCES ACT, No. 2 OF 1996 REGULATIONS made by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development under Section 61(1)(t) of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, No. 2 of 1996, for the purpose of implementing conservation and management measures adopted by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. MAHINDA AMARAWEERA, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development. Colombo, 14th October 2015. Regulations 1. These regulations may be cited as Shark Fisheries Management (High seas) Regulations, 2015. 2. No person engaged in fishing operations in high seas shall catch any of the species specified in the Schedule hereto except for the collection of museum, biological sampling for taxonomic study and research purposes by the scientific observer on board. 3. No person shall engaged in fishing operations in high seas shall (i) remove on board a local fishing boat the fins of any shark caught by such local fishing boat and discard carcass of such shark of which fins have been removed. (ii) retain on board, transship or land fins of any shark unless such fins are naturally attached to the body of such shark. I fldgi ( ^I& fPoh - YS% ,xld m%cd;dka;s%l iudcjd§ ckrcfha w;s úfYI .eiÜ m;%h - 2015'10'26 PART I : SEC. (I) - GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - 26.10.2015 3A 4. No person engaged in fishing operations in high seas shall, retain on board of a local fishing boat, transship, land, store, sell or offer for sale any shark of the species specified in the Schedule hereto or any part of its body. 5. No person engaged in purse seine fishing operations in high seas shall deliberately operate purse seines in the areas frequently inhabited by whale shark (Rhiniodon typus) 6. Subject to the provisions of regulations, it shall be the duty of the owner or skipper of a local fishin boat engaged in fishing operations in high seas (i) to release to the sea any shark caught incidentally and belonging to the species specified in the Schedule hereto without any harm to the extent practicable. (ii) to record and release or disposal of incidentally caught shark belonging to the species specified in the Schedule hereto including number, the location, the steps taken to ensure safe release in the logbook maintained on board of the local fishing boat. (iii) to release live sharks specially juveniles and pregnant sharks 7. The Landing of Fish (Species of Shark and Skates) Regulations, 2001 published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 1206/20 of 17th October 2001 and the prohibition of Catching Thresher Shark Regulations, 2012 published in the Gazette Extraordinay No. 1768/36 of 27th July 2012 are hereby rescinded. 8. In these regulations “Shark” include species of sharks. SCHEDULE 1. Shark species of the Family Alopidae. Alopias vulpinus (Thresher shark) Alopias superciliosus (Big-eye thresher shark) Alopias pelagicus (Pelagic theresher shark) 2. Carcharhinus Iongimanus (Oceanic white-tip shark) 3. Rhincodon typus (Whale shark) 11-204/2 PRINTED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, SRI LANKA.