Mud Crab Fishery Management Regulations, 2024

w;s úfYI wxl 2371$35 - 2024 fmnrjdß ui 15 jeks n%yiam;skaod - 2024'02'15 No. 2371/35 - THURSday, FeBRUaRy 15, 2024 EXTRAORDINARY Y%S ,xld m%cd;dka;%sl iudcjd§ ckrcfha .eiÜ m;%h The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Published by Authority) PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications 1a - PG 6646 - 1754 (02/2024) This Gazette Extraordinary can be downloaded from www.documents.gov.lk L.d. - B 1/2012 (VI) fIShERIES AND AquATIC RESOuRCES ACT, No. 2 Of 1996 ReGULaTIONS made by the Minister of Fisheries under Section 61 of the Fisheries and aquatic Resources act, No. 2 of 1996. Douglas DevananDa, Minister of Fisheries. Colombo, 06th of February, 2024. Regulations 1. These regulations may be cited as “the Mud Crab Fishery Management Regulations, 2024.” 2. The provisions of these regulations shall apply to mud crab fishing operations of wild mud crabs in Sri Lanka Waters. 3. A person shall not engage in mud crab fishing operations in Sri Lanka Waters except under a valid operation license issued by the director General according to the Fishing operations regulations of 1996 published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 948/25 of November 07, 1996. I fldgi ( ^I& fPoh - YS% ,xld m%cd;dka;s%l iudcjd§ ckrcfha w;s úfYI .eiÜ m;%h - 2024'02'15 Part I : Sec. (I) - GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - 15.02.2024 2a 4. A person shall not catch, sell, keep in possession, process or export, mud crabs of carapace width (CW) of less than 130 millimeters measured at the widest part of the carapace of the mud crab as depicted in the diagram of the Schedule hereto. 5. A person shall not catch, sell, keep in possession, process, export or remove eggs from egg bearing (berried) mud crabs. 6. Mud crabs with a carapace width of less than 130 millimeters and egg bearing (berried) mud crabs that are caught in nets or other fishing gear shall be released alive. 7. The Minister shall declare closed season and open season for crab fishing in areas specified by a notice made by him under section 34 of the Fisheries and aquatic Resources act, No. 2 of 1996 on the recommendation of the National aquatic Resources Research and development agency, according to the requirement or in every three years period. 8. The director-General shall determine the size of the mud crabs allowed to catch during such open season on the recommendation of the National aquatic Resources Research and development agency according to the requirement or in every three years period. 9. A person shall not dredge or damage the sea bottom or banks of the habitat while fishing for mud crabs. 10. The Director-General may from time to time require from fishermen engaged in mud crab fishing, mud crab collectors and mud crab exporters to provide production data, export data or any other data related to mud crab fishery. 11. In these regulations “Mud crabs” means the species of (Scylla seratta) that are living in the Sri Lanka Waters; “Wild mud crab” means Mud crabs breeding naturally in the natural environment except aqua cultured mud crabs; “Process” means boiling, removal of carapace, removal of guts and gills, cutting, or removal of meat of crabs for the purpose of selling or exporting; “Carapace width (CW)” means the length measured between the points of the carapace with widest length depicted in the diagram of the Schedule hereto. SCHedULe [regulation 4] eOG 02 - 0110 PRINTED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, SRI LANKA.