Fishing Regulation in Saudi Arabia

Regulations on Fisheries in Saudi Arabia Fishing requirements 1. Fishing gear and techniques employed by artisanal fishermen and indivirluals. 2. Licence for fishing and vessels used for fishing. 3. Permits for the men engaged in fishing. I. Artisanal fishermen's boats (1) Artisanal fishermen, who owned fishing boats, prior to the issue of the present regulations, may continue fishing with their boats whatever their size, provided trawling is not operated at depths above 15 m., and that the boat is equipped with a refrigerator for the preservation of catch. (2) The engines used by these fishermen should not exceed 250 hp. at most. (3) Artisanal fishermen may utilize any vessel made of timber, aluminium, iron, fibre glass and cement on condition that their length and horsepower comply with the provisions of the above paragraphs 1 and 2. (4) Any fishing techniques and nets may be used provided they do not cuse harm to marine sprats and fish stock in general (shrimp fishing trawlers excepted). (5) It shall be unlawful to employ prohibited fishing techniques harmful to living aquatic resources such as explosives, chemical and poisonous substances and electrical means. (6) It is prohibited to install fishing nets near the coasts utilizing the tide and ebb of the waves to capture fish and other aquatic organisms. (7) Fishing and installing nets near petroleum, military and industrial establishments shall be prohibited. (8) It shall be unlawful to employ gillnets whose meshes are less than 2.5 in. excluding the nets used for sardines provided the meshes are not under: 1 inch for the two wings of the net; 0.5 inch for the body of the net. The above nets should be used only at the seasons when sardines are available; these same measurements shall apply to shrimp fishing nets. The following mesh measurements are used for shrimp fishing: not under 2.5 inches for the wings of the net; not under 1 inch for the body. (9) The two sections of the Fisheries Resources Department at Jeddah an Damam may specify the period fishing is prohibited or permitted during the seasons established according to scientific results to be gained in future on commercial fish, similar to those concerning shrimps in the Arab and Oman gulfs. (10) With the exception of the fishermen who already had more than one fishing boat under legal methods, no artisanal fishermen shall possess more than one fishing boat. It is recommended that the boats of the old fishermen should be examined and evaluated in order to comply with the afore-mentioned regulations and that the boat is one of the known traditional ones. II. Modern fishing boats Modern fishing boats whether made of timber, iron, cement, fibreglass or aluminium, or of any specifications, and utilizing any gear and technique (such as trawlers, lights and others) shall be allowed for fishing purposes provided they are not over 15 m in length and their horsepower does not exceed 250 hp., and the following conditions should be complied with: (a) the owner of such a boat should be a Saudi national; (b) no fisherman shall have more than one modern fishing boat which is over 12 m long; (c) the pilot of the boat should be qualified and be familiar with the territorial waters of the Kingdom; (d) the boat owner may utilize foreign technical skills if they are not available locally such as pilots, engineers and skilled fishermen after furnishing the' departments concerned with documents proving his failure in finding national skilled men; (e) modern boats could be built in the Kingdom or be procured from abroad provided the above-mentioned conditions are adhered to and after obtaining approval from the competent departments. III. Licences and permits 1. Licences for fishing living aquatic products Any Saudi national who wants to practice fishing as a profession should apply to a branch department of this Ministry at his area to have the relevant forms filled in. These forms with the application shall be submitted to this Ministry for its comments and observatio~s to obtain the approval of the Minister of Agriculture and Water to issue the applicant a fishing licence which is issued by the Under-Secretary of Agricultural Researches and Development. The would-be artisanal fisherman should supply the following: (a) copy of his birth certificate; (b) certificate that he is a Saudi national; (c) certificate of good conduct from the head fisherman or the mayor of his home town. 2. Licences for the fishing boats Any marine craft used for fishing or extraction of living marine resources should obtain a licence from a branch of the Port's Authority after having had previous approval from competent departments attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Water; the owners of any means of fishing (boats or vessels) should supply the following: (a) have the form filled in by the department concerned; (b) copy of birth certificate; (c) copy of registration paper or purchase bill of the boat; (d) copy of the applicant's fishing licence; (e) certificate from the head fishermen certifying that he practices fishing. 3. Permits for foreign workers on the fishing boat The owner of the boat or vessel should fill in the form supplied by the competent departments of the Fisheries Resources, and he should prepare the following: 1. names and number of the men, their passport numbers, date and place of issue and if they have a regular place of abode; 2. supporting documents from the recruitment committee; 3. written undertaking guaranteeing his workmen; the citizens of the Gulf and North and South Yemen may produce certificates from the frontier centres certifying that they work under the full responsibility of the boat owner; 4. copy of his birth certificate; s. copy of his fishing licence if he happens to be a artisanal fisherman; 6. certificate of good conduct from the mayor of his place; 7. copy of the boat or vessel fishing licence; 8. certificate from head fishermen certifying his need for foreign workers and his inability to find such skilled workers amongst the Saudi nationals.