The Law for the Protection and Development of Lakes and Fisheries aims to promote fish wealth and maximize its utilization through a new package of easy procedures and controls, while at the same time aims to preserve this vital resource.

The legislation included controls and requirements for fishing places, driving boats and whoever drives it, and included the establishment of an agency for the protection and development of lakes and fish wealth, which is responsible for setting general policy, exploiting and developing lakes, and protecting fish wealth.

The law defined the rules for the practice of fishing boats and their workers for their work, and set binding conditions, including that the fishing boat must have a license and that the fisherman obtain a fishing card.

The law also determined fishing fees, cases of exemption from them and cases of withdrawal of licenses, and included the establishment of a device for the protection and development of lakes and fish wealth.

The law prohibits in Article 15 the possession of exploitation or the establishment of any facilities or the conduct of any business or the exercise of any activities on the lands located within the precincts of the lakes and their enclosures except with a license from the Authority for the Protection and Development of Lakes and Fisheries. The executive regulations specify the conditions and procedures for issuing the license.

The law punishes whoever violates this with imprisonment for a period of not less than one year and not more than three years, and a fine of not less than one hundred thousand pounds and not more than one million pounds. At the site of the violation, the seized items or their price shall be confiscated for the account of the Agency, and the violation shall be removed administratively at the expense of the violator.

Source: State Information Service Egypt