Bahrain bans fishing, trade of shrimp for six months

MANAMA: Bahrain authorities imposed a six-month ban on fishing, trading, and sale of shrimp in the country’s territorial waters.

Shrimp fishing, trade, and sales in Bahraini territorial waters are prohibited for six months, from February 1 to July 31, according to the Marine Wealth Directorate of the Supreme Council for the Environment (SCE).

The prohibition supports national initiatives to guarantee the sustainability of the industry by preserving fish populations and safeguarding Bahrain’s maritime resources.

The decision is part of larger measures to protect the maritime environment and encourage the conservation of natural resources, according to the maritime Wealth Directorate. In order to promote stock sustainability, all techniques of shrimp fishing in defined regions are restricted, and trade in shrimp in marketplaces will also be outlawed at this time.

The Coast Guard will continue to coordinate inspection efforts to enforce the prohibition, and those who violate it will face penalties in line with Decree (20) of 2002 on regulating and safeguarding maritime riches.

In order to guarantee their survival, the directorate further emphasized that any shrimp that are inadvertently captured during the prohibition must be carefully returned to the ocean.