Decision No. 402 of 8 May 2013 defining management measures for the sustainable use of fishery resources.

This Decision, consisting of six Chapters completed by four Annexes, regulates the following aspects: a) conservation, management and use of living aquatic resources, when these activities are carried out in the following conditions: within the territory of marine waters subject to the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the Republic of Albania; fishing performed by Albanian fishing vessels in the Mediterranean, outside the areas designated in subdivision (i); iii) by Albanian nationals, in the Mediterranean Sea, outside the waters specified in subdivision "i"; b) trade in the Republic of Albania of fishery products caught in the Mediterranean Sea. This Decision shall not apply to fishing activities carried out solely for scientific purposes and provided with the relevant authorization as provided for in Article 49 of Fisheries Law No. 64/2012 of 31 May 2012. The Decision is divided as follows: General provisions (Chap. 1); Protected Types and Habitats (Chap. 2); Limitations on Fishing Gear (Chap. 3); Minimum Dimensions of Maritime Organizations (Chap. 4); Non-Professional Fishing (Chap. 5); Control Measures (Chap. 6). The Annexes specify the following matters: Technical Conditions for Equipment Installation and Tracking; Requirements for Fishing Nets; Minimum Dimensions of Marine Aquatic Species; Measurement of Dimensions of Marine Aquatic species.
Article 16 prohibits the use of trawling gear in a distance of less than 3 nautical miles from the shore or inside the isobath 50 meters, which reserves the coastal waters up to three miles from shore for small-scale fishers.