Legislative Decree No. 2/2020 approving the general regime regulating fishing activities in national maritime waters and the high seas.

This Legislative Decree, consisting of 150 articles divided into eight Chapters, approves the general regime regulating fishing activities in national maritime waters and the high seas. It applies to the following activities: a) Fishing activities performed by national or foreign natural or legal persons, within national maritime waters and throughout the national territory; b) Fishing activities performed by national natural or legal persons, in areas outside the jurisdiction of Cape Verde as the Flag State, insofar as Cape Verde does not conflict with its jurisdiction with a third state; and c) Fisher folks, fishing vessels and fishing equipment, vehicles, aircraft, processing establishments, imports and exports and any other facilities, whose activity is related to fishing activities.
Chapter I on General provisions, establishes that the Government Department responsible for the Fisheries sector is the competent authority for the implementation of the fisheries policy, the exclusive management of fisheries resources and the control, monitoring and surveillance of fishing activities; Chapter II specifies Fishing Management, adopting the fisheries management plan in national maritime waters, as the main instrument for the sustainable management, exploitation and development of the fisheries sector; Chapter III lists down all types of commercial fishing licensing: including industrial, semi-industrial and artisanal fishing; Chapter IV deals with Non-Commercial Fishing; Chapter V establishes Preservation and Conservation of Marine Resources; Chapter VI deals with Establishment of marine farming, processing and marketing of fishery products; Chapter VII specifies monitoring controls and inspections to be carried out; and Chapter VIII Final provisions. This Decree prohibits to capture, kill, remove or harm marine species that are threatened and protected by this Decree and other national legislation, as well as that are listed in Appendix 1 of CITES.