Law No.146 of 2021 for the Protection and Development of Lakes and Fisheries.

This Law, consisting of 64 articles divided into 5 Chapters, aims at protecting and developing fisheries wealth, and its provisions apply to lakes (specified by a Decree of the President of the Republic), all water bodies both marine and freshwater, and lands for fish farming (determined by a Decree of the Prime Minister). Article 2 establishes the Agency for the Protection and Development of Lakes and Fish Resources with the aim to (i) protect, develop and exploit the lakes, their streams, tourism, beaches and sanctuaries; (ii) protect and develop fisheries and aquatic life with a view to developing the national economy. The Agency includes representatives of the different concerned Ministries as well as representatives of the Cooperative Union for Water Resources and the General Union of Agricultural and Fishing Workers. Its main tasks are (i) laying down the general policy for the protection and development of lakes, their drains and beaches, preventing them from encroachment and pollution; (ii) exploiting the potentials of lakes, their seawaters, beaches, sanctuaries, resources, and their development, and conducting the necessary research and studies; (iii) granting approvals for the establishment of projects of public interest; (iv) protecting and developing fisheries wealth and their sources, and supervising the implementation of fishing laws; (v) laying out plans related to fisheries and fish processing projects; (vi) establishing rules, conditions, and procedures for granting the necessary licenses; (vii) setting training and guidance plans and programs in the field of fisheries protection and development; (viii) establishing joint stock companies with the aim of working in the field of protecting and developing lakes and fisheries and exploiting them in a manner that does not conflict with free fishing; (ix) regulating the exploitation of fishing areas, marinas, and fish farms in lakes and fish farming areas, working on their maintenance and development, ensuring compliance with the environmental standards for the quality of the waters of lakes and fish areas; (x) developing the fishing craft using modern methods, spreading awareness and technical training among fishermen, and issuing the necessary decisions to prevent crafts and actions harmful to fisheries; (xi) preparing maps of fish stocks; (xii) cooperating with international and regional bodies in everything related to the protection and development of lakes and fisheries; (xiii) suggesting the marketing and price policy for local and imported fish; (xiv) conducting technical and economic feasibility studies for projects related to fisheries; (xv) preparing an emergency plan and coordinating between the concerned authorities to prepare programs to confront disasters in the lakes and to protect fisheries wealth electronically; (xvi) establishing controls for the management and use of the lands allocated to the Agency; (xvii) supervising management and operation of all fishing ports and their development, as well as expressing an opinion justifying the establishment of new fishing ports. The Agency’s Board of Directors is the supreme authority controlling and managing its affairs, and setting the general policy that it follows.
As regard the protection of the lakes, the Law deals with drainage, backfill, possession or use of water lifting machinery or equipment, creation of islands, bridges, or dams, exploitation of the islands of the lakes, and their resting places for grazing livestock and hunting birds, encroachment on all the lands under the supervision of the Agency. As for the regulation of fishing, the main provisions are (i) rules on the boat equipment (number, lighting, tracker); (ii) prohibition of the use of the boat in the areas where fishing is prohibited, except in emergency cases caused by weather conditions or a defect in the boat (art.20); (iii) certificate of the authority to work on the vessel in marine waters issued by the Egyptian Authority for the Safety of Maritime Navigation to drive a fishing vessel, and a navigation license for fishing in inland waters issued by the Public Authority for River Transport (art.21); (iv) ban of fishing in the prohibited areas and periods, or by methods, materials and tools that are not permitted (art.22); (v) ban of unlicensed or unauthorized fishing nets, machines or materials on the boat (art.23); (vi) prohibition to fish, sell or possess fish or other aquatic organisms (art.24); (vii) prohibition to land the product of fishing from natural fisheries except in the designated areas and by the methods specified for that, and after ensuring compliance with the specifications and following the veterinary technical procedures and registration, which are determined by the Agency (art.27); (viii) the use of fishing boats without a permit is prohibited, as is going out without a fishing card, except for anglers in inland waters who use a maximum of three hooks (35); (ix) artisanal fishing is prohibited for recreational purposes (art.37); (x) establish fish farms or fish hatcheries is possible only with a license by the Agency and after paying a fee (art.52) and the areas designated are determined by a decision issued by the Prime Minister based on the presentation of the Agency (art.54).
Water protection is regulated by article 28 and following, according to which it is prohibited to throw or dispose of toxic, radioactive, chemical or petroleum materials, oils, waste and ship waste, wastes of factories or factories, or untreated sewage, as well as foreign aquatic organisms, their eggs or larvae (these latter ones except with a license from the Agency) into the waters of lakes and territorial waters. Protection of species is regulated by article 31, according to which It is prohibited to fish, collect, transport or possess sea turtles and marine mammals from the sea, lakes, or other water bodies, or tamper with their places of existence and breeding, according to the circumstances, along the Egyptian shores or in marine waters, except with a permit from the Agency.
Chapter IV deals with the sanctions for contravening the provisions of this Law, and these sanctions are either criminal or administrative in nature. In case of seizure of boats, fish, birds caught and the fishing tools, a judgment shall be passed and a price established for the account of the Agency.