Decree No. 35/2001 - General Aquaculture Regulation.

This Decree is divided into:General Provisions (I), Activity Management and Planning (II), Authorization and Licensing (III), Aquaculture Product Conditions and Natural Resource and Environmental Protection (IV), Taxes, Inspection and Sanctions (V) and 5 Annexes including application forms for aquaculture licensing and related penalties.
Any aquaculture establishment /activity must be compliant with The Development Plans issued by the Ministry of Fisheries, either if the establishment/activity ran by licensed individuals or companies (Chapters II and III). Restrictions in terms of intensive or semi-intensive systems are applied to aquacultures dealing with shrimps and those of artisanal nature must be restricted to the extensive system (Chapter II, art . 7). Licensing fees are set and adjourned by the aforesaid Ministry with the joint approval of the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Finances. All products resulting from the above mentioned establishment/activities must comply with sanitary, quality and hygienic standards (Law 17/2001, Chapter IV, art . 20). Article 21 deals with genetic manipulation, whose use is approved pending the authorization of the Ministry of Fisheries and the notification to National Institution for Fisheries Research (INIP). As for the breeding of wild species, the Ministry for Fisheries will authorize genetic manipulation under specific conditions (Chapter IV, art . 22). Licenses for aquaculture are free of charge if conducted for research purposes. Sanctions will be ruled by the Ministry itself.