Jammu and Kashmir State Fisheries Act, 2018 (Act No. XVI of 2018).

This Act, consisting of 30 Sections divided into six Chapters, establishes the Jammu and Kashmir State Fisheries Act. It specifies terms and conditions to perform fishing activities and to carry out measures to protection fishing areas within the waters under the State jurisdiction. The Government may declare the localities which shall be treated as sanctuaries, trout waters, reserved waters and protected waters. For declaring the waters as sanctuaries, trout waters, reserved waters and protected waters, the Government shall take into consideration the following factors, namely: a) the need to protect the interests of different sections of persons engaged in fishing, particularly those engaged in fishing using traditional fishing craft; b) the need to conserve fish and to regulate fishing on scientific basis; c) the need to maintain law and order in the area; d) any other area that may be prescribed. An absolute prohibition against fishing in sanctuaries is established.
The Government may regulate, restrict or prohibit in any of these waters and habitat therein: a) the catching of such species of fish and for such period, as may be specified, in the notification; b) the fishing by class of fishing vessels and period; c) the use of fishing gears specified in the notification; d) the collection of biological specimen; e) the number of fishing vessels/small boats which may be used for fishing; and f) the extraction of bed material including sand, bajri and boulders. No person shall carry out fishing activity in any of these waters without a licence granted under section 10. The Act is divided as follows: Preliminary (Chap. I); Protection of Fish (Chap. II); Regulation of Fishing in specified area (Chap. III); Appeal and Revision (Chap. IV); Offences and Penalties (Chap. V); and Miscellaneous (Chap. VI).