Decree No. 34/2026 establishing General Regulations on Fishing Activities.

This Decree establishes a comprehensive legal framework for the sustainable management, conservation, and exploitation of fisheries resources in São Tomé and Príncipe. Adopted to implement the Fisheries and Aquaculture Law, the regulation seeks to ensure that fishing activities are conducted according to the precautionary principle and an ecosystem-based approach, while promoting effective monitoring, control, and surveillance. It regulates access to fisheries, licensing and authorization systems, fisheries management plans, scientific research, and compliance with international obligations, including measures to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The decree also deals extensively with artisanal fishing and dedicates an entire chapter (Chapter VI – Pesca Artesanal) to its regulation and aims to support food security, improve livelihoods in fishing communities, and strengthen regional and international cooperation in the management of marine resources. A further objective of the regulation is to protect marine biodiversity and ensure the long-term sustainability of fisheries through conservation and environmental protection measures. The decree establishes restrictions on fishing methods and gear, protects endangered and threatened marine species, regulates closed seasons and protected areas, promotes habitat restoration and scientific monitoring, and introduces measures to prevent marine pollution. It also creates detailed requirements for vessel registration, catch reporting, port inspections, vessel monitoring systems, and enforcement procedures, complemented by a graduated system of fisheries offences and sanctions.