Law “On fisheries and conservation of aquatic biological resources”.

This Law establishes the legal, economic and organizational framework governing fisheries and the conservation of aquatic biological resources in Turkmenistan. It defines the principal concepts applicable to fisheries management and conservation, establishes the scope of application of the legislation, and sets out the fundamental principles governing the use, protection, reproduction and monitoring of aquatic biological resources and their habitats. The Law also determines the responsibilities of the Cabinet of Ministers, the competent fisheries authority, the authority responsible for the protection of aquatic biological resources and local executive authorities.
The Law regulates measures for the conservation of aquatic biological resources and the protection of their habitats, including requirements relating to activities that may affect water bodies of fishery importance, protection against pollution and degradation, artificial reproduction and acclimatization of aquatic biological resources, fish protection zones and fishery reserve zones, and fisheries examinations of projects and activities capable of affecting aquatic ecosystems. It further provides for State fisheries monitoring and the maintenance of a fisheries cadastre, as well as economic mechanisms relating to the protection and rational use of aquatic biological resources, including payments for their use and incentive measures for conservation and reproduction activities.
The document provides that aquatic biological resources are the exclusive property of the State and regulates rights and obligations of users of such resources. It establishes different forms of fisheries, including commercial, coastal, scientific, educational, aquaculture-related, recreational and sport fisheries. The Law regulates fishing areas, total allowable catches, fishing quotas, restrictions on fishing activities, protection of rare and endangered species, and measures against illegal fishing and unlawful harvesting of aquatic biological resources.
The Law further establishes the legal framework governing permits for the extraction of aquatic biological resources and agreements for the use of fishing areas, including conditions applicable to their allocation and use. It also sets out provisions concerning liability for violations, compensation for damage caused to aquatic biological resources, and the judicial settlement of disputes arising in the field of fisheries and conservation of aquatic biological resources.