Kurdistan Region lifts fishing ban as season resumes Tuesday

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Agriculture announced on the end of the fishing ban across the Kurdistan Region and said fishing activities will resume starting Tuesday.

According to a ministry statement, the decision follows the completion of the seasonal fishing ban period that had been imposed to protect fish stocks. The General Directorate of Animal Resources and Veterinary Affairs approved lifting the ban and restoring the normal fishing season.

The ministry said fishing may resume under several conditions. The use of electricity, poisonous substances, explosives, and fine-mesh nets remains prohibited at all times because such methods can cause the mass destruction of aquatic life.

The ministry said all relevant offices and institutions have been notified to implement the decision and take legal and administrative measures against violations.

The Ministry of Agriculture has not published official figures on violations recorded during the three-month fishing ban. However, Sulaymaniyah Forest and Environment Police reported that 65 violators were arrested and 531 fishing nets were confiscated during that period.

The police also said hundreds of live fish caught by fishermen were returned to lakes and rivers.