Electrofishing Now Strictly Prohibited Under New Ordinance

Dr. Md. Rezaul Karim, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Law, confirmed the development on Tuesday, February 3.

Exercising powers granted under Article 93(1) of the Constitution, the President issued this ordinance on Monday, which comes into effect immediately. The amendment significantly broadens the definition of "water bodies" to include rivers, canals, beels, haors, and estuaries, as well as floodplains, ponds, tanks, enclosures (ghers), and even seasonally submerged wetlands.

Section 3 of the revised law clarifies that, alongside the use of poison or explosives, the use of electrofishing devices or electrical equipment for fishing is banned. Additionally, a new provision for declaring "Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures" (OECM) has been integrated to ensure the long-term protection of fish ecosystems even outside traditionally protected areas.

Under this ordinance, the government is now empowered to issue strict directives or take decisive action to prevent damage to fish ecosystems in both inland and coastal waters.