Maharashtra Fisheries Act, 1960 Complete Act - Bare Act

An Act to provide for the protection, conservation and development of fisheries in the State of Maharashtra WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for the protection, conservation and development of fisheries in the State of Maharashtra;

It is hereby enacted in the Eleventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

Statement of objects and reasons maharashtra government gazette, November 3, 1960 In the Bombay area of the Maharashtra State, the Indian Fisheries Act, 1897 (4 of 1897) is in force. In the Vidarbha regiion, there is a separate Act called the Central Provinces and Berar Fisheries Act, 1948. In the Hyderabad area, there is a separate Act called the Fisheries Act, 23 of 1356 Fasli. These Acts are similar to the Indian Fisheries Act of 1897. It is, therefore, proposed to have a unified Act for the Maharashtra State to provide for the protection, conservation and development of fisheries. The following notes on clauses explain the important provisions of this Bill, namely Clause 3: This clause prohibits destruction of fish by explosives in or by poisoning waters and makes it a punishable offence, the punishment being imprisonment upto 2 months and fine upto Rs. 200. Clause 4: This empowers Government to make rules for protection of fish in selected waters. These rules may prohibit or regulate all or any of the following matters (a) (i) the erection and use of fixed engines, (ii) the construction of weirs, dams and bunds (temporary or permanent) (iii) use of nets and conditions attached to that and, method of taking fish at one time; (b) to prohibit the use of gun, bow arrow, etc. to catch or destroy the fish; (c) to prohibit the pollution of water containing the fish, subject to the power given to local authority; (d) the season for catching or sale of fish; (e) to prohibit fishing in specified water for a specified periods. Clause

5: This clause empowers the State Government to prohibit sale or barter of fish in any specified area. Clause 6: This clause provides penalties for the offences committed under this Act. Clause 7: This clause authorises the officers to arrest the offender without warrant. Clause 8: Under this clause the District Magistrate has been empowered to compound offences committed under the Act. Clause 12: This clause authorises the recovery of dues under this Act as an arrear of land revenue. Clause 14: This clause provides for the repeal of (i) Indian Fisheries Act, 1897, (ii) the Fisheries Act 1356F, applicable to Hyderbad area and (iii) the Central Provinces and Berar Fisheries Act, 1948, applicable to the Vidarbha region with the usual savings.

(1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra Fisheries Act, 1960

(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Maharashtra.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,

(a) "Fish includes crustaceans, oysters and other shell fish;

(b) "Fishery Officer" means an officer appointed by the State Government to be the Fishery Officer for the purposes of this Act, and includes an officer appointed by that Government to exercise the powers and perform the functions of the Fishery Officer:

Provided that, no Police Officer below the rank of a Sub -Inspector shall be appointed to be Fishery Officer, or to exercise the powers and perform the functions of the Fishery Officer.

(c) "fixed engine" means any net, cage, trap or other contrivance for taking fish, fixed in the soil or made stationary in any other way;

(d) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(e) "private water" means water:

(i) which is the exclusive property of any person,

(ii) in which any person has for the time being an exclusive right of fishery whether as owner lessee or in any other capacity; but does not include any river, canal, stream, jhil or any piece of water which ordinarily has direct communication with any river, canal, stream or jhil.

Explanation:- Water shall not cease to be "private water" by reason only of the fact that a person other than the owner thereof may have by custom of a right of fishery therein;

(1) If any person,

(a) uses any dynamite or other explosive substance with intent thereby to take or destroy fish in any waters (including any territorial waters); or

(b) puts any poison, lime or noxious material in any such waters, with intent thereby to take or destroy any fish therein, he shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two months, or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees.

(2) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, suspend the operation of clause (b) of sub-section (1) in any specified area, and may, in like manner, modify or cancel any such notification.

(1) The State Government may make rules for all or any of the matters specified in sub-section (3); and may, by notification in the Official Gazette, apply all or any such rules to such waters (not being private waters), as the State Government may specify in the said notification.

(2) The State Government may, also by like notification, apply such rules, or any of them, to any private water, with the consent in writing of the owner thereof, and of all persons having for the time being any exclusive right of fishery therein.

(3) Such rules may,

(a) prohibit or regulate all or any of the following matters, that is to say -

(i) the erection and use of fixed engines,

(ii) the construction, temporary or permanent of weirs, dams and bunds.

(iii) the dimension, size of mesh, and kind of nets to be used, and the manner of using them, and the conditions (if any) under which they may be used,

(iv) the use of more than one method of taking fish at one time;

(b) prohibit the using of any gun, bow, arrow, or the like in any waters, with intent thereby to take or destroy any of the fish therein;

(c) prohibit or regulate the deposit or discharge in any waters containing fish, of any liquid or solid matter specified in the rule, detrimental to fish or the food of fish; but not so as to prejudice any powers of a local authority to discharge sewage in pursuance of any power given by or under any law for the time being in force;

(d) prescribe the seasons during which the killing or taking or sale of fish of any prescribed species, shall be prohibited;

(e) prohibit all fishing in all specified waters for a specified period.

(f) provide generally, for the better execution of this Act, and for the better protection, preservation and improvement of fisheries in the State, or any area

thereof.

(4) In making any rule under this section, the State Government may provide for-

(a) the seizure, removal and forfeiture of any fixed engine or apparatus erected or used, or nets used, in contravention of the rules, and

(b) the forfeiture of any fish taken by means of any such fixed engine or apparatus or net.

(5) Rules made under this section shall be subject to the condition of previous publication.

(6) All rules made under this section shall be laid before each House of the State Legislature as soon as may be after they are made, and shall be subject to such modifications as the State Legislature may make, during the session in which they are so laid or the session immediately following, and publish in the Official Gazette.

(1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, prohibit generally or any specified areas, the offering or exposing for sale or barter of any fish the taking of which has been made unlawful by any rule made under Section 4, such taking at any place outside the State being lawful, notwithstanding.

(2) The burden of proving that any fish offered or exposed for sale or barter is not offered or exposed for sale or barter in contravention of this section, shall be on the person offering or exposing for sale or barter such fish.

If any person contravenes any of the provisions of this Act or the rules or orders made thereunder, he shall, if no other penalty is provided for the offence, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both; and if the contravention is continued after conviction, with a further fine which may extend to fifty rupees for every day during which the contravention is continued.

(1) Any police officer not below the rank of a Sub-Inspector of Police , or any person specially empowered by the State Government in this behalf, may, without warrant, arrest any person committing in his view any offence punishable under Section 3 or Section 6, if the person declines to give his name and address, or if there is reason to doubt the accuracy of the name and address if given.

(2) A person arrested under this section may be detained until his name and address have been correctly ascertained.

Provided that no person so arrested shall be detained for any period longer than may be necessary for bringing him before a Magistrate (such period not being more than twenty four hours, exclusive of the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the Court of the Magistrate) except under an order of the Magistrate for his detention according to the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1908.

(1) No Court inferior to that of a Magistrate of the Second Class, shall try any offence under this Act.

(2) No Court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act, except on a report in writing of the facts constituting offence made by a Fishery

Officer, or a Police Officer not below the rank of Sub-Inspector, or any other person or class of persons authorized by a the State Government in this behalf.

(1) The District Magistrate may, either before or after the institution of proceedings from any offence specified in the Schedule, accept from any person charged with such offence, by way of composition thereof a sum not exceeding one hundred rupees.

(2) On payment by such person of such sum, the person, if in custody, shall be set at liberty; and if any proceedings in any Criminal Court have been instituted, against him in respect of the offence, the composition shall be deemed to amount to an acquittal, and the property, if any, seized from his possession shall be released, and no further criminal proceedings shall be taken against the person in respect of such offence.

All persons empowered to exercise powers and perform duties, by or under this Act, shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code.

No suit prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against any person or the State Government, for anything which is in good faith, done or intended to be done under this Act.

Any amount of money due to the State Government under this Act, or the rules made thereunder, shall be recovered as an arrear of land revenue.

Nothing in this Act shall apply to fishing and fisheries beyond territorial waters.

On the commencement of this Act, each of the following Acts, that is to say,-

(a) The Indian Fisheries Act, 1897 (IV of 1897) in its application to the Bombay area of the State of Maharashtra:

(b) the Fisheries Act (Hyderabad Act XXIII of 1356 Fasli), in its application to the Hyderabad area of the State of Maharashtra:

(c) the Central Provinces and Berar Fisheries Act, 1948 (C.P. and Berar Act VIII of 1948), in its application to the Vidarbha region of the State of

Maharashtra;

Provided that, on such repeal, the provisions of the Bombay General Clauses Act, 1904 shall apply in relation to the repeal of each of such Acts, as if that Act were an enactment repealed by a Maharashtra Act:

Provided further that, subject to the preceding proviso, anything done or any action taken (including any rule made, notification issued and appointment made) by or under any Act so repealed shall, in so far as it is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, be deemed to have been made or taken by or under this Act and shall continue in force until superseded by anything done or any action taken under the provisions of this Act.

In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 4 of the Maharashtra Fisheries Act, 1960 (Mah. 1 of 1961), the Government of Maharashtra hereby makes the following rules, the same having been previously published as required by sub-section (5) of the said Section 4 , namely:-

These rules may be called the Maharashtra Fisheries Rules, 1969.

Except with the previous permission in writing of the State Government or of an officer authorised in that behalf by the State Government, no person shall undertake the construction, temporary or permanent, of weirs, dams or bunds in or in the vicinity of any waters which the State Government or such authorized officer may declare to be suitable for improvement or development of fisheries in the State:

Provided that, such permission shall not be refused unless such construction is, in the opinion of the State Government or of the office authorised, likely to be detrimental to the growth of fish in such waters.

No person shall cause any net or other contrivance to be spread in the course of any flowing water (not being water in ponds, lakes or reservoirs) so as to block the passage of migrating fish.

Any contrivance or nets used, in contravention of any of these rules and any fish taken by means of such contrivance nets shall, without prejudice to the penalty provided for by Sections 6 of the Act, be liable to be forfeited to the State Government without compensation.

On the application of all or any of these rules to any waters under Section 4, the corresponding provisions of the rules made under (i) the Indian Fisheries Act, 1897 (IV of 1897) in its application to the Bombay area of the State of Maharashtra:

(ii) the Fisheries Act (Hyderabad Act XXIII of 1356 Fasli), in its application to the Hyderabad area of the State of Maharashtra:

(iii) the Central Provinces and Berar Fisheries Act, 1948 (C.P. and Berar Act VIII of 1948), in its application to the Vidarbha region of the State of Maharashtra; shall stand repealed in relation to such waters except as respect things done or omitted to be done under those rules.