ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Approximately 30 people were detained in Duhok province’s Zakho district for violating a fishing ban which has been in place for months, Kurdistan Region’s forest and environmental police said on Sunday. “Today, 27 hunters were arrested at the Mosul Dam. Despite the announcement of the fishing ban, some are still continuing to fish, which is harming the fish resources of the Kurdistan Region,” Fuad Ahmed, Director of Communications for the Forest and Environmental Police, told Rudaw. Each year, fishing is prohibited in the Kurdistan Region from February until June, as this period is the spawning and egg-laying season for fish. According to Ahmed, these fishermen had caught 300 kilograms of fish at the Mosul Dam, but before they could leave. They were later arrested by the Zakho Forest and Environmental Police forces. He added that more than 70 people have been arrested in the Kurdistan Region for violating the ban since February. "The punishment varies according to the type of fish and the fishing method used. Those who use pesticides, electricity, or motors for group fishing face more severe penalties. In general, penalties for fishing during the ban period range from fines to imprisonment,” he elaborated. According to fish resource statistics from the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Agriculture, the annual fish production in the Kurdistan Region is 9,000 tons, while annual demand reaches 12,000 tons. The remaining demand is met through imports, mostly from Iran.
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