To provide for certain matters relating to fisheries in Himachal Pradesh.

Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh in the Twenty Seven Year of the Republic of India as follows:

1.  Short title, extent and commencement

1. This Act may be called the Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Act, 1976.     
2. it extends to the whole of Himachal Pradesh.
3. it shall come into force at once.

2.  Definitions

In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context :-

1. ‘fish’ includes shell fish and fish in all stages of its life history including aquatic plants of fisheries;

2. ‘fishing craft’ means any boat whether manually operated or powered, used for fishing or transport of fish;

3. ‘fishing gear’ means any net line, rod and line, fishing tackle and other appliances used for catching fish;

4. ‘fishing offense’ means an offense punishable under this Act or under any rule made there under ;

5. ‘fishery officer’ means any person whom the Himachal Pradesh Government or any other officer empowered by the Himachal Pradesh Government in this behalf, may from time to time, appoint by name, or as holding an office, to carry out all or any of the purposes of this Act or to do anything required by this Act or any rule made there under ;

   provided that no police officer below the rank of Sub-Inspector shall be so empowered ;

6. ‘fixed engine’ means any net, cage, trap or other contrivance for taking fish, fixed in the soil or made stationary in any other way ;

7. ‘private waters’ means waters which are the exclusive property of any person or in which any person has for the time being an exclusive right of fishery, whether as owner, lease or in any other capacity and includes tanks, ponds, artificial lakes etc. excavated at the expense of the owner which have no communication in the rainy season with natural waters such as rivers, streams, canals and jhils ;

   Explanation – water shall not cease to be private water within the meaning of this definition by reason only that other persons may have by custom a right of fishery therein;

8. ‘State Government’ means the Government of Himachal Pradesh;

9. ‘religious waters’ means waters belonging to a religious body or institution and which have never been fished before on account of any restrictions on religious grounds,

10. ‘religious body’ means the trustees or any other persons who are incharge of a religious institution or in whom the ownership of the religious institution vest for the time being; and

11. ‘religious institutions’ means a temple, a mosque, or a church, any other shrine dedicated to any God or Goddess, and such other institutions as the State Government may by notification in the Official Gazette declare in that behalf.

3.  POWER TO MAKE RULES FOR PROHIBITION AND LICENSING OF FISHING IN SELECTED   WATERS

1. The State Government may make rules for the purposes mentioned hereinafter in this section and shall under such rules       declare the waters, not being private waters, to which all or any of them shall apply.

2. The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, apply such rules or any of them to any private waters with the consent in writing of the owner thereof and of all persons having for the time being any exclusive right of fishery therein, or if the State Government is satisfied that the consent is unreasonably with held without such consent.

      Provided that no rules under this section shall apply to the religious waters.

3. Such rules may –

1. Prohibit or regulate all or any of the following matters :

2. prohibit fishing except under license and regulate the granting of such licensed, the fees payable therefore and the conditions to be inserted therein ;

3. prohibit the destruction or attempt to destroy fish by gun spear, bow and arrow or like instrument or pollution of waters by trade effluents ;

4. prescribe seasons in which the killing or catching or sale of any fish of any prescribed species shall be prohibited ;

5. prescribe a minimum size or weight below which no fish or any prescribed species shall be caught, killed or sold ;

6. prohibit fishing in any specified water for specified period ;

7. regulate the export of fish outside any area or areas and price at which fish may be brought or sold in any specified markets of all or any specified species;

8. require the owner, mortgage with possession or lease of any tank or jhil for the stocking of such tanks or jhils with any class or classes of fish;

9. prescribe the formation of associations or societies and the collection of funds for the uplift of fishermen and promotion of fishing industry;

10. regulate the marketing of fish and also purchase and use of fish for preservation or for the manufacture of any fish products;

11. regulate the possession of fishing craft and gear within such specified limits as may appear to be necessary; and

12. regulate the transport of all fish or of certain species of fish or fish products within specified limits as may appear to be necessary.

4. In making any rule under this section the State Government may provide for :-

1. seizure, removal and forfeiture of any apparatus erected or used for fishing in contravention of the rules,

2. forfeiture of any fish taken by means of any such apparatus, and

3. confiscation of any consignment of fish held or transported in contravention of the rules.

5. The power to make rules under this section shall be subject to the condition of the rules made after previous publication.

6. Every rule under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before the Legislative assembly while it is in session for a total period of not less than fourteen days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session in which it is so laid or the sessions immediately following the Assembly makes any modification in rule or decides that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be so however, that any such modification or annulment shall be prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

4.  POWER TO PROHIBIT SALE OF FISH

The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, prohibit in such area or areas as may be specified in that behalf the offering or exposing for sale or barter of any fish killed in contravention of nay rule made under sub-section (3) of section 3 of this Act.

5.  PENALTIES

The breach of any rule made under section 3 or fo any prohibition notified under section 4 shall be punishable :-

1. on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both; and

2. on every subsequent conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.

6.  PUNISHMENT FOR DESTRUCTION OF FISH BY EXPLOSIVES

1. If any person uses any dynamite or other explosive substances in any water with intent thereby to catch or destroy any fish, that may be therein, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to * three years or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both.

2. Whoever, having already been convicted of an offense under sub-section (1) is again convicted thereunder, shall, on every subsequent conviction, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine which may extend to ** five thousand rupees.

7.  PUNISHMENT FOR DESTRUCTION OF FISH BY POISONING WATER

If any person puts any poison, **** bleaching powder, lime or noxious material into any water with intent thereby to catch or destroy any fish, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.

• * 7-B Punishment for killing or catching fish during prohibited season. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in section 5 of this Act, if a person kills or catches fish with a net during the season, in which killing or catching of fish is prohibited under any rule framed under clause (d) of sub-section (3) of section 3 shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine which may extend to three thousand rupees of with both.

• ** 7-C Offenses to be cognizable and non-bailable. Notwithstanding anything contained in the code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, all offenses under section 6, 7, & A, 7B of this Act shall be cognizable and non-bailable offenses.

8.  ARREST WITHOUT WARRANT FOR OFFENSE UNDER THIS ACT

1. Any fisheries officer, police officer not below the rank of the Sub-Inspector, or any other person specially empowered by the State Government in this behalf, may arrest without any warrant any person committing or attempting to commit, in this view a fishing offense:

1. if the name and address of the person are not known to him, and

2. 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 longer than it may be necessary for bringing him before a Magistrate, except under the order of a Magistrate for his detention.

3. Every fishery officer shall have the same powers of search and investigation relating to a fishing offense as a police officer of the rank of the Sub-Inspector has under the Code of Criminal Procedure,1973.

9.  COGNIZANCE OF OFFENSES

No court shall take cognizance of any offense under this Act, except the complaint of a fishery officer or of a police officer not bellow the rank of the Sub-Inspector or any other person or class of person authorised by the State Government in this behalf.

10. POWER TO COMPOUND CERTAIN OFFENSES

1. The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, empower a fishery officer by name or by virtue of office:-

   1. to accept from any person concerning whom evidence exists, which if unrebutted, would prove that he has committed any fishing offense as described in the first column of the schedule, a sum of money by way of compensation for the offense with regard to which such evidence exists and on the payment of such sum to such officer, such person, if in custody, shall be released and no further proceedings shall be taken against him;

   2. to release any property that has been sized as liable to consideration without further payment or on payment of the value thereof as estimated by such officer and no the payment of such value such property shall be released and no further proceedings shall be taken in respect thereof.

2. A sum of money accepted as compensation under clause (a) of sub-section (1) shall in no case exceed the amount acceptable as compensation in the second column of the schedule for the particular offense descried in the first column thereof.

11. PUBLIC SERVANTS INDEMNIFIED FOR ACTS DONE UNDER THIS ACT, 45 OF 1860

1. All persons empowered to exercise powers and perform duties under this Act or rules made thereunder shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of section 21 of Indian Penal Code,1860.

2. No suit or other legal proceedings shall lie in respect of the exercise of any powers or discretion conferred by this Act, or against any public servant or person duly appointed or authorised under this Act, in respect of anything in good faith done or purporting to be done under the provisions thereof or the rules made thereunder.

12. REPEAL AND SAVINGS

2 of 1914: The Punjab Fisheries Act 1914 as in force in the areas comprised in Himachal Pradesh immediately before the 1^st November,1966 added to Himachal Pradesh under section 5

31 of 1996: of the Punjab Re-organization Act, 1966, is hereby repealed:

provided that:

1. any thing done or action taken or proceeding commenced or contained under the repealed Act shall be deemed to have been done, take commenced as continued under the corresponding provisions of this Act;

2. any appointment, order, regulation or notification made, issued or given under the provisions of the repealed Act, shall in so far as it is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, be deemed to have been made, issued or given under the provisions of this Act, unless and until superseded by any appointment, order, regulation or notification made, issued or given under this Act.

* " The Schedule"
(See Section 10)

MAXIMUM AMOUNT ACCEPTABLE AS COMPENSATION FOR CERTAIN FISHING OFFENSES UNDER SECTION 10

  Authoritative English Text of Notification No.-------------------- ---------------dated--------------------- as required under Article 348 (3) of Constitution of India.

                                    Government of Himachal Pradesh

                                                Fisheries Department. 

                                                “NOTIFICATION’

                        In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Act 1976 (Act No. 16 of 1976), the Governor of Himachal Pradesh proposes to make the following rules further to amend the Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Rules, 1979 notified vide Govt. Notification No. Fish. A (3)-1/77, dated 15.11.1979 and published in the Rajpatra, Himachal Pradesh (Extra Ordinary) dated the 16th February, 1980 and the said proposed rules are hereby published in the Rajpatra, Himachal Pradesh (Extra Ordinary) for the general information of the public and for inviting public objections or suggestions in relation to these rules within 30 days of their publication in the Rajpatra.

                         If any person likely to be affected by these rules has any objection or suggestion to make in relation to these rules, he can send the same to the Director-cum- Warden of Fisheries, Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur-174001 within the above stipulated period. 

                        The objections or suggestions, if any, received within the above stipulated period shall be taken into consideration by the Government before finalizing the said rules, namely: -  

DRAFT RULES 

 BY ORDER

Secretary (Fisheries) to the

Government of Himachal Pradesh.