TEHRAN – Two illegal trawling vessels carrying 1,500 kilograms of aquatic species have been seized at Jask port, southern Hormozgan province.

Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. Trawling can be divided into bottom trawling and midwater trawling, depending on how high the trawl (net) is in the water column.

The border guards of Jask port naval base identified two trawlers and immediately seized the vessels and arrested the violators, said Ali Salehi, chief justice of Hormozgan province.

During the inspection of these vessels, the border guards discovered 1,500 kilograms of smuggled fish and an illegal trawl net, he added, IRIB reported.

The Department of Environment (DOE) has banned any trawling in the Persian Gulf in August.

However, after a while, the DOE in cooperation with the Fisheries Organization has developed the guidelines for trawling in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman; claiming that in some cases trawling is inevitable, like shrimp fishing which cannot be done in other ways, so we have to carry out trawling in certain ways trying to cause the least damage to the marine ecosystem.

The instructions for trawling in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman specify which vessels can trawl in what area and at what time, he explained.

If a vessel trawls outside the specified time and place, it will be stopped by the order of the judicial authority, he said, noting that several online monitoring systems will be installed on the trawling vessels to be monitored continuously.

If these systems are turned off, heavy penalties for the vessel will be considered, such as revocation of the license, but in addition to this, fishermen training is very important which is on the agenda, he stated.

Trawling, which has been widely criticized for its use, causes damage to the seabed and coral reefs. It is estimated that each time the trawl net is pulled, about 5 to 25 percent of the seabed living environment is lost. Recently, the Fisheries Organization announced that about 134 trawlers are active in the country.

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