YANGON (Xinhua): Myanmar will ban fishing for three months in its territorial sea between April 1 and June 30 this year, according to the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation on Thursday (March 30).
The fishing ban during the fish spawning season aims to protect aquatic organism resources as excessive fishing threatens fishery resources.
"The fishing ban rules should be adhered by. If we fish excessively in our time, fish resources can run out and fish species can go extinct. We must give time for fish spawning," U Hla Tun, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, told Xinhua.
During the fishing ban period, Myanmar will export only the marine products that are excess from domestic consumption, he said, adding that therefore, the marine products exports during the period are expected to decline.
The country earned over US$725.26 million from the exports of marine products in over 11 months of the 2022-23 fiscal year, official figures showed.
More than 3,000 offshore licensed fishing boats are operating in Myanmar waters, with over 1,000 of them in the Taninthayi region, the official said.
