Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Act 2015

This Act may be cited as the Fisheries and Aquatic

Resources (Amendment) Act, No. 2 of 2015.

Section 49 of the Fisherise and Aquatic Resources

Act, No. 2 of 1996 (hereinafter referred to as the “principal enactment”) is hereby amended by the repeal of subsection (2A) of that section and the substitution therefor of the following subsection:—

“(2A) Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with the provisions of sections 14A or 14F of this Act shall commit an offence and shall on conviction after summary trial before a Magistrate be liable to an imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to a fine not less than the amounts specified in Column II of the Schedule hereto which shall be determined by taking into consideration the length of the fishing boat specified in corresponding entry in the Column I of the Schedule:—

SCHEDULE

Column I

Column II

Length of a boat

Fines 10.3 to less than 15 meters Rupees 1.5 Million 15 to less than 24 meters

Rupees 5 Million 24 to less than 45 meters

Rupees 75 Million 45 to 75 meters

Rupees 120 Million more than 75 meters

Rupees 150 Million”

The following new section is hereby inserted immediately after section 52 and shall have effect as section 52A of the principal enactment:—

52A. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in section 11 and section 14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, No.

15 of 1979, the Magistrate’s Court shall have the jurisdiction to try offences specified in this

Act, and to impose any fine as provided for such offences in this Act.”.

In the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and Tamil texts of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.

“Magistrate’s

Court to have jurisdiction notwithstanding the provisions of the Code of

Criminal

Procedure

Act.