Nauru Sets Annual July–October Mullet Fishing Ban in Three Districts

Nauru has published a recurring four-month closure for mullet fishing in the coastal reef areas adjoining Baiti, Ewa and Anetan districts, under a declaration dated 5 November and gazetted on 6 November 2026.

Government Gazette No. 387 establishes a closed season running from 1 July through 31 October each year for all mullet species in the family Mugilidae. The notice prohibits taking, harvesting, catching or fishing for mullet in the designated reef areas during that period, as well as possession for commercial purposes within the terms of the declaration. It is a geographically limited rule, not a nationwide ban on all fishing.

The declaration says the measure is intended to protect mullet during spawning, replenish fish stocks and support long-term use of coastal resources. It is signed by Fisheries Minister Reagan Winson Aliklik and cites sections 8 and 24 of the Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2020.

The underlying 2020 law, independently available in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's legal repository, authorises the minister to declare closed seasons by Gazette notice and specify the species, period and area. Section 24 provides for a maximum fine of $10,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both, following conviction for a breach. These are statutory maximum penalties, not evidence that anyone has been prosecuted or fined.

Timing matters: the notice was published on 6 November, after the stated July–October period had ended for 2026, and says it takes effect on the date of Gazette publication. It also says the seasonal closure remains applicable annually unless amended, revoked or replaced. The document therefore establishes a recurring rule for future seasons, but does not itself establish any retroactive enforcement against fishing earlier in 2026.

The next reporting questions concern public notification to local fishing communities, any maps clarifying the exact reef boundaries, monitoring arrangements and whether future conservation data show the closure achieving its stated purpose. No breach, arrest, fish-stock recovery or economic effect is established by this Gazette alone.