(1) All functions, duties and responsibilities under this Act shall be exercised in a manner consistent with the following principles - (j) fishing and rclated activities shall minimise- (i) wastes, bycatch, discards, regulatory discards, economic discards and catch by lost or abandoned gear;

(3) Any Order in subsection (2) may wholly or partially prohibit: (c) a person from having in his or her possession or charge fishing gear or equipment, including fish aggregating devices and associated electronic equipment, of a specified kind, size or quantity;

(2) Subect to any Provincial Ordinance, no person shall, for the purpose of killing, taking, stunning, stupefying or disabling fish or in any way rendering fish more easily caught - (a) usc, permit to be used or attempt to usc; (b) carry, permit to be carried, possess or control; or (c) place in the water or assist in placing in the water, any chemical, poison or noxious substance, bomb, electrical device, or material (whether of manufactured or of natural origin), dynamite or explosive substance or device.

(2) The holder of a license issued under this act shall (a) comply with the terms and conditions of the license; (b) comply with this Act, the laws of Solomon Islands, any applicable Access Agreement, and any applicable international conservation and management measure.

8. Shark finning (i) any shark of any species

(1) This regulation applies to: (a) any person carrying out commercial fishing within the exclusive economic zone of Solomon Islands; or (b) any person who uses a Solomon Islands fishing vessel for commercial fishing in areas beyond national jurisdiction. (2) A person commits an offense who: (a) engages in commercial fishing of sharks; (b) engages in shark finning; (c) possesses, stores, tranships or lands, or attempts to tranship, land, buy or sell any shark fin (including the tail) that is not naturally attached to the whole corresponding carcass; (d) possesses, uses or causes to be used a trace wire or J hook for the purpose of fishing. Maximum penalty: 500,000 penalty units or 6 months imprisonment, or both. (3) The operator of a fishing vessel must release or cause to be released any species of shark that is accidentally caught, , as soon as possible after the shark is brought alongside the vessel, and to do so in a manner that results in as little harm to the shark as possible. (4) An operator of a fishing vessel who contravenes sub-regulation (3) commits an offense. (5) In this regulation: “carcass” means all parts of the shark except for the head and viscera; and “shark finning” means the: (a) taking of a shark; (b) removing its fin or fins (whether or not including the tail); and (c) returning the remainder of the shark to the sea.

(1) A person commits an offense who: (a) retains; (b) tranships; (c) stores on a fishing vessel or on land; (d) sells or exposes for sale; or (e) buys or exports in whole or in part, any protected species of shark. (2) In this regulation, a “protected species of shark” means any shark of the following species: (a) silky (Carcharhinus falciformis); (b) oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus); (c) whale shark (Rhincodon typus); Maximum penalty: 500,000 penalty units or 6 months imprisonment, or both.

(1) Despite regulation 22(1): (a) if a silky shark is caught accidentally within the fisheries waters, the operator of the fishing vessel must release the silky shark as soon as possible after the shark is brought alongside the vessel, and to do so in a manner that results in as little harm to the shark as possible; and (b) if a whale shark is encircled accidentally in a purse seine net of a fishing vessel, the master of the fishing vessel must: (i) ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure its safe release without jeopardizing the safety of the crew; and (ii) report the incident to the relevant authority of the flag state and of the Government of Solomon Islands. (2) A report under sub-regulation (1)(b)(ii) must include: (a) the number of individual whale sharks encircled; (b) details of how and why the encirclement happened; (c) where the encirclement occurred; (d) steps taken to ensure safe release; and (e) an assessment of the life status of the whale shark on release, including whether the animal was released alive but subsequently died.

(1) The permission of the Director required under section 30 of the Act must be in writing and may be in electronic format. (2) The permission of the Director to place a fish aggregating device does not confer any exclusive right to fish in the vicinity of the device.

(1) A master of a fishing vessel used to place a fish aggregating device in fisheries waters must notify the Director within 24 hours of such placement and of the nature and location of the device. (2) A master of any fishing vessel under sub-regulation (1) who fails to notify the Director within 24 hours of placing a fish aggregating device in fisheries waters commits an offense.

(1) Each fish aggregating device deployed in the fisheries waters by a fishing vessel or by a Solomon Islands fishing vessel in areas beyond national jurisdiction must be: (a) clearly marked with the name of the owner and of the vessel from which the device was placed; (b) equipped with a radar reflector with lights that must be clearly visible at night from a distance of one nautical mile; (c) placed so that it is not in the path of any navigational shipping routes; and (d) marked or have such other equipment as the Director may require.

A person commits an offense if the person disposes of a fish aggregating device in a manner other than in accordance with the Act or as required by the Director.

A master, operator or crew of all fishing vessels except for bunker and carrier vessels must: (a) take all reasonable steps to avoid catching and to minimise the bycatches of turtles, sharks, seabirds and marine mammals; (b) release those caught in a manner that results in as little harm to the animal and mammals as possible and which provides the greatest chance of survival; and (c) record all incidents involving turtles, sharks, seabirds, and marine mammals during fishing operations and report such incidents to the Director.

A master of a fishing vessel must: (a) retain all catches on board except fish unfit for human consumption and where there is insufficient well space to accommodate all catch in the last set; (b) dispose of bycatches and discards in such a manner as the Director may determine; and (c) as required report the disposal of any discards in the appropriate form.

A master or crew of a fishing vessel must: (a) not deliberately dump or discard any gear or part thereof, except in cases of force majeure or in circumstances involving the safety of a vessel; and (b) ensure that reasonable effort is made to recover any lost or discarded gear.