Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005
No: 24 Dated: Jun, 23 2005
Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005
(Act No 23 of 2005)
Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Act, 2023
An Act to provide for the establishment of a Coastal Aquaculture Authority for regulating the activities connected with coastal aquaculture in the coastal areas and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Fifty-sixth Year of the Republic of India as follows:-
CHAPTER I
Preliminary
1. Short title and commencement.-(1) This Act may be called the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005.
(2) Provisions of section 27 shall come into force at once and the remaining provisions of this Act shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.-(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a)"Authority" means the Coastal Aquaculture Authority established under sub-section (1) of section 4;
(b) "Chairperson" means the Chairperson of the Authority;
(c) "coastal aquaculture" means culturing, under controlled conditions in ponds, pens, enclosures or otherwise, in coastal areas, of shrimp, prawn, fish or any other aquatic life in saline or brackish water; but does not include fresh water aquaculture;
(d) "coastal area" means the area declared as the Coastal Regulation Zone, for the time being, in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (Department of Environment, Forests and Wildlife) No. S.O. 114(E), dated the 19th February, 1991 and includes such other area as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify;
(e) "member" means the member of the Authority appointed under sub-section (3) of section 4 and includes the Chairperson and the member-secretary;
(f) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(g) "regulations" means the regulations made by the Authority under this Act.
(2) Words and expressions used herein and not defined but defined in the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986) shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in that Act.
CHAPTER II
General Powers Of Central Government
3. Powers of Central Government to take measures to protect environment.-The Central Government shall take all such measures as it deems necessary or expedient for regulation of coastal aquaculture by prescribing guidelines, to ensure that coastal aquaculture does not cause any detriment to the coastal environment and the concept of responsible coastal aquaculture contained in such guidelines shall be followed in regulating the coastal aquaculture activities to protect the livelihood of various sections of the people living in the coastal areas.
CHAPTER III
The Coastal Aquaculture Authority
4. Establishment of Authority and appointment of Chairperson and members.-(1) With effect from such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint in this behalf, there shall be established for the purposes of this Act an Authority to be called the Coastal Aquaculture Authority.
(2) The head office of the Authority shall be at such place as the Central Government may decide.
(3) The Authority shall consist of the following members who shall be appointed by the Central Government, namely:-
(a) the Chairperson who is, or has been, a Judge of a High Court;
(b) one member who is an expert in the field of coastal aquaculture;
(c) one member who is an expert in the field of coastal ecology nominated by the Department of Ocean Development of the Central Government;
(d) one member who is an expert in the field of environment protection or pollution control nominated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Central Government;
(e) one member to represent the Ministry of Agriculture of the Central Government;
(f) one member to represent the Ministry of Commerce of the Central Government;
(g) four members to represent the coastal States on rotation basis;
(h) one member-secretary.
(4) The term of office of the Chairperson and every other member shall be three years.
(5) The salaries and allowances payable to, and the other terms and conditions of service of, the members shall be such as may be prescribed.