The Ivorian government adopted on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in Abidjan a decree establishing mandatory biological rest periods in marine, lagoon, and lake fisheries. During these closures, all fishing operations will be prohibited in the affected waters for vessels, boats, and individuals.
The text aims to protect fish species and to allow the natural replenishment of stocks away from fishing efforts. It covers both maritime waters and inland waters, thereby extending the same closure principle to the relevant lagoons and lakes.
The decree was issued in application of the law of July 26, 2016, relating to fishing and aquaculture. The communiqué from the Council of Ministers specifies that it also responds to Côte d’Ivoire’s international commitments regarding the sustainable conservation of fishery resources.
The measure is part of a practice already applied in 2026 according to a schedule differentiated by type of fishing. The Interprofessional Organization of the fishing sector in Côte d’Ivoire indicates that industrial trawl and sardine fishing was suspended from July 1 to August 31, while artisanal maritime fishing was halted from July 1 to July 31.
In the Aby, Ébrié, Grand-Lahou, Fresco, Ébounou, and Lauzoua lagoons, as well as in the Ayamé and Faé lakes, the use of gillnets and traps has been prohibited from July 1 to August 31. The ban on the Aly net must continue until October 31.
On the lakes of Kossou, Buyo, Soubré, and Taabo, as well as in the adjacent waterways, gill nets and fish traps remain prohibited from September 1 to October 31. The Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources had announced the resumption of artisanal maritime fishing on August 1 after a one-month closure, while maintaining the other calendar restrictions.
During a visit to Taabo in September, Minister Sidi Tiémoko Touré called on fishermen to respect the rest periods and authorized equipment. Representatives of fishermen then reported the return of certain species and an increase in catches after the closures, according to the Ivorian Press Agency.
