ABU DHABI — Fishermen and traders in Abu Dhabi can once again cast their nets for Badah, but authorities are making one thing clear: this isn’t a permanent green light.
Under directives from Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative of the Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), the emirate has moved to overhaul its fishing rulebook for 2026 through two new ministerial decisions issued by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
The first — Ministerial Decision No. 74 — strikes down an older ruling that had restricted the fishing and selling of certain fish species during their breeding season, clearing the path for a more current regulatory framework. The second, Decision No. 75, carves out a time-bound exception specifically for the Longtail Silver Biddy — known locally as Badah — allowing its fishing and sale within Abu Dhabi waters through the end of this year.
The moves carry significant weight, given Abu Dhabi’s long and complicated history with Badah regulation. The species has been a contentious one for decades. Seasonal bans have been in place in various forms since at least the late 1990s, typically kicking in during the April-to-June breeding window to allow stocks to recover. The restrictions were rooted in concerns over overfishing, with authorities banning both the catching and selling of Badah during those months to protect its reproductive cycle.
The rules haven’t always been followed. As recently as May 2025, the EAD issued violations against eight retail outlets caught displaying and selling Badah during a period when fishing and trading of the species was prohibited — a move the agency described as a clear breach of environmental regulations designed to protect marine resources and preserve ecological balance.
Yet the data, it seems, has been moving in the right direction. The percentage of mature Badah stock increased from 40% in 2015 to 62.5% in 2021, a trend that appears to have continued and which underpins the current decision. EAD confirmed the new measures are grounded in improved fish stock indicators supported by scientific data and field studies — the same evidence base that drove a similar, short-term lifting of the Badah ban back in 2020 and again in 2021.
This time, the exception runs through all of 2026. But the EAD was careful to frame Decision No. 75 as precisely that — an exception, not a policy shift. The agency said the measure is subject to ongoing review based on scientific monitoring results, and that long-term sustainability of stocks remains the non-negotiable goal. Beyond the ecological dimension, officials noted the decisions are also intended to ease pressure on fishermen, support livelihoods in the sector, and improve the availability of fish in local markets — particularly relevant given the broader national focus on food security.
As Abu Dhabi’s regulatory authority for marine resources, the EAD said it would continue enforcing compliance with all fishing and selling rules and called on fishermen, traders, and all stakeholders to cooperate with authorities to protect the emirate’s fisheries for future generations.
The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi was established in 1996 and oversees the protection of air quality, groundwater, and the biodiversity of the emirate’s desert and marine ecosystems.