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 date1
as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official
Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
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[(a) “aquaculture input” means any material used as an input in coastal aquaculture for the
maintenance of quality of water and soil and for the growth and better health of organisms reared, or
other aquatic life available, therein and includes seed, fertilizer, feed, growth supplement, probiotic,
environment remediator and disinfectant;
(aa) “aqua mapping” means geospatial coastal area distribution maps depicting areas potential
and suitable for coastal aquaculture;
(ab) “aqua zonation” means the zones of spatial planning for different species or methods of
coastal aquaculture notified by a State Government or the Authority for sustainable coastal
aquaculture;
(ac) “Authority” means the Coastal Aquaculture Authority established under sub-section (1) of
section 4;
(ad) “biosecured facility” means a coastal aquaculture unit carrying on coastal aquaculture
activity adopting such biosecurity measures for ensuring freedom from disease causing pathogens as
may be specified in the guidelines issued for such activity;
(ae) “biosecurity” means any measure or strategy or integrated approach adopted to analyse,
manage and prevent the risk of introduction or spread of harmful organisms, including viruses and
bacteria, within the coastal aquaculture unit and to minimise the risk of transmission of infectious
diseases;
(af) “Brood Stock Multiplication Centre” means a coastal aquaculture unit carrying on such
coastal aquaculture activity which receives such post larvae or juvenile which are specific pathogen
free or specific pathogen tolerant or specific pathogen resistant or such other post larvae or juvenile
from a Nucleus Breeding Centre and rears it under strict biosecurity and close disease surveillance to
ensure freedom from disease;]
(b) “Chairperson” means the Chairperson of the Authority;
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[(c) “coastal aquaculture” or “coastal aquaculture activity” means rearing and cultivation of any
life stages of fish, including crustacean, mollusc, finfish, seaweed or any other aquatic life under
controlled conditions, either indoor or outdoor, in cement cisterns, ponds, pens, cages, rafts,
enclosures or otherwise in saline or brackish water in coastal areas, including activities such as
production of brood stock, seed, grow out, but does not include fresh water aquaculture;
1.16th December, 2005, ss. 2 to 26 (both inclusive), vide notification No. S.O. 1771(E), dated 16th December, 2005, see Gazette
of India, Extraordinary, Part II, sec. 3(ii).
2. Subs. by Act 27 of 2023, s. 2, for clause (a) (w.e.f. 12-9-2023).
3. Subs. by s. 2, ibid., for clause (c) (w.e.f. 12-9-2023).
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(ca) “coastal aquaculture unit” means any facility that is engaged in coastal aquaculture or any
allied activity connected therewith and includes Nucleus Breeding Centre, Brood Stock
Multiplication Centre, hatchery and farm;]
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[(d) “coastal area” means the area declared as the Coastal Regulation Zone in the Coastal
Regulation Zone notification issued by the Central Government under the Environment (Protection)
Act, 1986 (29 of 1986) and includes such other area as the Central Government may, by notification
in the Official Gazette, specify;
(da) “coastal environment” means the area of land and water in the coastal area, including
complete system of living organisms and physical surroundings therein;
(db) “farm” means a coastal aquaculture unit where culturing of fish, including crustacean,
mollusc, finfish, seaweed or any other aquatic life is done under controlled conditions in ponds, pens,
cages, rafts, enclosures or otherwise, in saline or brackish water in coastal areas and includes nursery
rearing, but does not include fresh water aquaculture;
(dc) “hatchery” means a coastal aquaculture unit carrying on coastal aquaculture activity of
breeding and seed production of fish, including crustacean, mollusc, finfish, seaweed or any other
aquatic life, in saline or brackish water and includes rearing of nauplii and live feed, but does not
include fresh water aquaculture;]
(e) “member” means the member of the Authority appointed under sub-section (3) of section 4
and includes the Chairperson 2***;
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[(ea) “Nucleus Breeding Centre” means a coastal aquaculture unit carrying on biosecured coastal
aquaculture activity which has an established freedom from disease causing pathogens for the purpose
of producing domesticated specific pathogen free, specific pathogen tolerant and specific pathogen
resistant stocks;
(eb) “operator” means any person or firm that is engaged in the operation of the coastal
aquaculture activity;
(ec) “owner”, in relation to any coastal aquaculture unit, includes—
(i) his legal heirs or agent; and
(ii) an operator, a mortgagee, lessee, including sub-lessee or any other person in actual
possession of such coastal aquaculture unit;
(ed) “pharmacologically active substance or antimicrobial agent” means a naturally occurring,
semi-synthetic or synthetic substance that, at in vivo concentration, exhibits antimicrobial activity of
killing or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms;]
(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.
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[(h) “specific pathogen free” or “specific pathogen resistant” or “specific pathogen tolerant”
means free of, resistant to, or tolerant to, such pathogens as may be listed by the World Organisation
for Animal Health or any other pathogen notified by the Central Government, which is specific for
candidate species used in the coastal aquaculture;
(i) “State” includes Union territory.]