In good news for the marine environment, the Agriculture Ministry announced last week that it was banning the use of drones and associated equipment for fishing.

Following an appeal by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel to outlaw remotely piloted aircraft in fishing, the Civil Aviation Authority told the Agriculture Ministry’s fishing inspectorate that the practice violated flying regulations.

Fishermen who already hold a license to fish and fly a drone for the purpose can apply to the fishing inspectorate for an exemption to the new regulations.

Drone fishing, popularized in Israel after two highly skilled fishermen posted their successful catches on social media, allows enthusiasts to cast their rods hundreds of meters out to sea, where larger creatures such as sea turtles roam.

A fishing line hundreds of meters long runs from the rod on the beach to the drone, and from the drone into the sea, with the latter section carrying the hooks and bait. The hook is cast, the fish is reeled in from the........

© The Times of Israel