In Suriname, hunting and fishing activities are respectively regulated in the Game legislation and the Fisheries legislation. They respectively provide for definitions of hunting and fishing, where the first corresponds to the capture or killing of wild animals and any attempt to do so, as well as tracking down and driving up such, with the apparent aim to get hold of or kill it. Accordingly, anyone who is found in possession of hunting equipment and/or newly caught or killed wildlife species, as well as fresh body parts or eggs is assumed to be on a hunt. The same applies to anyone found in possession of parts or products of wildlife species that have presumably been preserved since the time the person left his main residence. Fishing is defined as the capture or killing of fish, and making an attempt to do so, in, on or near water, which is not located within a yard and closed off. It is worth mentioning that the regulations on both wildlife and fisheries do not classify fishing/hunting activities according to the purpose (subsistence, commercial, sports, recreational). 

The law does not define the term "subsistence hunting", yet this is referred to in the explanatory memorandum of both hunting and forestry legislation. Indeed, the explanatory memorandum states that due to the protein supply and the low population density in the remote interior, hunting for game and cage animals in the southern zone is open during the whole year, with no limitations on the amounts. The Forest Management Act provides for the designation of communal forest for the benefit of forest dwellers living in villages and living in tribal groups. These forests serve the purpose of providing for their own need for food and wood products, as well as possible commercial timber use, collection of forest by-products and development for agricultural purposes. In the fishing legislation, it is stated that no license (vergunning) is required for fishing with a handline or a rod. This is probably due to the fact that fishing activities with a rod or handline are for subsistence purposes.
 
According to the Surinamese Hunting and Fishing legislation, the authorization given to hunters and fishers confers both a status and the right to exercise it by the holder. While both hunting and fishing activities require a license from the government authorities, fishing activities with a handline or a rod are exempted from a license. Also, the holding of firearms requires a written authorization that is valid for maximum one year. While this is necessarily a pre-step for conducting hunting activities with the use of firearms, it is not included in the Game Act or Game State Order. Provisions regarding the authority to possess a firearm are provided in the Firearms Act. The authorization regards both the status and use of the firearm by the holder. A firearms license is requested in writing from and granted by the Attorney General. Each application for a firearms license is accompanied by the payment of a fee of SRD 100,- (one hundred Surinamese Dollars). A firearms license is only valid for one firearm, which is specified therein and described as precisely as possible.

Both the Hunting and Fishing legislation provides for a license (vergunning) system. In the Game Act, 2 types of licenses are addressed, namely a hunting license and a special license. A “hunting license (jachtacte)” is required for the lawful hunt of “game species” or the use nets for birds belonging to the “cage species”. In addition, under certain conditions, a license can also be granted to capture, kill or collect protected species for a useful purpose. The law does not define “useful purpose”, which may lead to different interpretations. 
A “special license” is granted for scientific, educational or other useful purposes, under certain conditions, for a specified period of time, and for a specified area to kill or collect, to hunt animal species belonging to "game" and "cage species", or to collect eggs or nests of birds, belonging to these categories. With regard to the animals and/or objects thus obtained, the “special” license holder will be allowed to keep, transport or export them. By law, a hunting license (jachtacte) is required prior to being entitled to perform any type of hunting activity, the only exception is when it regards hunting predominantly harmful species for which a hunting license (jachtacte) isn’t required. 

In order to obtain a hunting license (jachtacte), the Game State Order requires the applicant to get a health certificate as well as a certificate indicating the successful completion of a test (hunter’s test). This latter is determined by the Director of the Ministry responsible for forest management or the Head of the Suriname Forest Service as his designated replacement, after consultation with the Nature Conservation Commission. As for the special license, the Game State Order indicates that the holding of a hunting license (jachtacte) also is a precondition for applying for a special license (art.5(2)). However, this provision contradicts Article 9 of the Game Act where a special license can be granted without a prior license. Since the State Order is contrary to the Game Act, in this case the conflict regulation applies lex superior derogate legi inferiori.

While the Game Act provides for the constituting elements for a hunting license ( jachtacte ) and special license, an application procedure and a fee of 25,000 guilders for the hunting license (jactacte), the Fish Stock Protection Act only refers to the license fees for the various types of licenses but does not clarify the procedure for obtaining it. It should be noted that for neither licenses (vergunning) it is required that the applicant must be a member of an association.
The Fish Stock Protection Act distinguishes among five different types of fishing licenses with their fees, in Surinamese guilders: 
(a) for trap and line fishing in river mouths: f 25,-
(b) for seine fishing in rivers: f 25,-
(c) for gillnet fishing in pans and swaths f 25,-
(d) for pair trawling from the riverbank: f 15,-
(e) for sport fishing (sports fishing subject to a license) and others: f 15,-
 
With regards to the validity period of the different licenses only the Game Act provides for it. Although the Fish Stock Protection Act remains silent about this aspect.

Rules in the field of issuance, suspension and termination of a license are only regulated in the Game Act. Indeed, the Fish Stock Protection Act does regulate criminal sanctions for violations of the law, but the law does not provide for administrative measures such as suspension and termination. Any transfer of a license is not regulated in either law.

Hunting and fishing areas are generally limited by law, but hunting can be granted through special licenses including in nature reserves. The hunting legislation explicitly restricts tools and methods that may be used. However, it provides the possibility of the usage of nets or artificial light in case a special license has been granted by the Director of the Ministry responsible for forest management; or the Head of the Suriname Forest Service as his designated replacement. The Fish Stock Protection Act prohibits fishing other than with a rod or handline, unless with a license. 

The law does explicitly provide for "subsistence hunting", yet this is referred to in the explanatory memorandum of both hunting and forestry legislation. However, a hunting license to perform subsistence hunting is not defined in neither laws. In the fishing legislation, no license is required for fishing with a handline or a rod since those are meant for subsistence purposes.
Both the hunting and fishing legislation provides for sanctions in case of violation. These range from fines, imprisonment or administrative sanctions such as withdrawal of the license and confiscation. Hunting without a license (jachtacte) is considered a criminal offense and punishable by imprisonment of no more than 3 months or a fine of no more than ten thousand guilders. Also, for a period of 6 months, commencing on the day on which the sentence becomes final, the convicted person will not have the power to hunt and the convicted person's hunting license will be revoked. Pursuant to the Fish Protection Act fishing with a rod or handline within the inland waters of Suriname does not require a license. However, the usage of other methods does require a license. The sentence for contravening this provision is imprisonment of not more than one month or a fine of not more than one hundred guilders.
 

The Game Act 1954 lists wild animals into four categories provided in Annex 1 “protected species”, in Annex 2 “game species”, in Annex 3 “cage animal species” and in Annex 4 “predominantly harmful species” of the Game State Order 2002. The game species list is specifically for hunting, and the list of cage animal species is specific to capture. Both lists include mammals, birds and reptiles. There are hunting seasons and bag limits per animal species for each category.

Hunting, capturing or collecting a protected species is prohibited; licences are only issued in the case where the Authority (Suriname Forest Service (SFS) deems it useful to do so. Hunting species that belong to the category of predominantly harmful species are allowed to be hunted all year round in residential and agricultural areas. No licence is required, and there is no bag limit for this category.

The Fish Stock Protection Act provides for the option of listing fish species to be protected. There is currently only a listing that is bound to size limits of fish species specified in the Fish Stock Protection State Order. In addition, the State Order on Fish Inspection states that it is prohibited to trade fish products that are endangered species on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (CITES) list. The definition of fish products in the Fish Inspection Act includes all sea, brackish water or seawater animals or parts thereof, spawn, with the exception of mammals living in water, frogs and animals that are specifically regulated.

The Game Act 1954 provides for both the scientific and the local name of listed species, while only the local names are included for the fish species listed in the Fish Stock Protection Act. Neither the Game Act 1954 nor the Fish Stock Protection Act provide a list of animals for a specific type of hunting or fishing.

Based on the Game Act 1954, the aforementioned categories are listed by the Government after consulting the Nature Conservation Commission. However, the Commission has been inactive for many years. In addition, the legislation does not provide mechanisms for dissemination and awareness-raising. The current list consists of species from the CITES and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN Red List), but there is no full compliance to either of them. Hunting protected species is considered a criminal offence and punishable by a maximum of three months of imprisonment or a fine of no more than 10 000 guilders. The trading of fish products that are endangered species on the CITES list is a violation of the Fish Inspection Act (Art. 20) and is punishable by a maximum of three years of imprisonment or a maximum fine of six million guilders. Violation of the Fish Stock Protection Act is punishable by a maximum of one month of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 100 guilders.

Restrictions on hunting in a certain area are included in the Game Act 1954, the Game State Order 2002 and the Nature Conservation Act 1954. According to the Game Act 1954 and the Game State Order 2002, hunting is permitted on public land and water. Hunting on private property is regulated by Article 12 (2) of the Game Act 1954, and it is only permitted with written permission from the owner. Hunting within built-up areas and within a radius of 200 metres from houses and buildings is also prohibited. 
It is also forbidden to hunt in nature reserves; however, a lift on these restrictions can be made. For nature reserves, in particular, a special licence can be granted by the Head of the Suriname Forest Service (SFS) to hunt and fish for scientific, educational, cultural or other purposes. 
In addition, the Game Act 1954 indicates that on behalf of the Director of the Ministry responsible for forest management; or the Head of the Suriname Forest Service as his or her designated replacement, a special licence can also be granted for scientific, educational or other useful purposes, under certain conditions determined by the Head, to execute, for a specified period of time and for a specified area, the killing or collecting of animal species.
Catch areas are also not regulated by law, but the special licence of animal exporters includes a catch area and the percentage that they are allowed to catch per catch area. Although the law does not provide for monitoring measures or the participation of stakeholders in monitoring, in practice the Government monitors the quota of animal exports. 

The law does not explicitly prescribe who is allowed to practise subsistence hunting in a given area. However, the lifting of hunting restrictions for game and cage animal species (i.e. hunting seasons and bag limits) in the Southern Zone allows the local communities to practise subsistence hunting in the remote interior, which is stated in the Explanatory Memorandum of the Game State Order 2002.

According to Article 23 of the Game Act 1954, areas to which the Act will apply in whole or in part will be designated by State Order. Therefore, Suriname is divided into a Northern Zone for which closed seasons and bag limits apply and a Southern Zone for which limitations do not apply, with the exception of the species for which a closed season applies throughout the year. The rationale, as explained in the Game State Order’s Explanatory Memorandum, is that people in the Southern Zone need wild meat for subsistence. In the Northern Zone, this is much less the case; no one is allowed to hunt animal species for which hunting is forbidden throughout the year. 

The Game State Order 2002 sets bag limits that are allowed per game and cage animal species. Hunting species that belong to the category ‘predominantly harmful species’ are allowed all year round in residential and agricultural areas. No licence is required, and there is no bag limit. It is stipulated in the law that when quotas applicable to hunting are established, advice is provided by the Nature Conservation Commission. Based on the law, the Commission consists of persons who are assigned to it by virtue of their office, namely the Director of Agriculture, the Head of the Forest Service (LBB), an entomologist at the agricultural testing station, and the Head of the Geological Mining Service. It is also stated in law that there is at least one District Commissioner in the Commission. This composition of the Commission was aimed to ensure that an adaptive, science-based process is used when establishing quotas. However, the Commission has been inactive for many years and no longer up to date with the current requirements and institutional framework. 
A person who does not comply with the prescribed bag limit for game or cage animal species is in violation of the Game Act 1954. Contravening this provision is punishable by a maximum of three months of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 10 000 guilders. Also, for a period of six months, commencing on the day on which the sentence becomes final, the convicted person will lose the right to hunt, and his or her hunting licence will be revoked.

Pursuant to the Fish Protection Act, it is prohibited to exceed the number of fishes allowed to be caught. Contravening this provision is punishable by a maximum of one month of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 100 guilders.

Hunting and fishing seasons are defined by the Game Act 1954, the Game State Order 2002 and the Fish Stock Protection Act. However, these Acts do not provide for how and when they must begin and end. Hunting seasons are set out in the Game State Order 2002 and are determined for each individual species according to category (protected species, game species, cage animal species and predominantly harmful species). However, this State Order may have to be updated with more updated scientific data. The hunting seasons specified in the Game State Order 2002 are published yearly in a game calendar by the Ministry of Land Policy and Forest Management. 

The Fish Stock Protection State Order states that the fishing season for all species of catfish (kwie-kwie) is closed from 1 April to 15 July of each year. It is noteworthy to mention that, although the law does not prescribe a regular update, in practice this provision is being implemented.

A grace period of seven days after the closing of the hunting season is provided for in the Game Act 1954. The Fish Stock Protection Act provides for a grace period of four days after the closing of the fishing season.

Suriname is divided into a Northern Zone for which closed seasons and bag limits apply, and a Southern Zone for which limitations do not apply, with the exception of the species for which a closed season applies throughout the year. Species that belong to the category “predominantly harmful species” are allowed to be hunted all year round in residential and agricultural areas.

Hunting outside the open hunting season is a criminal offence and punishable by a maximum of three months of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 10 000 guilders. Also, for a period of six months, commencing on the day on which the sentence becomes final, the convicted person will lose the right to hunt, and his or her hunting licence will be revoked.

It is prohibited by law to fish outside the open fishing season; contravening this prohibition is punishable by a maximum of one month of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 100 guilders.

Hunting methods and tools for hunting and fishing activities are regulated under the Game Act 1954, the Game State Order 2002 and the Fish Stock Protection Act. The Game Act 1954 provides general prohibitions regarding hunting gear. The Game State Order 2002 elaborates further on the regulations regarding the methods and tools to practise lawful hunting and provides a listing of unauthorized hunting equipment. Under the category “game species”, it includes hunting with: (i) a firearm other than what is suitable and intended to be fired exclusively by hand and from the shoulder, and whose calibre does not exceed 12; (ii) a set gun, muffler, explosives, traps, clamps, and poisonous or narcotic drugs; and (iii) artificial light, unless with a special licence. Indeed, pursuant to Article 9 of the Game Act 1954, where a special licence is granted for scientific, educational or other useful purposes, the use of one or more prohibited hunting methods and tools can be authorized by the Director of the Ministry responsible for forest management, or the Head of the Suriname Forest Service.

The prohibited hunting equipment for the category “cage animal species” include: (i) all types of firearms, gas guns (including wind rifles), catapults, clamps and poisonous or narcotic drugs; and (ii) the use of nets on birds that belong to the cage animal species without a hunting licence and special licence (Art. 8b).

With regard to fishing tools, the Fish Stock Protection Act only allows fishing with the use of a rod or handline within the inland waters of Suriname. For other types of fishing methods and tools such as the use of nets, licences are required. Under the Police Criminal Act, it is also prohibited to catch fish by means of intoxication.

It should be noted that the regulations mentioned here do not provide for public consultation and participation in the listing or delisting of hunting and fishing methods. Furthermore, game age, sex-based limits and size limits for hunting are not regulated by law. The same can be stated for fishing, with the exception of a size limit that is introduced by the Fish Stock Protection Act. The Fish Stock Protection State Order sets the prescribed size for the species, which is measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the caudal fin.

Offences related to hunting/fishing methods and /tools are punishable by law. These are punishable by a maximum of three months of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 10 000 guilders. Also, for a period of six months, commencing on the day on which the sentence becomes final, the convicted person will lose the right to hunt, and his or her hunting licence will be revoked.

The Fish Stock Protection Act specifies the means and methods used to fish. In the event of a violation of the regulations given by the Act, the person in breach is punishable by a maximum of one month of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 100 guilders.

Suriname has a two-tiered governance system whereby the ministries are responsible for the implementation of administration at the central level, and the District Council is responsible for the implementation at the local level. The District Council consists of a District Commissioner and one designated representative per ministry. The local administration is only involved when it operates within the framework of the law. In accordance with the Game Act 1954 (Articles 8 and 10), the District Commissioner is tasked with the issuance of hunting licences or special licences when applicants are domiciled in the district of the relevant District Commissioner. Firearms licences are issued by the Attorney General. 

The powers and responsibilities of the different ministries are regulated by the State Order “Task Description Departments 1991”. In addition, the respective laws relevant to hunting and inland fishing stipulate which ministries are responsible for the implementation and enforcement of these laws. 

Based on the State Order “Task Description Departments 1991”, The Ministry of Land Policy and Forest Management is responsible for, inter alia: (i) the inventory, exploration, optimal exploitation and management of the forest resource, its flora and fauna; (ii) nature management and conservation; and (iii) supervision on compliance of rules and regulations related to the production of wood and wood products, flora and fauna.

The Suriname Forest Service (SFS) is part of this Ministry, and the Head of the SFS is charged with the enforcement of the Game Act 1954. The Nature Conservation Division (NCD) has been assigned by the Head of the SFS with the daily management of the nature reserves. Currently, the following offices fall under the NCD:  Planning, Section Licence; Research; Education and Protected Areas Management and Wildlife Management.

Moreover, the Nature Conservation Act 1954 provides for the establishment of a Nature Conservation Commission, responsible for advising the Head of the Suriname Forest Service in the general management of the nature reserves. This Commission also has an advisory function under the Game Act 1954 regarding the issuance of licences, namely, determining which animal species can be categorized as game, cage animal species, or predominantly harmful species. This Commission also functioned for years as a scientific authority for CITES, but due to its outdated composition, which was prescribed by law, it has been inactive. In order to meet the requirement of a scientific authority for CITES, a scientific authority has been established by Ministerial Order. The SFS is the CITES Management Authority.

The game wardens under the Ministry of Land Policy and Forest Management are responsible for enforcing the Game Act 1954 and the Nature Conservation Act 1954, as well as the Fish Stock Protection Act and the Sea Fisheries Act. Game wardens are persons designated pursuant to Article 20 of the Game Act 1954 and responsible for the detection/investigation of the offences made punishable by or pursuant to this Act.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries is responsible for the effective management of national fishing resources and rational exploitation of fish stocks, as well as the enforcement of the Fish Stock Protection Act. The Fisheries Department under the Ministry of Agriculture enforces the Fish Protection Act and the Sea Fisheries Act.

Institutional cooperation and coordination are regulated through the State Order “Task Description Departments 1991”, which regulates the tasks and powers of the various ministries. For specific matters, it is expressly stated that there must be cooperation and coordination. The institutional coordinating function of the Ministry of Land Policy and Forest Management concerns land issuance, management and conservation of flora and fauna, forests and protected areas. The law does not specifically provide for institutional cooperation and coordination with regard to wildlife consumptive use.

The delegation of functions by the ministries or authorities to other actors is not provided for under the current legislative framework. In addition, mechanisms that could provide for the possible delegation of powers to non-governmental stakeholders under the public monitoring system are also absent.

There is a general prohibition in the Game Act 1954 to catch, sell, kill, try to kill or catch, possess, buy, trade, present as a gift, deliver, transport, import or export protected wildlife species and parts and products derived from them. The animals that are protected by law are protected from the time they are hunted to their consumption. In addition, the law also states that from the seventh day after the end of the open hunting season, it is prohibited to transport, sell, trade, deliver, offer for sale, gift or exchange animals belonging to game species and parts and products derived thereof including eggs, or to hold animals for these purposes. Transporting the game and cage animal species from the Southern Zone into the Northern Zone during the closed hunting season is prohibited.

Violation of the above prohibitions is punishable by a maximum of three months of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 10 000 guilders. In addition, in the event of a conviction, during a period of six months, commencing on the day on which the judgment is irrevocable, the convicted person will lose the right to hunt, and his or her hunting licence will be revoked.
There are no specific rules indicating who is authorized to transport meat from hunting. There is only a general rule in the Game Act 1954 prohibiting the possession of animals or parts of animals belonging to game or cage animal species when the hunting season is closed or without a special licence.

Furthermore, Suriname’s international wildlife trade (both CITES and non-CITES species) is regulated through a quota system. The establishment of the CITES Management Authority and the CITES Scientific Authority play an important role when quotas for CITES species are determined and managed. If necessary, the Scientific Authority is authorized to conduct investigations and to obtain expert advice from both national and international external experts. In general, quotas are set by the Head of the Suriname Forest Service (SFS), based on the advice of the CITES Scientific Authority. Export quotas have been set for a wide array of species and are assigned to registered wildlife exporters. The Game Act 1954 does not provide for specific provisions for trade (no licence is required). For international trade, the SFS implements a quota system for export. A fixed number of wildlife export companies have been granted a licence for export. Protected species are also on the export quota. The wildlife exporter has trappers in his or her service whose pass must be obtained from the SFS. This trapper pass can only be acquired through a wildlife exporter licence holder and allows him or her to trap and transport wildlife (cage animal species and protected species on the export quota list).

The Fish Stock Protection Act prohibits buying, exchanging, accepting as a gift, selling, delivering or transporting fish from inland fishing during the closed fishing season and below the determined size. In addition, it is also prohibited to destroy, disturb, remove, buy, sell, deliver, transport, keep eggs or egg nests of fish species, or stock them for sale or delivery during the closed fishing season.
 
Violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a maximum of one month of imprisonment or a fine of 100 guilders. A fish licence is only required for the use of nets or other trapping methods.

Although the Act on the Inspection of Meat and Other Products of Animal Origin states that only meat and other products of animal origin intended for consumption, including meat derived from game that is approved by the Head of the Veterinary Service, may be offered to the market, there are no provisions that regulate the sale and/or the quality of meat from hunting. 

The Fish Inspection Act prohibits the marketing of fish products from inland fishing that do not meet the inspection standards for sanitary soundness, freshness, integrity and temperature. Fish products caught or harvested in the natural environment must be declared fit for human consumption upon inspection. Furthermore, the facilities that handle fish and fish products must be licensed by the Fish Inspection Institute. Selling meat from animals categorized as game is only allowed during the open hunting season. The same applies to certain fish species.

Restaurants that offer meat derived from wildlife that belong to game and cage animal species during the closed hunting season are in violation of the law. This also applies to fish species during the closed fishing season.

In order to possess, capture and trade wild animals or parts thereof, a licence is required by law. According to the Game Act 1954 it is forbidden to catch, kill, try to kill or catch, possess, offer for sale, sell, buy, trade, present as a gift, to deliver, transport, import or export protected wildlife species and parts and products derived thereof. These prohibitions are not applicable to appointed catchers who have received a licence to catch, kill, or collect wildlife for a useful purpose. The law does not define “useful purpose”, which may lead to different interpretations.

Retailing meat from hunting may be punishable by a maximum of three months of imprisonment to a maximum fine of 10 000 guilders. Also, for a period of six months, commencing on the day on which the sentence becomes final, the convicted person will lose the right to hunt, and his or her hunting licence will be revoked. Under the Fish Protection Act, any person in breach of the law is punishable with a maximum of one month of imprisonment or a maximum fine of 100 guilders.

The institutional setting relevant to hunting and inland fishing is the same as the framework relevant to the distribution of meat/fish from hunting and inland fishing. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries is also the lead state agency serving to protect the health and welfare of the livestock and poultry, support the productivity and marketability of the animal industries, and enhance the availability and safety of food supply. The related tasks are executed by the Sub-Directorate of Animal Husbandry. The Veterinary Service is responsible for general monitoring of animal diseases and zoonoses, as well as preventive measures to prevent them. It is also responsible for the enforcement of both the Animal Disease Control Act and the Act on the Inspection of Meat and Other Products of Animal Origin.

Institutional cooperation and coordination are regulated through the State Order “Task Description Departments 1991”which regulates the tasks and powers of various ministries. 

The institutional coordinating function of the Ministry of Land Policy and Forest Management is related to land issuance and the management and conservation of flora and fauna, forests, and protected areas.

The law does not specifically provide for institutional cooperation and coordination with regard to wildlife consumptive use.

The delegation of powers is not provided for under the current legislative framework.