United Republic of Tanzania
Africa · Eastern Africa
Tanzania is a union of two legal jurisdictions with separate fisheries laws: Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba). On the Mainland, the Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 (made under the Fisheries Act, Cap. 279) prohibit possessing, storing, selling or using harpoon guns and spear guns to fish (reg. 66(1)(c)), and prohibit using SCUBA / self-contained underwater breathing apparatus to capture fish or marine resources (reg. 66(1)(q)), although SCUBA may be used for 'sport fishing', live aquarium-fish capture, training and research (reg. 66(2)). Dive-industry sources report that sport (non-commercial) spearfishing is permitted in Zanzibar under the Zanzibar Fisheries Act, 2010, which bans spear/harpoon guns for commercial gain but allows licensed recreational sport spearfishing through a registered, government-authorised service provider with a specific sport spearfishing licence from the Department of Fisheries Development. All marine protected areas (marine parks and marine reserves) of both the Mainland and Zanzibar are closed to spearfishing. Because the Mainland regulation flatly bans possession/use of spear and harpoon guns 'except where authorised by Regulations made under the Act', anyone intending to spearfish should treat it as illegal unless they hold a specific written authorisation/licence.
Última actualització Juny 15, 2026
Marc normatiu aplicable
- §Fisheries Act, Cap. 279 (Mainland Tanzania)
- §Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 (G.N. under Cap. 279, Mainland)
- §Marine Parks and Reserves Act, No. 29 of 1994 (Mainland)
- §Marine Parks and Reserves (Prohibited and Regulated Activities) Regulations, 2006 (G.N. No. 128 of 2006)
- §Zanzibar Fisheries Act, 2010 (Zanzibar)
- Llicència obligatòria
- Obligatori
- Fusell
- Prohibit
- Escafandre autònom
- Prohibit
- Estrangers
- Benvingut
La llei, literalment
Textos legals
Les disposicions legals i reglamentàries exactes que regulen la pesca submarina aquí, citades tal com es publiquen, amb un enllaç a cada font oficial.
Prohibited fishing gears and methods - harpoon and spear guns
Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 (made under the Fisheries Act, Cap. 279)
66.- (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in these regulations a person shall not- ... (c) posses, store, sell, use or cause another person to use harpoon guns, spear guns to fish;
Prohibition on use of SCUBA to capture fish or marine resources
Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 (made under the Fisheries Act, Cap. 279)
66.- (1) ... a person shall not- ... (q) use self-contained underwater breathing apparatus or Scuba or compressed air breathing equipment of any kind to capture fish, marine invertebrates, aquatic flora or living marine resources.
Permitted uses of SCUBA - sport fishing, aquarium, training, research
Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 (made under the Fisheries Act, Cap. 279)
(2) Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus or Scuba or compressed air breathing equipment may be used for sport fishing, capturing of live aquarium fin fish, training and research purpose only.
Penalty for prohibited gears and methods
Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 (made under the Fisheries Act, Cap. 279)
(4) A person who contravenes this regulation commits an offence and on conviction shall be liable to a fine of not less than two million shillings or to imprisonment for a term of three years or to both.
Protection of rare and endangered species
Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 (made under the Fisheries Act, Cap. 279)
67.- (1) A person shall not fish, possess, process, offer for sale, market or export marine and fresh water species, any part or any product of the species recognised as being globally or regionally endangered as listed in the Third Schedule. (2) A person shall not fish, possess, process, offer for sale or market marine turtles, dugong, whale sharks, dolphins or any marine species recognized globally or regionally as endangered species listed in the Third Schedule.
Quan podeu bussejar
Temporades i restriccions horàries
Períodes tancats, oberts i restringits al llarg de l'any. Confirmeu sempre localment els tancaments per espècie.
No s'han registrat tancaments estacionals — verifiqueu localment abans de bussejar.
Permís per pescar
Llicència
Què necessiteu per poder estar a l'aigua, quant costa i com obtenir-ho.
In Zanzibar, obtain a specific sport spearfishing licence from the Department of Fisheries Development (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Zanzibar); foreigners must operate through a registered, government-authorised service provider. On the Mainland, contact the local Fisheries Office / Director of Fisheries regarding any authorisation.
Obteniu la vostra llicènciaObre el portal oficial · extremebluewaterspearfishing.com
- Tipus
- Specific sport spearfishing licence (Zanzibar); on the Mainland, possession/use of spear and harpoon guns is prohibited except where authorised by Regulations made under the Fisheries Act.
- Cost
- unknown
- Validesa
- unknown
- Com obtenir-la
- In Zanzibar, obtain a specific sport spearfishing licence from the Department of Fisheries Development (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Zanzibar); foreigners must operate through a registered, government-authorised service provider. On the Mainland, contact the local Fisheries Office / Director of Fisheries regarding any authorisation.
- Autoritat
- Department of Fisheries Development, Zanzibar / Director of Fisheries (Mainland)
Equip i tècnica
Normes d'equipament
Quin equip és permès, com s'ha d'utilitzar i les condicions aplicables.
Restriccions
- Mainland (reg. 66(1)(c)): possessing, storing, selling or using harpoon guns and spear guns to fish is prohibited.
- Mainland (reg. 66(1)(q)): using SCUBA / self-contained underwater breathing apparatus or any compressed-air breathing equipment to capture fish, marine invertebrates, aquatic flora or living marine resources is prohibited.
- Mainland (reg. 66(2)): SCUBA may be used for sport fishing, live aquarium fin-fish capture, training and research only.
- Zanzibar Fisheries Act, 2010: spear/harpoon guns banned for commercial gain; recreational sport spearfishing allowed under a specific licence (per dive-industry sources).
- All marine protected areas (marine parks and marine reserves) prohibit spearfishing.
The Mainland prohibition on spear/harpoon guns is general and not contingent on commercial purpose; the carve-out is 'except where authorised by Regulations made under the Act'. Combining a speargun with SCUBA would compound the violation. Treat speargun spearfishing as illegal on the Mainland absent specific authorisation.
Què podeu capturar
Límits de captures i espècies protegides
Quotes diàries, mides mínimes i espècies que mai no es poden capturar.
Límit diari
unknown
Espècies protegides — no capturar
- ProtegitMarine turtles (green, loggerhead, leatherback, olive ridley)
- ProtegitDugong
- ProtegitWhale sharks
- ProtegitDolphins and whales (incl. sperm whale, humpback whale)
- ProtegitCoelacanth (Latimeria spp.)
- ProtegitCorals (blue corals, organ-pipe corals, black corals)
Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 reg. 67 and the Third Schedule prohibit fishing, possessing, processing or selling species recognised as globally or regionally endangered, expressly naming marine turtles, dugong, whale sharks and dolphins; accidental captures of such species must be returned to the sea immediately and logged/reported to a fisheries office.
Qui pot pescar
Visitants i residents
Com difereixen les normes per als visitants estrangers i els residents locals.
Visitants estrangers
PermèsCal llicència especial
Requisits
- Operate through a registered, Zanzibar-government-authorised service provider (per dive-industry sources).
- Hold a specific sport spearfishing licence issued by the Zanzibar Department of Fisheries Development.
Restriccions
- Sport / non-commercial only; catch may not be sold.
- All marine protected areas of Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania are off-limits.
- On the Mainland, the general spear/harpoon-gun prohibition applies to everyone.
Foreigner pathway is described by a dive operator interpreting the Zanzibar regime; not independently confirmed against the verbatim text of the Zanzibar Fisheries Act, 2010. Verify directly with the Zanzibar fisheries authority before diving.
Residents
unknown
No resident-specific spearfishing licence regime was found in the consulted sources. The Mainland spear/harpoon-gun prohibition (reg. 66) applies to all persons regardless of residency.
On a la costa
Zones permeses i prohibides
Àrees nominades obertes o tancades per a la pesca submarina. Veieu el panorama complet al mapa interactiu.
Àrees permeses
Dive-industry sources (Extreme Blue Water Spear Fishing) report that licensed sport spearfishing is permitted within Zanzibar's internal waters and Tanzania's territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles, at locations including the west coasts of Pemba and Unguja, Latham Island, east coasts of Mafia, Okuza, Nyuni and Fanjove islands, and the east coast of mainland Tanzania - excluding all marine protected areas. This reflects an operator's interpretation of the Zanzibar game-fishing/sport-spearfishing regime, not a verbatim statutory zone.
Sport (non-commercial) only; no sale of catch; foreigners must go through a registered Zanzibar-authorised service provider holding a specific sport spearfishing licence; all marine protected areas excluded.
Àrees prohibides
- Mafia Island Marine Parkmarine national park
Tanzania's first and largest marine national park, 822 km2, established 1995, off the Rufiji delta. No-take and restricted-use zones; spearfishing prohibited.
- Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Parkmarine national park
Marine national park (650 km2) established 1 July 2000 in Mtwara district, extending to the Mozambique border; home to turtles, whales and dolphins. Spearfishing prohibited.
- Tanga Coelacanth Marine Parkmarine national park
Marine national park (552 km2) gazetted 2009 along the Tanga coast, created to protect coelacanths; contains no-take marine reserve zones. Spearfishing prohibited.
- Dar es Salaam Marine Reserves System (Fungu Yasini, Mbudya, Bongoyo, Pangavini Islands)marine reserve
Cluster of marine reserves off Dar es Salaam listed in the Fisheries (Marine Reserves) Regulations Schedule. Fishing and possession of fishing gear prohibited without written authorisation of the Director of Fisheries; diving and use of diving equipment restricted.
- Mnemba Atoll Marine Conservation Areamarine conservation area / marine reserve
Official Zanzibar marine conservation zone around Mnemba Island, off the northeast coast of Unguja, a Green Turtle nesting site. Diving/dive-industry and Zanzibar government sources state it is completely off-limits to spearfishing as a marine reserve. (Wikipedia notes the correct designation is the Mnemba Island Marine Conservation Area / MIMCA; 'Atoll' is a colloquial misnomer.)
- Chumbe Island Coral Park (CHICOP)marine park / no-take reef sanctuary
Zanzibar's first marine conservation area (established as a sanctuary in 1994), a fully protected no-take coral reef sanctuary on the western side of Chumbe Island southwest of Stone Town. Off-limits to spearfishing.
- Menai Bay Conservation Areamarine conservation area (no-take zones)
470 km2 official marine and coastal conservation area southwest of Unguja (established August 1997), with coral reefs, seagrass and islets. Spearfishing is prohibited within the no-take zones; reportedly allowed only outside them, so the area is mapped as a controlled/prohibited MPA core.
- Pemba Channel Conservation Area (PECCA) / Misali Island Marine Conservation Areamarine conservation area (multiple-use MPA with no-take core)
Legally protected Zanzibari multiple-use marine protected area off western Pemba, incorporating the former Misali Island Marine Conservation Area (MIMCA). Roughly a third of the Misali reef is a designated no-fishing zone; the core reserve is closed to fishing including spearfishing.
- Maziwe Island Marine Reservemarine reserve
Tanzania's oldest marine reserve (established 1975), a submerged coral island ~8 km southeast of Pangani in Tanga Region, part of the Tanga Marine Reserves System; the most important sea-turtle breeding ground in East Africa. As a marine reserve, fishing/spearfishing is prohibited.
Condicions a l'aigua
Condicions en directe
Instantània marina i meteorològica en directe prop d'un punt de referència costaner de United Republic of Tanzania, de Open-Meteo. Les condicions varien al llarg de la costa — tracteu-ho com a indicatiu.
Marina i meteorologia en directe prop de Mafia Island Marine Park.
A qui preguntar
Autoritats
Els organismes oficials responsables de la pesca i les llicències.
Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (Mainland) - Fisheries Division / Director of Fisheries
fisheries authority
uvuvi.go.tzunknownMarine Parks and Reserves Unit (MPRU)
marine protected area authority
marineparks.go.tzunknownDepartment of Fisheries Development, Zanzibar (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries)
fisheries authority
unknown
D'on prové aquesta informació
Fonts
Cada afirmació d'aquesta pàgina es remunta a una d'aquestes referències.
- [01]
The Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009 (made under the Fisheries Act, Cap. 279) - official PDF, trade.tanzania.go.tz
Oficialtrade.tanzania.go.tzConsultat el Jun 15 - [02]
Marine Parks and Reserves (Prohibited and Regulated Activities) Regulations, 2006 (G.N. No. 128 of 2006) - TanzLII
Oficialtanzlii.orgConsultat el Jun 15 - [03]
Fisheries Act / Marine Reserves Regulations - Laws of Tanzania (tanzanialaws.com)
Secundaritanzanialaws.comConsultat el Jun 15 - [04]
Spearfishing Legality: East Africa (Tanzania & Zanzibar) - Extreme Blue Water Spear Fishing
communityextremebluewaterspearfishing.comConsultat el Jun 15 - [05]
Mafia Island Marine Park - Wikipedia
Secundarien.wikipedia.orgConsultat el Jun 15 - [06]
Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park - Wikipedia
Secundarien.wikipedia.orgConsultat el Jun 15 - [07]
Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park - Wikipedia
Secundarien.wikipedia.orgConsultat el Jun 15
Notes de l'investigador
Tanzania is a union state with TWO separate fisheries jurisdictions: Mainland Tanzania (Fisheries Act Cap. 279 + Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2009) and Zanzibar (Zanzibar Fisheries Act, 2010). VERBATIM Mainland law texts (reg. 66 and 67) were extracted from the official Government of Tanzania PDF of the 2009 regulations and confirm a general ban on spear/harpoon guns and on SCUBA capture of marine resources. The Zanzibar sport-spearfishing licensing pathway and the list of permitted/prohibited spearfishing locations come from a dive-operator source (community reliability) and could NOT be confirmed against the verbatim Zanzibar Fisheries Act, 2010 text (not retrievable in this session). The TanzLII page for G.N. No. 128 of 2006 returned HTTP 403 and the verbatim Marine Parks regulations text could not be captured directly. Marine-park coordinates are approximate park centroids from Wikipedia, suitable for map placement but not exact boundary geometry. No closed/open seasons specific to spearfishing were found. Recommended next steps: obtain the verbatim Zanzibar Fisheries Act, 2010 and the G.N. No. 128/2006 text, and confirm current Zanzibar sport-spearfishing licence fees and procedure with the Zanzibar Department of Fisheries Development before relying on the foreigner pathway. data_confidence=medium: strong, verbatim Mainland statutory basis but secondary/community sourcing for the Zanzibar permissive regime.
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Us enviarem un correu quan les temporades o normatives de United Republic of Tanzania s'actualitzin en el nostre conjunt de dades.