Syrian Arab Republic
Asia · Western Asia
Syria has a Mediterranean coastline and a fisheries regime built on Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964 (on the protection of aquatic life), supplemented by Law No. 31 of 2008 (which created the Public Authority for Fisheries) and several ministerial resolutions. All fishing requires a licence: commercial vessels under Art. 9, foreign vessels under Art. 8, and individual recreational/sport fishers under an individual licence (Art. 35). Authoritative sources (FAO/GFCM comparative study and the Sea Around Us reconstruction) describe the recreational fishing sector as limited to angling, using a maximum of three hooks per line, and do not document a specific recreational speargun / underwater-fishing permit. No source could be retrieved that explicitly authorises or explicitly bans recreational spearfishing as such, so its status is best classified as restricted/unclear: a licence is in principle required for any individual fishing, the recreational framework appears angling-centric, destructive methods (explosives, fine-mesh nets) are prohibited, and the country's single marine protected area (Fanar Ibn Hani, north of Latakia) excludes fishing activity. Practical access is further constrained by the security situation. Treat on-the-water rules as uncertain and verify with the Public Authority for Fisheries before diving.
Diweddarwyd ddiwethaf Mehefin 15, 2026
Fframwaith llywodraethu
- §Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964 (on the protection of aquatic life / regulation of fishing in public waters; 75 sections, 5 titles)
- §Law No. 31 of 2008 (creation of the Public Authority for Fisheries)
- §Resolution No. 53/T of 2003 (regulating fishing by certain nets in the Syrian territorial sea)
- §Resolution No. 54/T of 2003 (abrogating fishing with terrestrial trawl nets)
- §Ministerial Decision No. 15/T of 19 April 2004 (banning bottom trawling in territorial waters from 2005)
- §Decision No. 26/T of 2000 (establishment of the Fanar Ibn Hani Marine Protected Area)
- Trwydded yn ofynnol
- Gofynnol
Y gyfraith, air am air
Testunau cyfreithiol
Y darpariaethau statudol a rheoleiddiol manwl sy'n llywodraethu pysgota â gwaywffon yma, wedi'u dyfynnu fel y'u cyhoeddwyd, gyda dolen i bob ffynhonnell swyddogol.
Aim and scope of the fishing decree (public waters)
Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964 on the protection of aquatic life
The aim of this Decree is to regulate catching and fishing of fish and other living organisms in the Syrian public waters. The public waters include marine and inland waters, as specified in Section 1.
Licensing categories, including individual recreational licence
Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964
Commercial fishing - National vessels: Licence (Art. 9 of Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964). Commercial fishing - Foreign vessels: Authorization (Art. 8 of Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964). Shore fishers: Licence (Art. 9 of Legislative Decree of 1964) (sf). Recreational fishing: Individual licence (Art. 35 of Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964).
Recreational fishing limited to angling with maximum three hooks
Description of Syrian recreational fishing regime (Sea Around Us catch reconstruction, citing Gaudin and De Young 2007)
In Syria, a license is required to fish recreationally either from the boat or the shore (Gaudin and De Young 2007). The recreational fishing sector is limited to angling, and is to use a maximum of three hooks per fishing line. In 2006, 148 marine recreational licenses were issued (A. Saad, pers. obs.).
Seasonal coastal trawling ban
Syrian fisheries management measures (FAO marine aquaculture development report)
Trawling is forbidden along the coast for 3 1/2 months (15 May-1 September).
Bottom trawling banned from territorial waters
Ministerial Decision No. 15/T dated 19/4/2004 (as reported in the Sea Around Us reconstruction)
These trawlers caught between 300-500 kg per day, and were banned from operating in territorial waters as of 2005 (Ministerial Decision no: 15/T, dated: 19/4/2004, Saad 2010) due to a rapid decline in European hake. ... Bottom trawlers were banned from operating in coastal waters (e.g., within 12 nm) in summer months since 1966 for conservation purposes (Margetts 1968).
Fanar Ibn Hani Marine Protected Area declaration and prohibited practices
Decision No. 26/T of 2000, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform
It was declared according to decision No. 26/T in 2000 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform ... located to the north of Latakia near the old city of Ugarit ... It stretches for a length of 2.3 km and a depth of 1.5 km in the sea, with a total area of about 10 km2 ... extending from the Higher Institute for Marine Research northward to the lighthouse of Ibn Hani. The MPA was established to protect marine creatures and provide a secure habitat for their reproduction and serves as the only refuge for many threatened marine species. Reported violations include using dynamite in fishing as well as the use of nets with small mesh.
Pryd gallwch blymio
Tymhorau a chyfyngiadau amser
Cyfnodau caeëdig, agored a chyfyngedig drwy gydol y flwyddyn. Cadarnhewch bob amser gaead rhywogaethau penodol yn lleol.
- Ar gauBottom trawling along the Syrian coast (conservation closure)Mai 15 – Med 1
Trawling is forbidden along the coast for 3 1/2 months (15 May - 1 September). This is a trawling-specific conservation closure; no documented closed season specific to recreational spearfishing was found.
Caniatâd i bysgota
Trwydded
Beth sydd ei angen arnoch i gael caniatâd i fod yn y dŵr, faint mae'n ei gostio, a sut i'w chael.
Apply to the Syrian fisheries administration. Historically licences were issued by the Department of Fisheries / General Establishment of Fisheries; since Law No. 31 of 2008 the Public Authority for Fisheries is the competent body. No source documents a dedicated recreational speargun permit.
Cael eich trwyddedYn agor y porth swyddogol · fao.org
- Math
- Individual recreational fishing licence (Art. 35, Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964); separate licences exist for commercial vessels (Art. 9) and foreign vessels (Art. 8).
- Cost
- unknown
- Dilysrwydd
- Annual (fishing licences are issued annually and are subject to an annual tax under applicable tables).
- Sut i'w chael
- Apply to the Syrian fisheries administration. Historically licences were issued by the Department of Fisheries / General Establishment of Fisheries; since Law No. 31 of 2008 the Public Authority for Fisheries is the competent body. No source documents a dedicated recreational speargun permit.
- Awdurdod
- Public Authority for Fisheries (formerly Department of Fisheries / General Establishment of Fisheries), Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform
Offer a thechneg
Rheolau offer
Pa offer sydd wedi'i ganiatáu, sut y gellir ei ddefnyddio, a'r amodau sydd ynghlwm.
Cyfyngiadau
- Fishing with dynamite/explosives is prohibited (reported as a banned practice in the Fanar Ibn Hani MPA).
- Nets with small (fine) mesh are prohibited.
- Bottom trawling is banned in territorial waters (since 2005, Ministerial Decision No. 15/T of 19/4/2004) and along the coast during 15 May - 1 September.
No retrievable Syrian source explicitly authorises or bans recreational spearguns / underwater fishing gear. The documented recreational sector is angling-based (rod and line, maximum three hooks per line). Speargun and scuba-for-fishing status is therefore unknown; do not assume permitted.
Beth y cewch ei gymryd
Terfynau dal a rhywogaethau gwarchodedig
Cwotâu dyddiol, meintiau lleiafswm, a rhywogaethau na ddylid byth eu cymryd.
Terfyn dyddiol
unknown
Rhywogaethau gwarchodedig — peidiwch â'u cymryd
- GwarchodedigMediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) - reported in the Fanar Ibn Hani MPA; a strictly protected Mediterranean species
- GwarchodedigMarine turtles - reported in the Fanar Ibn Hani MPA
No specific recreational daily bag limit or minimum landing sizes for spearfishing could be retrieved from authoritative Syrian sources. General Mediterranean/GFCM conservation measures (e.g. minimum landing sizes) may apply but were not confirmed in a Syrian instrument. Minimum mesh sizes and closed seasons exist for commercial gear but were described as poorly enforced.
Pwy sy'n cael pysgota
Ymwelwyr a phreswylwyr
Sut mae'r rheolau'n wahanol ar gyfer ymwelwyr tramor a phreswylwyr lleol.
Ymwelwyr tramor
Cyfyngiadau
- Foreign fishing vessels require authorization under Art. 8 of Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964; this is a commercial-vessel provision, not a recreational-tourist regime.
- Practical access for foreign recreational divers is severely limited by the security situation and lack of an established dive-tourism framework.
No source addresses recreational spearfishing by foreign tourists. The only documented foreign-fishing rule is commercial vessel authorization under Art. 8. Status for foreign recreational spearfishers is unknown.
Preswylwyr
Individual recreational fishing licence (Art. 35, Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964)
Gofynion
- Hold an individual recreational fishing licence issued by the fisheries authority.
- Recreational fishing is limited to angling with a maximum of three hooks per fishing line.
148 marine recreational licences were issued nationally in 2006, indicating a very small licensed recreational sector. No resident-specific spearfishing provision was found.
Ble ar yr arfordir
Parthau caniatáu a gwaharddedig
Ardaloedd penodol sydd ar agor i neu wedi'u cau ar gyfer pysgota â gwaywffon. Gweler y darlun llawn ar y map rhyngweithiol.
Ardaloedd gwaharddedig
- Fanar Ibn Hani Marine Protected Areamarine protected area
Syria's only declared Marine Protected Area, established by Decision No. 26/T of 2000 (Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform), administered by the Public Commission for Fisheries and Fish Resources (Jableh). Located north of Latakia near ancient Ugarit, running from the Higher Institute for Marine Research northward to the Ibn Hani lighthouse; approx. 2.3 km long, 1.5 km seaward, total about 10 km2. Declared as a refuge for threatened marine species (Mediterranean monk seal and sea turtles reported); dynamite fishing and small-mesh nets are reported as prohibited violations. Coordinates are approximate, taken from the Ras Ibn Hani headland that the reserve adjoins.
Cyflyrau ar y dŵr
Cyflyrau byw
Cipolwg morol a thywydd byw ger pwynt cyfeirio arfordirol yn Syrian Arab Republic, o Open-Meteo. Mae cyflyrau'n amrywio ar hyd yr arfordir — triniwch fel dangosol.
Morol byw a thywydd ger Fanar Ibn Hani Marine Protected Area.
Pwy i ofyn iddynt
Awdurdodau
Y cyrff swyddogol sy'n gyfrifol am bysgodfeydd a thrwyddedu.
Public Authority for Fisheries (General Commission for Fisheries / Public Commission for Fisheries and Fish Resources)
fisheries authority
fao.orgEstablished by Law No. 31 of 2008; under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform; fisheries administration based in Jableh / Latakia.Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform
agriculture ministry
fao.orgIssues fishing licence quotas and declared the Fanar Ibn Hani Marine Protected Area (Decision No. 26/T of 2000).
O ble daw hyn
Ffynonellau
Mae pob honiad ar y dudalen hon yn deillio o un o'r cyfeiriadau hyn.
- [01]
Cacaud, P. (2005) Fisheries laws and regulations in the Mediterranean: a comparative study (FAO/GFCM) - Syria entries (Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964, Arts. 8, 9, 35)
Swyddogolfao.orgCyrchwyd Meh 15 - [02]
EcoLex / FAOLEX record: Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964 on the protection of aquatic livings (LEX-FAOC002167)
Swyddogolecolex.orgCyrchwyd Meh 15 - [03]
FAOLEX Database - Syria general country profile (fisheries legislation, Law No. 31 of 2008, Resolutions 53/T and 54/T of 2003)
Swyddogolfao.orgCyrchwyd Meh 15 - [04]
Ulman et al. (2015) Reconstruction of Syria's fisheries catches 1950-2010 (Sea Around Us) - recreational licensing, angling/three-hook rule, trawling bans
Eilraddseaaroundus.orgCyrchwyd Meh 15 - [05]
FAO - History and characteristics of fish production in Syria (seasonal coastal trawling ban; General Establishment of Fisheries)
Swyddogolfao.orgCyrchwyd Meh 15 - [06]
Syrian Society for the Conservation of Wildlife (SSCW) - Ibn Hani Marine Protected Area
Eilraddsscw-syr.orgCyrchwyd Meh 15 - [07]
Protected Planet - Fanar Ibn Hani (WDPA site 302587; 10.0 km2 marine and coastal protected area)
Swyddogolprotectedplanet.netCyrchwyd Meh 15
Nodiadau'r ymchwilydd
Syria is a coastal Mediterranean state, but no source could be retrieved that explicitly regulates recreational SPEARFISHING / underwater fishing as a distinct activity. The legal picture is reconstructed from: (1) the FAO/GFCM comparative study, which maps Syrian licence types to Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1964 (Art. 9 commercial vessels, Art. 8 foreign vessels, Art. 35 individual recreational licence); (2) the Sea Around Us catch reconstruction, which states a licence is required to fish recreationally from boat or shore and that the recreational sector is limited to angling with a maximum of three hooks per line; (3) FAOLEX/EcoLex records describing the decree's scope; and (4) MPA sources for Fanar Ibn Hani. Because the full Arabic text of Decree No. 30/1964 is only available on FAOLEX as scanned image PDFs (JBIG2-compressed, not machine-readable), individual article wording for spearfishing could not be quoted verbatim - hence data_confidence is LOW. Spearfishing is marked 'restricted' rather than 'yes' or 'no' because: a licence is in principle required for any individual fishing, the documented recreational framework is angling-centric (no speargun provision found), destructive methods are banned, and the country's single MPA excludes fishing. The ongoing security situation further limits practical and verifiable access. Anyone planning to dive should confirm current rules directly with the Public Authority for Fisheries before relying on this record. Coordinates for the Fanar Ibn Hani MPA are approximate (taken from the adjacent Ras Ibn Hani headland).
Hysbysu fi pan fo rheolau Syrian Arab Republic yn newid
Byddwn yn anfon e-bost atoch pan fo tymhorau neu reoliadau Syrian Arab Republic yn cael eu diweddaru yn ein set ddata.