Brazil
Americas · South America
Recreational spearfishing (pesca subaquatica) is legal in Brazil but tightly regulated. It is classified as a form of amateur fishing (pesca amadora), so the sale of the catch is forbidden. It may only be practised in free-diving / breath-hold mode (apneia): the use of any artificial breathing apparatus (scuba tanks, compressors, hookah) while spearfishing is prohibited by federal rule (Portaria IBAMA 4/2009, Art. 3o, Categoria C). Allowed equipment includes the speargun/arbalete (espingarda de mergulho/arbalete), trident and similar gear. An amateur fishing licence (Licenca de Pesca Amadora) issued by the federal fisheries authority is mandatory. Capture of nationally threatened aquatic species is banned; the goliath grouper / mero (Epinephelus itajara) is listed as Criticamente em Perigo (CR) in the official threatened-species list (Portaria MMA 445/2014, updated by Portaria MMA 148/2022), and the dedicated mero moratorium (Portaria Interministerial MPA/MMA 13/2015) ran for eight years (2015-2023). Additional state and zone restrictions apply (e.g. Santa Catarina apnea-only rules with coastal exclusion areas, native-species bans in the Parana basin, prohibitions inside conservation units / marine protected areas).
Sidst opdateret Juni 16, 2026
Overordnet lovramme
- §Decreto-Lei no 221, de 28 de fevereiro de 1967 (Codigo de Pesca - legal basis for amateur fishing rules)
- §Lei no 11.959, de 29 de junho de 2009 (Politica Nacional de Desenvolvimento Sustentavel da Aquicultura e da Pesca)
- §Portaria IBAMA no 4, de 19 de marco de 2009 (defines pesca amadora categories incl. Pesca Subaquatica / Categoria C and prohibits artificial breathing apparatus)
- §Instrucao Normativa IBAMA no 21, de 4 de julho de 2005 (underwater fishing in Santa Catarina - apnea only, signalling buoy, coastal exclusion zones)
- §Instrucao Normativa IBAMA no 26, de 2 de setembro de 2009 (Parana basin - native species capture prohibited in underwater modality)
- §Portaria MMA no 445, de 17 de dezembro de 2014, atualizada pela Portaria MMA no 148, de 7 de junho de 2022 (Lista Nacional Oficial de Especies da Fauna Brasileira Ameacadas de Extincao - Peixes e Invertebrados Aquaticos)
- §Portaria Interministerial MPA/MMA no 13, de 2 de outubro de 2015 (eight-year moratorium on capture of mero, 2015-2023)
- §Lei no 9.605, de 12 de fevereiro de 1998 (Lei de Crimes Ambientais - environmental penalties)
- Licens påkrævet
- Påkrævet
- Spydpistol
- Tilladt
- Scuba
- Forbudt
- Udlændinge
- Velkommen
Loven, ordret
Lovtekster
De præcise lovbestemmelser og reguleringsforskrifter, der regulerer harpunfiskeri her, citeret som offentliggjort, med et link til hver officiel kilde.
Definition of underwater fishing (Pesca Subaquatica - Categoria C) and prohibition of artificial breathing apparatus
Portaria IBAMA no 4, de 19 de marco de 2009
Pesca Subaquatica (Categoria C): realizada com ou sem o auxilio de embarcacoes e utilizando espingarda de mergulho ou arbalete, tridente ou petrechos similares sendo vedado o emprego de aparelhos de respiracao artificial.
Amateur fishing categories (A, B, C) - Categoria C is underwater fishing
Portaria IBAMA no 4, de 19 de marco de 2009
Categoria A (Pesca Desembarcada): realizada sem o auxilio de embarcacao e com a utilizacao de linha de mao, canico simples; Categoria B (Pesca Embarcada): realizada com auxilio de embarcacoes, classificadas na categoria de esporte ou recreio; Categoria C (Pesca Subaquatica): realizada com ou sem o auxilio de embarcacoes e utilizando espingarda de mergulho ou arbalete, tridente ou petrechos similares sendo vedado o emprego de aparelhos de respiracao artificial.
Santa Catarina - underwater fishing permitted only in apnea (breath-hold)
Instrucao Normativa IBAMA no 21, de 4 de julho de 2005
Permitir a pesca subaquatica no Estado de Santa Catarina exclusivamente em apneia.
Santa Catarina - 50-metre exclusion near beaches and rocky shores
Instrucao Normativa IBAMA no 21, de 4 de julho de 2005
Proibir a pratica da pesca subaquatica nas areas de praias, em uma faixa de cinquenta metros, iniciando-se na linha de baixa-mar, incluindo as praias das ilhas, e nos primeiros cinquenta metros dos costoes rochosos contiguos as praias.
Santa Catarina - mandatory signalling buoy for underwater fishers
Instrucao Normativa IBAMA no 21, de 4 de julho de 2005
E obrigatoria a utilizacao de boia sinalizadora para os praticantes da pesca subaquatica.
Mero (Epinephelus itajara) listed as Critically Endangered in the official threatened aquatic-species list
Portaria MMA no 148, de 7 de junho de 2022 (updating the list of Portaria MMA no 445, de 17 de dezembro de 2014)
Art. 3o Os Anexos I e II da Portaria no 445, de 17 de dezembro de 2014, que reconhecem respectivamente a Lista Oficial de Especies da Fauna Brasileira Ameacadas de Extincao - Peixes e Invertebrados Aquaticos e a Lista Oficial de Especies Extintas da Fauna Brasileira - Peixes e Invertebrados Aquaticos, passam a vigorar com a redacao dos Anexos I e II constantes no Anexo 3 desta Portaria. [Lista anexa] 341 Perciformes / Epinephelidae / Epinephelus itajara / CR.
Hvornår du kan dykke
Sæsoner og tidsbegrænsninger
Lukkede, åbne og begrænsede perioder over året. Bekræft altid artsspecifikke lukkede perioder lokalt.
- LukketMero / goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara)jan 1 – dec 31
Year-round prohibition on capture of the mero in Brazilian waters. The species is listed as Criticamente em Perigo (CR) in the in-force threatened-species list (Portaria MMA 445/2014, updated by Portaria MMA 148/2022), which prohibits fishing and commercialisation of listed species. A dedicated eight-year moratorium (Portaria Interministerial MPA/MMA 13/2015, in force 2015-2023, continuing protection that began with Portaria IBAMA 121/2002) has reached its stated end date; no renewal of that specific moratorium was confirmed during this research, but the CR listing keeps directed capture prohibited.
- LukketVarious species - regional spawning closed seasons (defeso)
Brazil applies species- and basin-specific closed seasons (periodos de defeso) set by federal and state normative instructions; during a defeso, fishing of the affected species (including by underwater fishing) is prohibited. Exact dates vary by species, river basin and coastal region and must be checked per state/species before each outing.
Tilladelse til at fiske
Licens
Hvad du skal have for at må være i vandet, hvad det koster, og hvordan du får det.
Apply online via the federal gov.br portal (Solicitar Licenca de Pescador Amador) or at an IBAMA office; the licence is issued by the federal fisheries/environment authority.
Få din licensÅbner den officielle portal · gov.br
- Type
- Licenca de Pesca Amadora (amateur fishing licence) - underwater fishing falls under the amateur fishing regime (historically Categoria C - Pesca Subaquatica)
- Pris
- Approx. R$ 60,00 for the underwater/embarked category (shore-based category approx. R$ 20,00); payable by PIX, credit card or boleto. Exempt: retirees, men over 65 and women over 60. Figures are commonly cited and should be confirmed on the official gov.br service page (which returned HTTP 403 during this research).
- Gyldighed
- 1 year, valid throughout the national territory
- Sådan får du licensen
- Apply online via the federal gov.br portal (Solicitar Licenca de Pescador Amador) or at an IBAMA office; the licence is issued by the federal fisheries/environment authority.
- Myndighed
- Secretaria/Ministerio da Pesca e Aquicultura / IBAMA (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renovaveis)
Udstyr og teknik
Udstyrskrav
Hvilket udstyr er tilladt, hvordan det må bruges, og hvilke betingelser der er knyttet hertil.
Restriktioner
- Artificial breathing apparatus (scuba tanks, compressors, hookah/narghile) is prohibited while spearfishing - apnea / free-diving only
- Breathing apparatus may only be used for diving without fishing purpose (research, underwater photography or similar)
- A vessel may not simultaneously carry underwater breathing equipment (tank/compressor) and spearfishing gear (speargun/spear/dredge)
- Allowed gear: espingarda de mergulho / arbalete (speargun), tridente (trident) and similar implements
- In Santa Catarina a signalling buoy (boia sinalizadora) is mandatory
The scuba prohibition is a federal rule (Portaria IBAMA 4/2009, Art. 3o, Categoria C) and is reinforced in state-specific instructions such as IN 21/2005 (Santa Catarina, apnea only, Art. 1o).
Hvad du må tage
Fangstbegrænsninger og fredede arter
Daglige kvoter, minimumsstørrelser og arter, der aldrig må fanges.
Dagsgrænse
An amateur-fishing transport/possession quota applies (no verbatim figure was retrieved from a primary IBAMA source in this research; secondary sources commonly cite up to 10 kg plus one specimen for marine waters, varying by water body and species). Sale of the catch is always prohibited. Verify the current quota with IBAMA/state authority before fishing.
Fredede arter — må ikke fanges
- FredetMero / goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) - listed as Criticamente em Perigo (CR) in Portaria MMA 445/2014 as updated by Portaria MMA 148/2022; capture prohibited
- FredetSpecies listed in the Lista Nacional Oficial de Especies da Fauna Brasileira Ameacadas de Extincao - Peixes e Invertebrados Aquaticos (Portaria MMA 445/2014, updated by Portaria MMA 148/2022) - capture and commercialisation prohibited; the list includes many sharks, groupers, snappers, cherne, etc.
As underwater fishing is amateur fishing, selling the catch is forbidden in all cases. Minimum sizes and species-specific bans are set per species/region by federal and state instructions and must be checked locally.
Hvem må fiske
Besøgende og fastboende
Hvordan reglerne adskiller sig for udenlandske besøgende og lokale fastboende.
Udenlandske besøgende
TilladtKrav
- Obtain the same amateur fishing licence (Licenca de Pesca Amadora) as residents
- Carry identification; apply via the gov.br portal or IBAMA
Restriktioner
- Same equipment, species, season and zone restrictions as residents (apnea only, no scuba, no sale of catch, protected species banned)
No evidence of a separate or more restrictive licence regime for foreign recreational spearfishers; they obtain the standard amateur fishing licence.
Fastboende
Licenca de Pesca Amadora (national amateur fishing licence)
Krav
- Hold a valid amateur fishing licence
- Practise in apnea only; comply with species, season and zone rules
Fordele
- Retirees and elderly (men over 65, women over 60) are exempt from the licence fee
Licence is national in scope and valid for one year.
Hvor langs kysten
Tilladte og forbudte zoner
Navngivne områder der er åbne for eller lukket for harpunfiskeri. Se det fulde billede på det interaktive kort.
Tilladte områder
Recreational underwater fishing in apnea is generally permitted in Brazilian coastal and inland waters where not otherwise restricted, with a valid amateur fishing licence and subject to species, gear, season and zone rules.
Apnea (free-diving) only; no artificial breathing apparatus; no sale of catch; threatened species (e.g. mero) prohibited; defeso seasons apply; conservation units and other protected zones excluded.
Forbudte områder
- Coastal waters of Santa Catarina within 50 m of beaches and adjacent rocky shorescoastal exclusion zone / state restriction
Instrucao Normativa IBAMA 21/2005 (Art. 4o) prohibits underwater fishing within 50 metres of beaches (measured from the low-tide line, including island beaches) and within the first 50 metres of rocky shores adjacent to beaches in Santa Catarina.
- Santa Catarina underwater-fishing exclusion - Area Norte (IN 21/2005)coastal exclusion zone / state restriction
Exclusion area defined by GPS coordinates in Instrucao Normativa IBAMA 21/2005 (Datum Corrego Alegre). Verbatim points: 26o 09,97'S 48o 29,05'W; 26o 09,80'S 48o 28,88'W; 26o 09,68'S 48o 29,15'W; 26o 09,76'S 48o 29,25'W. The coordinate below is the first listed corner.
- Santa Catarina underwater-fishing exclusion - Area Central (IN 21/2005)coastal exclusion zone / state restriction
Exclusion area defined by GPS coordinates in Instrucao Normativa IBAMA 21/2005 (Datum Corrego Alegre). Verbatim points: 27o 13,352'S 48o 30,8'W; 27o 13,125'S 48o 29,516'W; 27o 13,056'S 48o 29,477'W; 27o 12,638'S 48o 29,108'W. The coordinate below is the first listed corner.
- Santa Catarina underwater-fishing exclusion - Area Sul (IN 21/2005)coastal exclusion zone / state restriction
Exclusion area defined by GPS coordinates in Instrucao Normativa IBAMA 21/2005 (Datum Corrego Alegre). Verbatim points: 28o 09,029'S 48o 38,793'W; 28o 09,159'S 48o 39,01'W; 28o 09,068'S 48o 38,397'W; 28o 08,47'S 48o 38,147'W. The coordinate below is the first listed corner.
- Parana river basin (Goias, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Parana, Sao Paulo)river basin restriction
Instrucao Normativa IBAMA 26/2009 prohibits capture of native species by the underwater (spearfishing) modality in the Parana basin; only exotic species may be taken underwater there.
- Federal conservation units / marine protected areas (no-take zones)marine protected area / national park
Spearfishing and other extractive fishing are prohibited inside no-take (protecao integral) conservation units such as national parks and biological reserves (e.g. Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park, Abrolhos Marine National Park), managed by ICMBio.
- Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park (Parque Nacional Marinho de Fernando de Noronha)marine national park / no-take MPA
Federal integral-protection marine national park covering about 70% of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago (Pernambuco), managed by ICMBio. As an integral-protection conservation unit, extractive fishing including spearfishing is prohibited. This unit is explicitly named in the existing BRA data as an example of a no-take zone where spearfishing is banned.
- Abrolhos Marine National Park (Parque Nacional Marinho dos Abrolhos)marine national park / no-take MPA
Brazil's first marine national park (established 1983), in the Abrolhos Archipelago about 72 km off Caravelas, Bahia, managed by ICMBio as an integral-protection unit where fishing and resource extraction (including spearfishing) are prohibited. Named verbatim in the existing BRA data as a no-take example.
- Arvoredo Marine Biological Reserve (Reserva Biologica Marinha do Arvoredo)marine biological reserve / no-take MPA
Federal marine biological reserve (REBIO) created in 1990 (Decreto 99.142) on the coast of Santa Catarina between Florianopolis and Bombinhas, managed by ICMBio. As a biological reserve (integral protection) it is closed to fishing and visitation; spearfishing is prohibited. Covers ~17,600 ha including Arvoredo, Gale, Deserta and Calhau de Sao Pedro islands.
- Atol das Rocas Biological Reserve (Reserva Biologica do Atol das Rocas)marine biological reserve / no-take MPA
Brazil's first marine biological reserve (1979), on the Rocas Atoll about 266 km off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte. As a REBIO (integral protection) under ICMBio, all extractive fishing including spearfishing is prohibited; the only atoll in the South Atlantic.
- Ilhas dos Currais Marine National Park (Parque Nacional Marinho das Ilhas dos Currais)marine national park / no-take MPA
Federal marine national park created in 2013 off Pontal do Parana, between Guaratuba and Paranagua bays (~10 km offshore), ~1,360 ha, managed by ICMBio. Classified as a no-take integral-protection unit where fishing and resource extraction (including spearfishing) are prohibited.
Forhold på vandet
Live forhold
Live hav- og vejrøjebliksbillede nær et kystreferencepunkt i Brazil, fra Open-Meteo. Forholdene varierer langs kysten — brug som vejledning.
Live hav og vejr nær Santa Catarina underwater-fishing exclusion - Area Norte (IN 21/2005).
Hvem du kan spørge
Myndigheder
De officielle organer, der er ansvarlige for fiskeri og licensudstedelse.
IBAMA - Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renovaveis
environment agency / fisheries enforcement
Ministerio da Pesca e Aquicultura (MPA) / Secretaria de Aquicultura e Pesca
fisheries authority (licence issuance)
Ministerio do Meio Ambiente e Mudanca do Clima (MMA)
environment ministry (threatened species lists)
ICMBio - Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade
protected areas authority (conservation units / MPAs)
Hvor dette kommer fra
Kilder
Hvert udsagn på denne side kan spores tilbage til én af disse referencer.
- [01]
Portaria IBAMA no 4 de 19/03/2009 (definicao de pesca subaquatica e categorias da pesca amadora - Art. 3o)
Officiellegisweb.com.brTilgået jun 16 - [02]
ACPS - Legislacao da pesca subaquatica (reproduces full official text of IN IBAMA 21/2005 - Santa Catarina, Art. 1o, 4o, 5o, 6o)
communityacpescasub.wordpress.comTilgået jun 16 - [03]
Instrucao Normativa IBAMA no 26 de 02/09/2009 (bacia do Parana)
Officiellegisweb.com.brTilgået jun 16 - [04]
Portaria MMA no 148, de 7 de junho de 2022 (atualiza a Lista Nacional de Especies Aquaticas Ameacadas; Epinephelus itajara classificado CR) - texto DOU
Officielunbciencia.unb.brTilgået jun 16 - [05]
CRBio-07 - Pesca do cherne e mero continua proibida (Portaria Interministerial MPA/MMA 13 e 14/2015, moratoria de 8 anos)
Sekundærcrbio07.gov.brTilgået jun 16 - [06]
Solicitar Licenca de Pescador Amador - gov.br (federal service / licence)
Officielgov.brTilgået jun 16 - [07]
Pescaria Sub: o que e e como pode ser praticada (overview of underwater fishing regulation in Brazil)
Sekundærblog.iaqua.com.brTilgået jun 16 - [08]
Portarias Fauna Ameacada - ICMBio (threatened-species portarias / protected areas)
Officielgov.brTilgået jun 16
Forskernoter
Verbatim federal definition of pesca subaquatica (no scuba; speargun/arbalete/trident allowed) is in Portaria IBAMA 4/2009, Art. 3o, Categoria C (confirmed via the LegisWeb legislation portal); the earlier 'Art. 2o, III' reference was an error and has been corrected. The Santa Catarina rules (apnea only Art. 1o, 50 m beach/rocky-shore exclusion Art. 4o, mandatory signalling buoy Art. 5o, GPS-defined exclusion areas Art. 6o) are quoted verbatim from IN IBAMA 21/2005 as reproduced in full by the ACPS page; the source is community-hosted but reproduces the official article text. Underwater fishing is treated as amateur fishing, so selling the catch is forbidden. The mero (Epinephelus itajara) is listed as Criticamente em Perigo (CR) in the in-force threatened-species list (Portaria MMA 445/2014, updated by Portaria MMA 148/2022 - confirmed verbatim from the DOU PDF, Art. 3o and the annexed fish list, entry 341). The dedicated mero moratorium (Portaria Interministerial MPA/MMA 13/2015) was an eight-year measure (2015-2023) continuing protection in place since 2002 (Portaria IBAMA 121/2002); no renewal of that specific moratorium was confirmed during this research, so the operative ongoing prohibition is presented as resting on the CR threatened-species listing rather than on the lapsed moratorium. Daily/possession quotas and species minimum sizes vary by region and were not captured verbatim from a primary source - they should be verified with IBAMA/state authorities before fishing. The official IBAMA legislation page and the gov.br licence service page returned HTTP 403/timeout and could not be fetched directly. Overall confidence is medium: core legality and the scuba prohibition are well supported by primary text, but some load-bearing items (Santa Catarina rules via a community-hosted reproduction; current mero moratorium renewal status; quota/size figures) rely on secondary/community sources or are unresolved.
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