Iceland
Europe · Northern Europe
Iceland has no regulation that explicitly authorises recreational spearfishing. Recreational sea fishing for own consumption is permitted without a special licence, but Article 6 of the Fisheries Management Act No. 116/2006 limits such fishing exclusively to a sea rod (sjostong) and hand line (handfaeri) without automatic equipment. A speargun/harpoon is not among the permitted methods, so spearfishing falls outside the lawful recreational fishing exemption and is, in practice, not a recognised or sanctioned method. Anyone fishing commercially (selling/exploiting the catch) needs a general fishing licence from the Directorate of Fisheries (Fiskistofa); catch from the own-consumption exemption may not be sold. Salmon and sea trout are protected and may not be taken in the sea. There is no published government guidance specifically permitting or banning spearguns, and community sources (DeeperBlue forum) report no clear official answer, with only anecdotal recreational practice. Treat the status as legally unclear and effectively restricted.
Zuletzt aktualisiert Juni 14, 2026
Rechtsrahmen
- §Fisheries Management Act (Log um stjorn fiskveida) No. 116/2006 (originally Act No. 38/1990, consolidated and amended through 2023)
- §Regulation No. 382/2017 on recreational fishing (fristundaveidar)
- §Act No. 41/1979 on the territorial sea, the economic zone and the continental shelf (defines the fisheries jurisdiction)
- §Act No. 79/1997 on fishing in Iceland's exclusive fishing zone
- Lizenz erforderlich
- Nicht erforderlich
- Ausländer
- Willkommen
Das Gesetz, wortgetreu
Gesetzestexte
Die genauen gesetzlichen und behördlichen Bestimmungen, die das Speerfischen hier regeln, wie veröffentlicht zitiert, mit einem Link zu jeder offiziellen Quelle.
Recreational fishing for own consumption - permitted gear
Fisheries Management Act No. 116/2006 (Log um stjorn fiskveida nr. 116/2006)
Heimilt er an serstaks leyfis ad stunda fiskveidar i fristundum til eigin neyslu. Slikar veidar er einungis heimilt ad stunda med sjostong og handfaerum an sjalfvirknibunadar. Afla sem veiddur er samkvaemt heimild i thessari malsgrein er einungis heimilt ad hafa til eigin neyslu og er oheimilt ad selja eda fenyta hann a annan hatt.
Recreational fishing for own consumption - permitted gear (English rendering)
Fisheries Management Act No. 116/2006
Everyone is permitted to fish for own consumption at sea with rods and hand reel line without automatic jigger. This fishing is not subject to a permit. The catch caught based on these rules may not be sold or exploited in any way. Landowners' rights must be kept in mind when fishing.
Marine stocks as common national property; objective of the Act
Fisheries Management Act No. 116/2006
Nytjastofnar a Islandsmidum eru sameign islensku thjodarinnar. Markmid laga thessara er ad studla ad verndun og hagkvaemri nytingu theirra og tryggja med thvi trausta atvinnu og byggd i landinu. Uthlutun veidiheimilda samkvaemt logum thessum myndar ekki eignarrett eda oafturkallanlegt forraedi einstakra adila yfir veidiheimildum.
Commercial fishing requires a general fishing licence
Fisheries Management Act No. 116/2006
Enginn ma stunda veidar i atvinnuskyni vid Island nema hafa fengid til thess almennt veidileyfi. Almenn veidileyfi eru tvenns konar, th.e. veidileyfi med aflamarki og veidileyfi med krokaaflamarki.
Coastal fishing (strandveidar) conditions - hand line only, season and trip limits
Fisheries Management Act No. 116/2006
A hverju fiskveidiari er radherra heimilt ad radstafa aflamagni i oslaegdum botnfiski ... sem nytt skal til veida med handfaerum a timabilinu fra 1. mai til 31. agust samkvaemt serstokum leyfum Fiskistofu. ... Leyfi til strandveida samkvaemt thessari grein eru bundin eftirfarandi skilyrdum: 1. Oheimilt er ad stunda veidar fostudaga, laugardaga og sunnudaga. ... 2. Hver veidiferd skal eigi standa lengur en 14 klukkustundir. ... Adeins er heimilt ad fara i eina veidiferd a hverjum degi. ... 4. Aldrei er heimilt ad hafa fleiri en fjorar handfaerarullur um bord i fiskiskipi. Engin onnur veidarfaeri en handfaerarullur skulu vera um bord.
Wann du tauchen darfst
Saisonzeiten & zeitliche Einschränkungen
Schon-, Fang- und eingeschränkte Zeiten über das Jahr. Bestätige artspezifische Schonzeiten stets vor Ort.
- OffenCoastal fishing (strandveidar) permit holders - commercial small-boat hand-line season; not a spearfishing seasonMai 1 – Aug 31
The coastal fishing (strandveidar) permit, under Article 6a of the Fisheries Management Act, allows hand-line fishing from 1 May to 31 August. This applies to licensed boat operators, not to recreational spearfishing. Fishing is prohibited on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; max one trip per day of up to 14 hours.
Erlaubnis zum Fischen
Lizenz
Was du brauchst, um ins Wasser zu dürfen, was es kostet und wie du es bekommst.
- Typ
- No permit is required for sea fishing for own consumption, but the only lawful methods are sea rod and hand line. A general fishing licence from the Directorate of Fisheries is required for any commercial fishing (selling/exploiting catch). No spearfishing-specific licence exists.
- Kosten
- unknown
- Gültigkeit
- unknown
- Wie zu erhalten
- For own-consumption sea angling, no application is needed. Commercial and recreational-tourism boat permits are obtained from the Directorate of Fisheries (Fiskistofa) via island.is.
- Behörde
- Directorate of Fisheries (Fiskistofa)
Ausrüstung & Technik
Ausrüstungsregeln
Welche Ausrüstung erlaubt ist, wie sie verwendet werden darf und welche Auflagen gelten.
Einschränkungen
- Recreational sea fishing for own consumption is legally limited to a sea rod (sjostong) and hand line (handfaeri) without automatic equipment (Article 6, Act No. 116/2006).
- Spearguns and harpoons are not listed among permitted recreational fishing gear; no provision authorises them.
- No published Icelandic regulation explicitly permits or bans spearguns or scuba-assisted underwater fishing for recreational use.
- Coastal commercial fishing (strandveidar) permits allow hand-line reels only (max four reels per boat); no other gear may be on board.
Because the law enumerates only rod and hand-line as permitted recreational methods, spearfishing with a speargun does not fall within the own-consumption exemption. Status of spearguns/scuba for spearfishing is legally unclear (marked null) - treat as not sanctioned pending confirmation from the Directorate of Fisheries.
Was du entnehmen darfst
Fangbeschränkungen & geschützte Arten
Tagesquoten, Mindestmaße und Arten, die niemals entnommen werden dürfen.
Tageslimit
No specific recreational daily bag limit published for rod/hand-line own-consumption fishing. Coastal fishing (strandveidar, commercial) is capped at 650 kg (cod-equivalent) of quota species per trip.
Geschützte Arten — nicht entnehmen
- GeschütztAtlantic salmon (Salmo salar) - may not be caught in the sea around Iceland
- GeschütztSea trout (Salmo trutta) - may not be caught in the sea around Iceland
Salmon and sea trout are protected in the marine environment and may only be fished in fresh water under separate angling permits. Cod, saithe (pollock) and golden redfish are the main species in the coastal/own-consumption sea fishery.
Wer fischen darf
Besucher & Einheimische
Wie sich die Regeln für ausländische Besucher und einheimische Bewohner unterscheiden.
Ausländische Besucher
ErlaubtAnforderungen
- Foreign visitors may fish at sea for own consumption under the same rod-and-hand-line rules as residents; catch may not be sold.
Einschränkungen
- Same gear restriction applies: only sea rod and hand line without automatic equipment; no provision for spearguns.
- Commercial fishing in Iceland's fishery jurisdiction by foreign nationals/vessels is restricted under the Act on Foreign Investment in Business Enterprises and Act No. 22/1998 / rules on fishing and processing by foreign vessels.
There is no foreigner-specific spearfishing licence because there is no spearfishing licence at all. Tourism operators offering sea-angling trips need a special recreational fishing permit from the Directorate of Fisheries.
Einheimische
No licence for own-consumption sea angling (rod/hand line). Coastal fishing permit (strandveidileyfi) available to resident boat owners for the summer hand-line season.
Anforderungen
- For coastal fishing permits, the vessel must hold a certificate of seaworthiness and be registered; the owner must be lawfully registered on the ship and resident/established in the relevant region.
Vergünstigungen
- Residents with a registered boat may apply for the seasonal coastal fishing (strandveidar) permit (May-August).
Residency-based benefits relate to commercial/coastal fishing permits, not to recreational spearfishing, which has no dedicated framework.
Wo an der Küste
Erlaubte & verbotene Zonen
Benannte Gebiete, die für das Speerfischen offen oder gesperrt sind. Das Gesamtbild siehst du auf der interaktiven Karte.
Verbotene Gebiete
- Breidafjordur Nature Reservenature reserve / marine protected area
Large protected bay between the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the Westfjords in west Iceland, with over 3000 islands, islets and skerries; a designated nature reserve where human activity is limited and regulated. No specific spearfishing permission exists; protected-area status constrains extractive activity.
Bedingungen auf dem Wasser
Live-Bedingungen
Live-Momentaufnahme von Meer und Wetter nahe einem Küstenreferenzpunkt in Iceland, von Open-Meteo. Die Bedingungen variieren entlang der Küste — als Richtwert betrachten.
Live-Meer & -Wetter nahe Breidafjordur Nature Reserve.
Wen man fragt
Behörden
Die offiziellen Stellen, die für Fischerei und Lizenzierung zuständig sind.
Directorate of Fisheries (Fiskistofa)
fisheries authority
fiskistofa.isLocated in Akureyri, Iceland; issues fishing licences and recreational/coastal fishing permits.Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries (Matvaelaraduneytid)
government ministry
government.isResponsible ministry for the Fisheries Management Act.Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (Hafrannsoknastofnun)
scientific advisory authority
hafogvatn.isProvides stock advice underpinning total allowable catch decisions.
Woher das stammt
Quellen
Jede Aussage auf dieser Seite lässt sich auf eine dieser Referenzen zurückführen.
- [01]
Fisheries Management Act No. 116/2006 - consolidated text (Lagasafn / FAOLEX)
Offiziellfaolex.fao.orgAbgerufen Jun 14 - [02]
Recreational fishing permit - Island.is (official government portal)
Offiziellisland.isAbgerufen Jun 14 - [03]
Permits to fish (overview) - Island.is
Offiziellisland.isAbgerufen Jun 14 - [04]
Coastal fishing permit - Island.is
Offiziellisland.isAbgerufen Jun 14 - [05]
Fisheries Management Act, nr. 116 2006 - FAOLEX legislative record
Offiziellfao.orgAbgerufen Jun 14 - [06]
Fisheries Management Act, 1990 - ECOLEX legislative record
Sekundärecolex.orgAbgerufen Jun 14 - [07]
Is spearfishing in Iceland legal? - DeeperBlue.com Forums
communityforums.deeperblue.comAbgerufen Jun 14 - [08]
Breidafjordur Travel Guide (nature reserve) - Guide to Iceland
Sekundärguidetoiceland.isAbgerufen Jun 14
Anmerkungen des Rechercheurs
Spearfishing has no dedicated legal framework in Iceland. The governing instrument is the Fisheries Management Act No. 116/2006. Its Article 6 permits recreational sea fishing for own consumption WITHOUT a licence but EXCLUSIVELY with a sea rod (sjostong) and hand line (handfaeri) without automatic equipment - spearguns/harpoons are not listed, so spearfishing falls outside the lawful exemption. No Icelandic source explicitly authorises spearfishing; community sources report no clear official answer. Salmon and sea trout may not be caught in the sea. Verbatim Icelandic legal text was extracted from the official consolidated Act published via FAOLEX (Lagasafn edition 154b, 12 April 2024) and corroborated by the official island.is government portal English summary. Confidence is medium: the controlling statute and gear restriction are firmly established from official sources, but the specific status of spearguns/scuba (allowed vs prohibited) is not addressed in any retrievable official text and is therefore marked null/unclear rather than guessed. Coordinates for Breidafjordur are approximate (bay centroid). Recommend direct confirmation from the Directorate of Fisheries (Fiskistofa) before treating spearfishing as permitted.
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