Argentina
Americas · South America
Recreational marine spearfishing (pesca/caza submarina) is practiced legally along Argentina's Atlantic coast and is a recognised competitive sport governed by the Federacion Argentina de Actividades Subacuaticas (FAAS, CMAS member). Coastal hotspots include Las Grutas, San Antonio Oeste and Playas Doradas (Rio Negro) and Puerto Madryn and Comodoro Rivadavia (Chubut), which have hosted national and Pan-American championships. However, the activity is regulated at the provincial level (the national fisheries law focuses on commercial sea fishing), and it is explicitly PROHIBITED in continental/freshwater Patagonian waters under the Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico (Art. 22, which bans 'la caza subacuatica' and the use of 'arpones'), and harpoons are prohibited for sport fishing in National Parks. There is no single nationwide statute that affirmatively authorises marine spearfishing; legality therefore depends on the province and whether the water is marine or continental, hence the 'restricted' classification.
Last updated June 14, 2026
Governing framework
- §Ley 24.922 - Regimen Federal de Pesca (1998) - governs commercial/maritime fishing at national level
- §Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico (2025/2026 season) - prohibits underwater hunting (caza subacuatica) and harpoons in continental Patagonian waters (Chubut, Neuquen, Rio Negro, southern National Parks)
- §Provincial fishing/sport-fishing regulations (e.g. Buenos Aires Ley 11.477; Rio Negro and Chubut provincial rules) govern coastal recreational fishing
- §FAAS (Federacion Argentina de Actividades Subacuaticas) federative licensing for underwater sport, incl. pesca submarina
- Speargun
- Allowed
The law, verbatim
Legal texts
The exact statutory and regulatory provisions that govern spearfishing here, quoted as published, with a link to each official source.
Prohibicion de la caza subacuatica (pesca deportiva continental patagonica)
Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico (temporada 2025/2026)
La caza subacuatica.
Prohibicion de pescar con arpones y otras artes (pesca deportiva continental patagonica)
Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico (temporada 2025/2026)
Pescar con redes, trampas, espineles, arpones, fijas, garfios o armas.
Temporada de pesca deportiva continental patagonica
Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico (temporada 2025/2026)
Se inicia el 01/11/2025 y finaliza el 01/05/2026 inclusive.
Prohibicion de portacion de arpones en pesca deportiva (Anexo Chubut)
Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico - Anexo Chubut
Se prohibe la portacion de artes de captura tales como redes, arpones, explosivos...
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
- OpenPesca deportiva continental patagonica (does NOT authorise spearfishing, which is banned in these continental waters; shown for context of the season window)Nov 1 – May 1
Continental Patagonian sport-fishing season runs 1 November to 1 May. Note: this regulation prohibits underwater hunting (caza subacuatica) entirely. Marine coastal spearfishing seasons are set by each coastal province and were not retrieved verbatim.
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
FAAS issues brevets/licenses enabling national and international practice of underwater sports including pesca submarina. Coastal provinces may require a recreational fishing permit; exact requirements vary by province and were not retrieved verbatim.
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · faas.org.ar
- Type
- Federative brevet/license via FAAS for sport practice; provincial recreational-fishing permits may apply in coastal provinces
- Cost
- unknown
- Validity
- unknown
- How to obtain
- FAAS issues brevets/licenses enabling national and international practice of underwater sports including pesca submarina. Coastal provinces may require a recreational fishing permit; exact requirements vary by province and were not retrieved verbatim.
- Authority
- Federacion Argentina de Actividades Subacuaticas (FAAS); provincial fisheries directorates
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Marine coastal practice typically uses band-powered or pneumatic spearguns/harpoons, 7mm wetsuit, mask/snorkel, fins, weight belt and a surface marker buoy (per reported sport practice in Rio Negro/Chubut).
- Harpoons/spearguns are PROHIBITED in continental Patagonian sport-fishing waters (Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico, Art. 22) and for sport fishing in National Parks.
- Whether SCUBA-assisted spearfishing is permitted (vs free-diving/apnea only) was not confirmed from a verbatim source; competitive spearfishing in Argentina is apnea-based.
Equipment legality is marine-vs-continental dependent. In marine coastal provinces spearguns are used lawfully for sport; in continental/freshwater Patagonia and National Parks they are banned.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
unknown
Specific spearfishing catch and size limits are set by coastal provinces and were not retrieved verbatim. Local sport-spearfishing convention reported is selective, adult-only harvesting for consumption ('cazar por cazar no').
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
No specific national rule on foreign spearfishers was retrieved. International competitors participate (e.g. Pan-American Championship in Comodoro Rivadavia). Foreigners would be subject to the same province-specific permit and FAAS/affiliated-club requirements as residents; confirm locally.
Residents
Provincial recreational fishing permit and/or FAAS federative brevet
Resident requirements vary by coastal province; not retrieved verbatim.
Where on the coast
Allowed & prohibited zones
Named areas that are open to or closed for spearfishing. See the full picture on the interactive map.
Allowed areas
Coastal town in Rio Negro province; recognised marine spearfishing (caza submarina) area with rocky restingas (reefs, caves and crevices) holding species such as salmon (de mar), mero (grouper) and besugo (sea bream). Reported max diving depth ~15 m.
Spearfishers avoid the Parque Submarino (sunken-ship artificial reef) area; selective adult-only catch is the local norm.
Beach resort in Rio Negro that has hosted the Argentine Championship of Underwater Hunting (Campeonato Argentino de Caza Submarina).
unknown
Coastal city in Chubut considered a 'mecca' of competitive underwater hunting; hosted the VII Pan-American Spearfishing Championship organised by FAAS.
unknown
Coastal city in Chubut on Golfo Nuevo, with natural reefs; a well-known centre for diving and underwater hunting at sport level.
unknown
Prohibited areas
- Parque Submarino de Las Grutasartificial reef / underwater park (no-take by local convention; no verbatim statutory ban retrieved)
Underwater park ~5 km south of Las Grutas and ~7.5 km offshore, Rio Negro; four sunken fishing vessels (Don Felix, Chiarpesca, Mariana Rojamar, Polarborg) act as artificial reefs hosting dense marine life. Local spearfishers deliberately avoid hunting at these structures, treating them as protected artificial reefs.
- Continental / freshwater Patagonia (Chubut, Neuquen, Rio Negro inland waters, southern National Parks)regulatory prohibition (freshwater sport-fishing jurisdiction)
Underwater hunting (caza subacuatica) and the use of harpoons are explicitly prohibited in continental sport-fishing waters under the Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico, Art. 22.
Harpoons (arpones) are listed among prohibited capture gear for sport fishing within Argentina's National Parks system.
Conditions on the water
Live conditions
Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Argentina, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.
Live marine & weather near Las Grutas / San Antonio Oeste.
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
Federacion Argentina de Actividades Subacuaticas (FAAS)
national sports federation (underwater activities, incl. spearfishing; CMAS member)
faas.org.arfaascom@yahoo.com.arSubsecretaria de Pesca y Acuicultura / Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Pesca (MAGyP)
national fisheries authority (Regimen Federal de Pesca, Ley 24.922)
Administracion de Parques Nacionales (APN)
national parks / protected areas authority
Gobierno del Chubut - Permisos de Pesca (Direccion de Fauna y areas competentes)
provincial fisheries/fauna authority
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico - texto del reglamento (Art. 7, Art. 22)
Officialreglamentodepesca.org.arAccessed Jun 14 - [02]
Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico - Anexo Chubut
Officialreglamentodepesca.org.arAccessed Jun 14 - [03]
Ley 24.922 - Regimen Federal de Pesca (texto actualizado) - Argentina.gob.ar
Officialargentina.gob.arAccessed Jun 14 - [04]
Resolucion 199/2024 - Administracion de Parques Nacionales (texto)
Officialargentina.gob.arAccessed Jun 14 - [05]
FAAS - Federacion Argentina de Actividades Subacuaticas (Historia; disciplinas incl. pesca sub)
Secondaryfaas.org.arAccessed Jun 14 - [06]
Caza submarina en Las Grutas - LM Cipolletti (sport, equipment, championships, restingas)
Secondarylmcipolletti.comAccessed Jun 14 - [07]
Bucear en el Parque Submarino de Las Grutas - Gobierno de Rio Negro
Officialrionegro.gov.arAccessed Jun 14 - [08]
Pesca Maritima - Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Pesca (MAGyP)
Officialmagyp.gob.arAccessed Jun 14
Researcher notes
Argentina is a federal state: the national Regimen Federal de Pesca (Ley 24.922) governs commercial/maritime fishing, while recreational and sport fishing - including spearfishing - is regulated by the provinces and by sector regulations. KEY DISTINCTION: marine coastal spearfishing is practiced legally and competitively (FAAS-organised national and Pan-American championships in Rio Negro and Chubut), whereas underwater hunting (caza subacuatica) and harpoons are explicitly PROHIBITED in continental/freshwater Patagonian sport-fishing waters (Reglamento de Pesca Deportiva Continental Patagonico, Art. 22) and harpoons are barred for sport fishing in National Parks. Verbatim provisions were captured for the Patagonian continental prohibition and season; precise per-province marine spearfishing rules, licenses, catch and size limits for the main coastal provinces (Buenos Aires Ley 11.477, Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz) were not retrieved verbatim (some provincial sources are scanned image PDFs) - hence data_confidence is 'medium'. Anyone intending to spearfish should confirm the specific provincial regulation and any local marine-protected-area (e.g. Parque Submarino de Las Grutas) restrictions before fishing. Coordinates for zones are approximate town/site locations.
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