Bolivia
Americas · South America
Bolivia is a landlocked country, so there is no marine spearfishing; the only relevant context is freshwater (rivers, lakes such as Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon/Plata basins). Recreational/sports fishing ('pesca deportiva') is explicitly legal and recognised under Law No. 938 (Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables, 2017) and the earlier Reglamento de Pesca y Acuicultura (DS 22581, 1990). However, neither the law nor the regulation specifically names underwater spearfishing, harpoons ('arpón') or spearguns ('fusil submarino') — they are neither expressly authorised nor expressly prohibited. Law 938 Art. 17 prohibits explosives, firearms, toxic/chemical substances and bottom-trawling, and lets the competent authority (IPD-PACU) declare any other method 'noxious'. Sports fishing must use 'authorized fishing gear and methods', requires a licence, and IPD-PACU regulates specialized fishing activities. Because spearfishing is not addressed by name and its legality depends on IPD-PACU authorising it as a method, the specific status of spearfishing is unknown/restricted in practice.
Last updated June 23, 2026
Governing framework
- §Ley N° 938 - Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables (3 May 2017)
- §Decreto Supremo N° 22581 - Reglamento de Pesca y Acuicultura (14 August 1990)
- §Decreto Supremo N° 1922 - Creación de la IPD-PACU (13 March 2014)
- License required
- Required
- Foreigners
- Welcome
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.
Definition of sports/recreational fishing (Pesca Deportiva)
Ley N° 938, Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables
18. Pesca Deportiva. Es la actividad pesquera que realizan personas, nacionales o extranjeras, con el fin de capturar con artes y métodos de pesca autorizados, recursos hidrobiológicos en aguas continentales, jurisdiccionales o en zona económica exclusiva, sin fines de lucro y con propósito de deporte, recreo, turismo o pasatiempo.
Prohibited fishing methods
Ley N° 938, Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables
ARTÍCULO 17. (MÉTODOS DE PESCA PROHIBIDOS). Quedan prohibidos los siguientes métodos de pesca: 1. Emplear dinamita y otros materiales explosivos, incluyendo armas de fuego o que pongan en riesgo el ecosistema acuático. 2. Emplear sustancias químicas orgánicas e inorgánicas que al contacto del agua, produzcan contaminación o disminuyan su calidad. 3. Pescar con métodos de arrastre de fondo u otros que modifiquen las condiciones del hábitat. 4. Usar redes con luz de malla inferiores a las especificadas por el Reglamento de la presente Ley. 5. Emplear cualquier otro procedimiento de pesca declarado como nocivo, de acuerdo a lo determinado por la entidad competente.
Closed seasons (vedas)
Ley N° 938, Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables
ARTÍCULO 16. (VEDAS). La IPD-"PACU", establecerá las siguientes medidas: 1. Prohibir pesca en época de veda, por factores que pongan en peligro una u otras especies. 2. Poner en práctica la veda de una especie determinada, previo establecimiento de criterios técnicos, requisitos y procedimientos administrativos y otros factores pertinentes. 3. Comunicar el establecimiento de la veda, con al menos treinta (30) días antes de su entrada en vigencia.
Specialized fishing activities include sports fishing; regulated by IPD-PACU
Ley N° 938, Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables
ARTÍCULO 18. (ACTIVIDADES DE PESCA ESPECIALIZADA). I. Se consideran actividades de pesca especializada: a) Pesca deportiva; b) Pesca científica; c) Pesca de recursos hidrobiológicos ornamentales. II. La IPD-"PACU" reglamentará el ejercicio de la pesca especializada, atendiendo debidamente a las características de cada una de las cuencas hidrográficas del país.
Licence required to legally practise fishing
Ley N° 938, Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables
ARTÍCULO 31. (AUTORIZACIONES Y LICENCIAS). I. Para el ordenamiento de la Pesca y Acuicultura se reconoce los siguientes instrumentos: 1. Licencia. Es el documento administrativo individual e intransferible, que otorga el derecho para practicar legalmente la Pesca y Acuicultura en las aguas continentales del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. [...] II. Los requisitos para la otorgación de autorizaciones y licencias, el plazo de vigencia de estos y sus formas de extinción serán establecidos en el reglamento de la presente Ley.
Right to practise sports/scientific fishing (1990 Regulation)
Decreto Supremo N° 22581, Reglamento de Pesca y Acuicultura
Las personas individuales o colectivas dedicadas a la pesca deportiva y/o científica, cumpliendo los requisitos exigidos, tienen pleno derecho para ejercer la actividad.
Prohibited (illicit) fishing methods (1990 Regulation)
Decreto Supremo N° 22581, Reglamento de Pesca y Acuicultura
La pesca con métodos ilícitos, en ríos, lagos y lagunas naturales o artificiales, tales como el empleo de materiales tóxicos, explosivos y otros cuya naturaleza causa daño o deterioro [...]; La construcción de trampas o cercas de materiales diversos, así como el uso de mallas en las desembocaduras de arroyos.
Mandate to issue Law 938's implementing regulation within 120 days
Ley N° 938, Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables
DISPOSICIÓN TRANSITORIA. ÚNICA. El Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras, elaborará la reglamentación a la presente Ley en un plazo de ciento veinte (120) días, la misma que será aprobada mediante Decreto Supremo. [The reglamento that Law 938 leaves to set licensing requirements, authorized sports-fishing methods, catch limits and per-basin rules was to be issued within 120 days by Supreme Decree; no such dedicated reglamento for Law 938 could be located in official sources, so the 1990 Reglamento de Pesca y Acuicultura (DS 22581) remains the operative regulation.]
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
- ClosedSpecies determined by IPD-PACU (vedas are set per species by technical criteria; no fixed national calendar in the law)unknown – unknown
Law 938 Art. 16 empowers IPD-PACU to declare closed seasons (vedas) on a per-species basis, communicated at least 30 days before they take effect. No general fixed-date national veda is specified in the statute itself; specific vedas are issued by administrative resolution.
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
Through the IPD-PACU (Institución Pública Desconcentrada de Pesca y Acuicultura) under the Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras; Art. 31 of Law 938 makes the licence the document that grants the right to legally practise fishing. Specific procedural requirements are set in IPD-PACU regulations.
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · gob.bo
- Type
- Licencia de pesca (individual, non-transferable administrative document); sports fishing is a 'pesca especializada' regulated by IPD-PACU
- Cost
- unknown
- Validity
- unknown
- How to obtain
- Through the IPD-PACU (Institución Pública Desconcentrada de Pesca y Acuicultura) under the Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras; Art. 31 of Law 938 makes the licence the document that grants the right to legally practise fishing. Specific procedural requirements are set in IPD-PACU regulations.
- Authority
- IPD-PACU (Institución Pública Desconcentrada de Pesca y Acuicultura)
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Explosives, firearms and any gear that endangers the aquatic ecosystem are prohibited (Law 938 Art. 17.1) - note 'armas de fuego' covers firearm-type devices, not pneumatic/elastic spearguns specifically
- Toxic/chemical substances prohibited (Law 938 Art. 17.2)
- Bottom-trawling and habitat-altering methods prohibited (Law 938 Art. 17.3)
- Nets below regulated mesh size prohibited (Law 938 Art. 17.4)
- Any method declared 'noxious' by IPD-PACU is prohibited (Law 938 Art. 17.5)
Spearguns/harpoons ('fusil submarino', 'arpón') and underwater spearfishing are not mentioned by name in Law 938 or in the 1990 Regulation. They are neither expressly authorised nor expressly banned. Whether they qualify as an 'authorized method' for sports fishing is for IPD-PACU to determine; absent explicit authorisation their legality is unknown.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
unknown
Law 938 leaves catch quotas, size limits and protected-species lists to be fixed by IPD-PACU regulation and per-basin management plans rather than in the statute. No specific recreational catch limits were retrieved from official sources.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
AllowedLaw 938 Art. 5 explicitly includes 'personas, nacionales o extranjeras' in the definition of pesca deportiva, so foreigners may engage in recreational fishing under the same licensing framework. No foreigner-specific licence requirement was found in the retrieved official texts.
Residents
Licencia de pesca (general fishing licence; sports fishing as pesca especializada)
The law does not distinguish residents from non-residents for sports fishing; both nationals and foreigners are covered. Note that indigenous/originario communities have special recognised customary fishing rights and practices under Law 938 and its regulation.
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.
Prohibited areas
Creation decree Art. 7 expressly forbids granting any 'autorización de caza y pesca deportiva o comercial' (sport or commercial hunting/fishing authorization) within the park's limits, i.e. both recreational and commercial fishing — spearfishing is 'pesca deportiva' under Bolivian law (Ley 938 Art. 5.18).
- Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercadonational park
Creation/expansion decree Art. 5 flatly prohibits 'caza y pesca' (hunting and fishing, no sport/commercial qualifier) within the park's new limits along the Bolivia–Brazil border on the Río Iténez (Guaporé); a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
Conditions on the water
Live conditions
Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Bolivia, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.
Live marine & weather near Parque Nacional y Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Madidi (Madidi National Park).
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
IPD-PACU - Institución Pública Desconcentrada de Pesca y Acuicultura
fisheries authority
gob.boMinisterio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras (MDRyT), Viceministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Agropecuario; central tel. (591-2) 2204446 / 2200430Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras (MDRyT)
environment/agriculture ministry
ruralytierras.gob.boLa Paz, Bolivia
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Bolivia: Ley de pesca y acuicultura sustentables (Ley N° 938), 3 de mayo de 2017 - LexiVox (official legislation portal)
Officiallexivox.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [02]
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentable (938) - Infoleyes Bolivia (full text, articles 16, 17)
Secondarybolivia.infoleyes.comAccessed Jun 14 - [03]
ARTÍCULO 5, Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentable (938) - Infoleyes Bolivia (definition of pesca deportiva)
Secondarybolivia.infoleyes.comAccessed Jun 14 - [04]
LEY N° 938 - texto Gaceta Oficial (PDF) - Tribunal Agroambiental de Bolivia
Officialtribunalagroambiental.boAccessed Jun 14 - [05]
Ley N° 938 (Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura Sustentables) - full text PDF (FAOLEX, FAO Legal Database) - verbatim source for Arts. 5(18), 16, 17, 18, 31 and Disposición Transitoria Única
Officialfaolex.fao.orgAccessed Jun 23 - [06]
Ley Nº 938 – Ley de Pesca y Acuacultura Sustentables - UNEP Law and Environment Assistance Platform (LEAP/InforMEA record: 48 articles, 10 chapters, enacted 3 May 2017; no spearfishing/harpoon provision)
Officialleap.unep.orgAccessed Jun 23 - [07]
Bolivia: Reglamento de pesca y acuicultura (DS 22581), 14 de agosto de 1990 - LexiVox
Officiallexivox.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [08]
Bolivia: Creación de la IPD-PACU (DS N° 1922), 13 de marzo de 2014 - LexiVox
Officiallexivox.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [09]
Institución Pública Desconcentrada de Pesca y Acuicultura (IPD-PACU) - Portal gob.bo
Officialgob.boAccessed Jun 14
Researcher notes
Bolivia is landlocked (no sea coastline); marine spearfishing is not applicable. Relevant context is freshwater fishing in rivers, the Amazon and La Plata basins, and high-altitude lakes (notably Lake Titicaca, shared with Peru, where trout, pejerrey, ispi and carache are caught). Recreational/sports fishing ('pesca deportiva') is explicitly legal under Law 938 (2017) for both nationals and foreigners (Art. 5 numeral 18) and is classed as a regulated 'specialized fishing activity' under IPD-PACU (Art. 18). CRITICAL: the FULL official text of Law 938 (verified against the FAOLEX PDF bol166379.pdf, 12 pages / 48 articles / 10 chapters) was searched and the words 'pesca submarina', 'arpón', 'fusil submarino', 'buceo', 'inmersión' and 'áreas protegidas' do NOT appear anywhere; the same is true of the 1990 Reglamento (DS 22581). Underwater spearfishing is therefore neither expressly authorised nor expressly prohibited. Law 938 Art. 17 bans explosives, firearms ('armas de fuego'), poisons, bottom-trawling and undersized nets, and empowers IPD-PACU to declare any other method 'noxious' (Art. 17.5) and to set vedas per species (Art. 16). Whether spearfishing counts as an 'authorized method' for pesca deportiva is for IPD-PACU to decide; that authorisation could not be confirmed, so spearfishing_allowed stays 'unknown'. Law 938's Disposición Transitoria Única ordered a dedicated implementing reglamento within 120 days (by Supreme Decree); no such Law-938 reglamento could be located in official sources, so the 1990 Reglamento (DS 22581) remains operative. The Reserva Nacional del Titicaca is a protected area on the PERUVIAN side of the lake (est. 1978); no equivalent fishing-prohibition reserve specific to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca was confirmed. No spearfishing-specific zones, seasons, catch limits or licence fees could be confirmed from official sources. Confidence raised low->medium: the statutory framework is now fully verified against the official text, but the spearfishing-by-name question is genuinely unaddressed in Bolivian law.
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