SpearfishingMap

Cook Islands · Spearfishing zone

Marae Moana 50-nautical-mile marine protected area (around all islands)

Prohibited zonemultiple-use marine protected area

What this zone is

Overview

How spearfishing is treated at Marae Moana 50-nautical-mile marine protected area (around all islands).

Section 24 of the Marae Moana Act 2017 establishes a marine protected area of 50 nautical miles, measured from each coastline, around all islands of the Cook Islands. Within it all seabed minerals activities and large-scale commercial fishing are prohibited, but other ecologically sustainable uses (including artisanal, subsistence and recreational take outside ra'ui) are permitted. This is a large-scale-commercial restriction, not a ban on recreational spearfishing.

Source

This zone is documented in the official source below.

Before you dive

License for Cook Islands

Whether you need a license to spearfish here, and how to get one.

License requiredvia Cook Islands Tourism / Aitutaki Island authorities; Ministry of Marine Resources for fisheries matters

Aitutaki: from the Cook Islands Tourism Office in Arutanga and the Araura Marine Research Centre near the airport. Rarotonga: no licence required for general fishing.

Get your license

Opens the official portal · cookislandspocketguide.com

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