Nauru · Spearfishing zone
Nauru fringing reef and territorial sea (general coastal fisheries waters)
What this zone is
Overview
How spearfishing is treated at Nauru fringing reef and territorial sea (general coastal fisheries waters).
Reef-flat gleaning and spearfishing of reef fish (e.g. soldierfish/emon, surgeonfish/iubwiya), octopus and green snails are widespread traditional practices in Nauru's narrow fringing reef and internal/territorial waters. These are recognised as artisanal/subsistence fishing under the Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2020. The reef and lagoon are State-owned (no customary marine tenure), so no general permit is required for subsistence reef fishing, subject to the Act's discretionary controls.
What applies here
Restrictions
Specific rules and limits that apply within this area.
Subject to Minister's powers to declare closed seasons, designate marine protected areas, set catch quotas/size limits and restrict gear or methods (ss.8, 23, 24), and to any community fisheries management area plan (Part 4). Explosives, firearms and poison are prohibited (s.62).
When it applies
Seasons
Time-of-year periods that affect spearfishing in this zone.
No specific gazetted closed season located as of June 2026.
On the coast
Location
Approximate reference point for this zone. See the full picture on the interactive map.
0.5228°S, 166.9315°E
View on the mapSource
This zone is documented in the official source below.
Before you dive
License for Nauru
Whether you need a license to spearfish here, and how to get one.
Contact the Nauru Fisheries and Marine Resources Authority (NFMRA). Subsistence/artisanal reef fishing appears not to require an individual licence; commercial activity requires authorisation under s.64 of the 2020 Act.
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · nauru-data.sprep.org