Portugal
Europe · Southern Europe
Recreational spearfishing (pesca submarina / caca submarina) is legal in mainland Portugal and is one of the four recognised modalities of recreational sea fishing (pesca ludica). It requires a specific recreational fishing licence issued by the DGRM (or the 'all modalities' licence). It may only be practised in apnea (breath-hold); the use of any artificial breathing apparatus (scuba / compressed gas) while spearfishing is prohibited, and a speargun may not be carried on board a vessel together with breathing apparatus. The spearfisher must be marked at the surface by a signalling buoy/board flying the international Alfa flag, which must stay within 30 m. Night spearfishing (between sunset and sunrise) is banned, as is the use of speargun propulsion based on chemical detonation or compressed gas. A daily catch limit of 15 kg applies to spearfishing (largest specimen excluded). Selling any recreational catch is forbidden. Spearfishing is prohibited or heavily restricted inside several marine protected areas (Berlengas, Arrabida/Luiz Saldanha, SW Alentejo & Costa Vicentina, Litoral Norte). Capture of the dusky grouper (mero, Epinephelus marginatus) is prohibited. The autonomous regions of Azores and Madeira have their own separate regimes.
Last updated September 27, 2024
Governing framework
- §Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000, de 29 de setembro (regime juridico da pesca ludica), as amended (incl. Decreto-Lei n.o 101/2013)
- §Portaria n.o 14/2014, de 23 de janeiro (regulamenta o exercicio da pesca ludica)
- §Tamanhos Minimos de Referencia de Conservacao (TMRC) - DGRM / Regulamento (UE) 2019/1241
- §Portaria n.o 83-B/2024, de 27 de setembro (proibicao da captura de mero - Acores)
- §Resolucao do Conselho do Governo Regional (Madeira) n.o 604/2022 (proibicao de captura de mero - Madeira)
- License required
- Required
- Speargun
- Allowed
- Scuba
- Prohibited
- 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.
Pesca submarina must be practised in apnea; no chemical/compressed-gas propulsion
Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000
A pesca submarina so pode ser exercida por praticante em apneia, podendo ser usado utensilio de captura de mao ou de arremesso desde que a respetiva forca propulsora nao seja devida a poder detonante resultante de substancia quimica ou a gas artificialmente comprimido.
Definition of pesca submarina as a recreational fishing modality
Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000
Pesca submarina, que se exerce em flutuacao ou em submersao na agua em apneia
Prohibition of night spearfishing
Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000
Exercer a pesca submarina no periodo noturno, entre o por e o nascer do Sol
Spearfishing without signalling buoy or with breathing apparatus is prohibited
Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000
Exercer a pesca submarina sem a boia de sinalizacao ou com uso de equipamentos de respiracao artificial
Prohibition of selling recreational catch
Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000
E proibido expor para venda, colocar a venda ou vender especimes marinhos, animais ou vegetais, ou suas partes capturados na pesca ludica.
Licences are issued by the DGRM
Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000
As licencas sao emitidas pela Direcao-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Seguranca e Servicos Maritimos (DGRM).
Surface signalling equipment must stay within 30 m of the spearfisher
Portaria n.o 14/2014
O exercicio da pesca submarina e obrigatoriamente assinalado, a superficie, por equipamento de sinalizacao, o qual nao pode estar a uma distancia superior a 30 m do praticante de pesca submarina.
Daily catch weight limit (15 kg for spearfishing, largest specimen excluded)
Portaria n.o 14/2014
O peso total das capturas diarias nao pode exceder 10 kg por praticante, nao sendo contabilizado o exemplar de maior peso. Na pesca submarina este limite e de 15 kg, nao sendo igualmente contabilizado o maior exemplar.
Minimum capture sizes apply to recreational fishing as per commercial sizes
Portaria n.o 14/2014
E proibida a captura de peixes, crustaceos, moluscos e equinodermes, cujo tamanho seja inferior aos tamanhos minimos fixados na legislacao em vigor para a pesca comercial.
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
- Closedpesca submarina (spearfishing) - night-timesunset – sunrise
Spearfishing is prohibited at night, in the period between sunset and sunrise (Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000, Art. 14.o(1)(d)).
- RestrictedMarine areas of Berlengas, Arrabida, SW Alentejo & Costa Vicentina, Litoral Norte (boat fishing)Oct 1 – May 30
From 1 October to 30 May, boat-based recreational fishing in the marine areas of the listed protected areas is authorised only from Thursday to Monday (Portaria n.o 14/2014).
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
Online via the DGRM/Bmar portal (www.bmar.pt) - the route for non-residents and foreigners; at Portuguese Multibanco ATMs (national citizens); at the DGRM counter in Lisbon; or at regional DRAP offices. Licence is dematerialised (digital record).
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · dgrm.pt
- Type
- Licenca de pesca ludica - submarina (underwater/spearfishing), or the 'todas as modalidades' (all-types) licence. Issued for mainland Portugal; Azores and Madeira have separate regional licences.
- Cost
- Submarina (underwater): EUR 3/day, EUR 10/month, EUR 25/year. All-types (todas): EUR 20/month, EUR 70/year (mainland; urgent issuance costs double).
- Validity
- Daily, monthly or annual
- How to obtain
- Online via the DGRM/Bmar portal (www.bmar.pt) - the route for non-residents and foreigners; at Portuguese Multibanco ATMs (national citizens); at the DGRM counter in Lisbon; or at regional DRAP offices. Licence is dematerialised (digital record).
- Authority
- Direcao-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Seguranca e Servicos Maritimos (DGRM)
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Spearfishing may only be practised in apnea (breath-hold); use of artificial breathing apparatus (scuba / compressed gas) while spearfishing is prohibited (Decreto-Lei 246/2000, Art. 9.o(3) and Art. 14.o(1)(o)).
- Speargun propulsion may not derive from chemical detonation or artificially compressed gas (i.e. powder/pneumatic-explosive guns banned); hand or throwing capture tools allowed.
- Carrying or keeping a speargun and artificial breathing apparatus simultaneously on board a vessel is prohibited.
- Mandatory surface signalling: a clearly visible buoy or board flying the international code Alfa flag, kept within 30 m of the spearfisher; vessels must keep a 50 m safety distance from Alfa-flagged signalling equipment/vessels.
- Use of artificial light sources as a lure/attractant underwater is prohibited (except permitted use of toneira for cephalopods).
Spearfishing must not be practised within the legally established distance of concessioned (lifeguarded) bathing beaches. Minimum age and licence eligibility: minors under 16 are exempt from licensing only when accompanied by a licence holder; licence applications for minors require parental/guardian authorisation.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
Spearfishing: 15 kg total per practitioner per day, the single largest specimen not counted (general recreational fishing limit is 10 kg). For organisms other than fish and cephalopods, a combined max of 2 kg/day.
Minimum sizes
- Robalo-legitimo / European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)min 36 cm
- Dourada / Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)min 19 cm
- Sargo legitimo / White seabream (Diplodus sargus)min 17 cm
- Sargo safia (Diplodus vulgaris)min 17 cm
- Sargo bicudo (Diplodus puntazzo)min 22 cm
- Sargo veado (Diplodus cervinus)min 27 cm
- Pargo-legitimo / Common seabream (Pagrus pagrus)min 20 cm
- Goraz / Blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo)min 33 cm
- Besugo (Pagellus acarne)min 18 cm
- Bica (Pagellus erythrinus)min 15 cm
- Corvina-legitima / Meagre (Argyrosomus regius)min 42 cm
- Salmonete-legitimo / Striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus)min 18 cm
- Faneca / Pouting (Trisopterus luscus)min 17 cm
- Lagostas / Spiny lobsters (Palinurus spp.) - carapacemin 9.5 cm
- Lavagante-europeu / European lobster (Homarus gammarus) - carapacemin 8.7 cm
- Choco-vulgar / Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) - dorsal mantlemin 10 cm
- Lula-vulgar / European squid (Loligo vulgaris) - dorsal mantlemin 10 cm
Protected species — do not take
- ProtectedMero / Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) - capture prohibited in spearfishing nationally; full capture ban in Azores (Portaria 83-B/2024) and Madeira (Resolucao do Conselho do Governo Regional 604/2022)
- ProtectedCavalos-marinhos / Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.)
- ProtectedCoral-vermelho / Red coral
- ProtectedPepinos-do-mar / Sea cucumbers (under Decreto-Lei 38/2021)
Polvo-vulgar / Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) minimum capture weight is 750 g. Minimum sizes are the conservation reference sizes (TMRC) set for commercial fishing and apply equally to recreational/spearfishing catch.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
AllowedRequirements
- Obtain a recreational fishing licence (pesca ludica submarina or all-types) - non-residents/foreigners apply online via the Bmar portal (www.bmar.pt).
- Bmar requires online registration/authentication, selection of the pesca ludica category, and bank-transfer payment with proof attached.
- Allow advance processing time (about 5 working days for regular, 3 for urgent requests).
Restrictions
- Same rules as residents apply: apnea only, Alfa-flag signalling, no night spearfishing, 15 kg daily limit, no sale of catch, MPA restrictions.
- Mainland licence does not cover the Azores or Madeira, which require their own regional licences.
International spearfishing competitors registered for a sanctioned tournament may be exempt from the individual licence requirement.
Residents
Licenca de pesca ludica - submarina (or all-types) issued by DGRM for mainland Portugal
Requirements
- Hold a valid recreational fishing licence (national citizens can buy at Multibanco ATMs).
- Comply with apnea-only, signalling, distance, season, size and catch-limit rules.
Benefits
- Convenient purchase channels (ATM, DGRM counter, DRAP offices, online).
- Minors under 16 exempt from licensing when accompanied by a licence holder.
Residents of the Azores and Madeira obtain licences through the respective regional systems.
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
Spearfishing is permitted along the mainland Atlantic coast outside protected/no-take areas, subject to the licence, apnea-only, signalling, distance-from-bathers and daily-limit rules. Distinct licence regimes apply in the Azores and Madeira.
Licence required; apnea only; Alfa-flag signalling buoy within 30 m; not within the legally established distance of concessioned bathing beaches; no night spearfishing; 15 kg daily limit; no sale of catch.
Prohibited areas
- Reserva Natural das Berlengasmarine nature reserve
Recreational and underwater fishing not authorised within the Berlengas Natural Reserve marine area; seasonal Thursday-Monday boat-fishing window applies in surrounding park waters Oct-May.
Marine park off the Arrabida coast with no-take and partial-protection zones restricting/prohibiting spearfishing; seasonal boat-fishing restrictions Oct-May.
- Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina (marine area)natural park (marine area)
Marine area of the SW Alentejo & Costa Vicentina Natural Park where recreational/underwater fishing is restricted; spearfishing prohibited at night and boat fishing limited to Thursday-Monday Oct-May. Active enforcement by Policia Maritima.
- Parque Natural do Litoral Norte (marine area)natural park (marine area)
Northern coast natural park marine area subject to recreational/underwater fishing restrictions and the seasonal Thursday-Monday boat-fishing window Oct-May.
Conditions on the water
Live conditions
Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Portugal, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.
Live marine & weather near Reserva Natural das Berlengas.
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
Direcao-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Seguranca e Servicos Maritimos (DGRM)
fisheries / maritime authority (licensing and conservation)
dgrm.pt+351 213 035 805; ajuda@bmar.ptAutoridade Maritima Nacional / Policia Maritima
maritime enforcement authority
amn.ptunknownInstituto da Conservacao da Natureza e das Florestas (ICNF)
environment / protected areas authority
icnf.ptunknownDirecao Regional de Pescas (Acores)
regional fisheries authority (Azores)
portal.azores.gov.ptunknownDirecao Regional do Mar / Governo Regional da Madeira
regional fisheries authority (Madeira)
simplifica.madeira.gov.ptunknown
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Decreto-Lei n.o 246/2000 (consolidado) - Pesca ludica - Marinha Portuguesa LexMar
Officialmarinha.ptAccessed Jun 15 - [02]
Portaria n.o 14/2014, de 23 de janeiro - texto integral (mirror DRE)
Secondarydre.tretas.orgAccessed Jun 15 - [03]
Portaria 14/2014 - pagina oficial Diario da Republica
Officialdiariodarepublica.ptAccessed Jun 15 - [04]
DGRM - Licenca de Pesca Ludica (tipos, custos, como obter)
Officialdgrm.ptAccessed Jun 15 - [05]
DGRM - Licensing (EN) pesca ludica
Officialdgrm.ptAccessed Jun 15 - [06]
DGRM - Tabela de Tamanhos Minimos de Captura (TMRC), 04-01-2023 (PDF)
Officialdgrm.ptAccessed Jun 15 - [07]
DGRM - Especies / Tamanhos Minimos / Defesos
Officialdgrm.ptAccessed Jun 15 - [08]
DGRM - Zonas de Pesca (areas protegidas e restricoes)
Officialdgrm.ptAccessed Jun 15 - [09]
Jornal da Economia do Mar - A Pesca Maritima Ludica (overview of framework)
Secondaryjornaldaeconomiadomar.comAccessed Jun 15 - [10]
Portal do Governo dos Acores - Portaria n.o 66/2021 / proibicao mero
Officialportal.azores.gov.ptAccessed Jun 15 - [11]
Madeira - Licenca de pesca ludica (SIMplifica)
Officialsimplifica.madeira.gov.ptAccessed Jun 15
Researcher notes
Mainland framework: Decreto-Lei 246/2000 + Portaria 14/2014. Verbatim provisions on the apnea requirement, night ban, signalling buoy, sale ban and DGRM licensing were retrieved from the Marinha Portuguesa LexMar consolidated text of DL 246/2000; the 30 m signalling distance and the 15 kg spearfishing daily limit from a Portaria 14/2014 text mirror. Minimum capture sizes are quoted directly from the official DGRM TMRC table PDF (extracted from the document). The article numbers cited for DL 246/2000 reflect the consolidated text and should be re-checked against the official Diario da Republica before publication. Coordinates for the prohibited MPAs are approximate centroids for map display, not legal boundaries; exact spearfishing boundaries inside each park are defined by that park's own POOC/management plan and should be consulted before diving. The Azores and Madeira autonomous regions operate separate licence and conservation regimes (e.g. mero capture fully banned: Azores Portaria 83-B/2024; Madeira Resolucao 604/2022) - those regional rules are summarised but not fully exhausted here. Confidence is high for mainland core rules; medium for exact in-park boundaries and current article numbering.
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