El Salvador · Spearfishing zone
Complejo Barra de Santiago (Ramsar site)
What this zone is
Overview
How spearfishing is treated at Complejo Barra de Santiago (Ramsar site).
Complejo Barra de Santiago, El Salvador's seventh Ramsar Site (designated 16 January 2014), covering 11,519 hectares at the western end of the Salvadoran Pacific coast (Ahuachapan department). Barra de Santiago is also one of the named bocanas declared an 'area de reserva acuatica' under Art. 28 of the fisheries law (Decree 637), where trawling and non-selective/non-authorized methods (incl. spearfishing) are prohibited, with a 2-nautical-mile-per-end plus 5-nautical-mile-offshore protection band.
On the coast
Location
Approximate reference point for this zone. See the full picture on the interactive map.
13.7060°N, 90.0160°W
View on the mapSource
This zone is documented in the official source below.
Before you dive
License for El Salvador
Whether you need a license to spearfish here, and how to get one.
Apply to the competent authority (formerly CENDEPESCA, since 2026 the Autoridad Salvadorena de Economia Azul - ASEA) following the requirements in the respective regulation; vessel-based activity also needs a 'zarpe via la pesca' from the Maritime Authority (AMP).
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · elsalvador.eregulations.org