Sweden
Europe · Northern Europe
Spearfishing (undervattensjakt / harpunfiske) is prohibited in Sweden nationwide. The Fisheries Ordinance (Förordning 1994:1716) 2 kap. 6 § bans fishing with 'gear that fish can be impaled with' (redskap som fisken kan spetsas med) as well as with spears/gigs (ljuster) and firearms. The same paragraph also forbids catching lobster or crab while diving. The Swedish authorities consider the method unacceptable from an animal-welfare standpoint. Spearguns/harpoon guns are additionally treated as weapons and are effectively unobtainable: licences technically exist only for target practice but in practice the police issue none. This makes Sweden one of the few European countries with a total spearfishing ban, in contrast to neighbouring Denmark and Norway where it is permitted. Recreational fishing with hand tackle (rod, jig, hook and line) remains free along the coast and in the five large lakes, but spearing/impaling methods are excluded.
Last updated June 15, 2026
Governing framework
- §Fiskelag (1993:787) — Fisheries Act 1993
- §Förordning (1994:1716) om fisket, vattenbruket och fiskerinäringen — Ordinance on Fishing, Aquaculture and the Fisheries Industry 1994
- §Vapenlag (1996:67) — Weapons Act (speargun classed as a weapon, permit required)
- Speargun
- Prohibited
- Foreigners
- Not allowed
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.
Prohibited fishing methods and gear (national)
Förordning (1994:1716) om fisket, vattenbruket och fiskerinäringen
6 § Fiske får inte bedrivas med gift, sprängämnen eller andra bedövande eller dödande ämnen, elektrisk ström, skjutvapen eller sådana redskap som fisken kan spetsas med. Fiske med ålsax, vars tänder är högst sex millimeter, är dock tillåtet. Huggkrok får användas för att bärga fisk som har fångats med andra redskap. Hummer eller krabba får inte fångas vid dykning. I fråga om sådana arter av fisk, vattenlevande kräftdjur och vattenlevande blötdjur som i bilaga 1 till artskyddsförordningen (2007:845) har markerats med N eller F är det förbjudet att för fiske använda medel eller metoder som inte är selektiva och som lokalt kan medföra att populationen av arten försvinner eller utsätts för en allvarlig störning.
Prohibited fishing methods and gear (national) — English translation
Förordning (1994:1716) om fisket, vattenbruket och fiskerinäringen (Ordinance on Fishing, Aquaculture and the Fisheries Industry)
Section 6. Fishing may not be conducted with poison, explosives or other stunning or killing substances, electric current, firearms, or such gear with which fish can be impaled (speared). Fishing with an eel spear (ålsax) whose teeth are at most six millimetres is, however, permitted. A gaff (huggkrok) may be used to land fish caught with other gear. Lobster or crab may not be caught while diving. With respect to species of fish, aquatic crustaceans and aquatic molluscs that are marked with N or F in Annex 1 to the Species Protection Ordinance (2007:845), it is prohibited to use, for fishing, means or methods that are not selective and that may locally cause the population of the species to disappear or be subjected to serious disturbance.
Prohibited methods in the Torne River fishing area (spears and externally penetrating gear)
Förordning (1994:1716) om fisket, vattenbruket och fiskerinäringen, 2 a kap. (Torneälvens fiskeområde)
Fiske med skjutvapen, bedövande eller giftiga ämnen eller elektrisk ström är förbjudet. ... Fiske med ljuster och andra redskap som genomtränger fisken från utsidan är förbjudet.
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
- ClosedAll spearfishing (year-round prohibition)Jan 1 – Dec 31
Spearfishing is prohibited at all times nationwide; there is no open season. Hand-tackle recreational fishing is permitted (free on the coast and the five large lakes), but methods that impale/spear fish are banned year-round under Förordning (1994:1716) 2 kap. 6 §.
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
Not applicable — spearfishing is illegal. Recreational hand-tackle fishing on the coast and in the five large lakes (Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren, Storsjön) is free and needs no licence; other waters require permission from the fishing-rights holder.
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · havochvatten.se
- Type
- No spearfishing licence exists; the activity is prohibited. A speargun/harpoon gun is classed as a weapon and requires a weapons permit, but permits are issued only for target practice (and reportedly not granted in practice).
- Cost
- unknown
- Validity
- unknown
- How to obtain
- Not applicable — spearfishing is illegal. Recreational hand-tackle fishing on the coast and in the five large lakes (Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren, Storsjön) is free and needs no licence; other waters require permission from the fishing-rights holder.
- Authority
- Havs- och vattenmyndigheten (Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management); Polismyndigheten (Police) for weapons permits
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Fishing with gear that can impale/spear fish (sådana redskap som fisken kan spetsas med) is prohibited nationally — this bans spearguns and harpoons for fishing.
- Fishing with spears/gigs (ljuster) and other gear that penetrates the fish from the outside is explicitly prohibited (Torne River area; ljuster banned generally as impaling gear).
- Fishing with firearms is prohibited.
- Lobster or crab may not be caught while diving (Hummer eller krabba får inte fångas vid dykning).
- An eel spear (ålsax) with teeth at most 6 mm is permitted (narrow exception, not general spearfishing).
- A gaff (huggkrok) may only be used to land fish already caught with other (legal) gear.
- A speargun/harpoon gun is treated as a weapon under the Weapons Act; possession requires a permit, granted only for target practice, and in practice not issued.
Permitted recreational gear is limited to hand tackle (handredskap): rod, jig and similar movable gear with line and at most ten hooks. No impaling/spearing method is allowed.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
Not applicable to spearfishing (prohibited). General recreational catch and minimum-size rules apply to legal hand-tackle fishing.
Protected species — do not take
- ProtectedSpecies marked N or F in Annex 1 to the Species Protection Ordinance (Artskyddsförordningen 2007:845) — non-selective methods that could locally extirpate or seriously disturb the population are prohibited
Minimum sizes and closed seasons (fredningstider) exist for various species (e.g. lobster, trout) under Havs- och vattenmyndigheten rules, but these govern legal hand-tackle/trap fishing, not spearfishing, which is banned outright. Detailed species size limits were not enumerated here as they are not relevant to a total spearfishing ban.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
Not allowedRestrictions
- The spearfishing prohibition applies equally to foreigners and residents — no exemption.
- Foreigners may fish with hand tackle on the coast and in the five large lakes on the same terms as Swedish citizens, but not by spearfishing.
Spearfishing is banned for everyone in Sweden regardless of nationality. Neighbouring Denmark and Norway permit spearfishing, which Swedish enthusiasts often travel to.
Residents
No spearfishing licence; residents may fish freely with hand tackle on the coast and in the five large lakes, otherwise with the rights-holder's permission.
Residents are subject to the same national spearfishing prohibition as everyone else.
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
- All Swedish waters (national territory)national prohibition
Spearfishing with any gear that impales fish is prohibited throughout Sweden — coastal sea waters, the five large lakes and all inland waters. There is no zone where spearfishing is permitted. Catching lobster or crab while diving is also banned nationally.
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
Havs- och vattenmyndigheten (Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, HaV)
fisheries / marine and water authority
havochvatten.seBox 11 930, 404 39 Göteborg, Sweden; havochvatten@havochvatten.seLänsstyrelserna (County Administrative Boards)
regional fishing authority
lansstyrelsen.seRegional offices; handle local fishing rules and fixed-gear permitsPolismyndigheten (Swedish Police Authority)
weapons permitting authority
polisen.seWeapons licensing (vapentillstånd) for spearguns classed as weapons
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Förordning (1994:1716) om fisket, vattenbruket och fiskerinäringen — 2 kap. 6 § (prohibited gear, including gear that impales fish; lobster/crab not by diving)
Officiallagen.nuAccessed Jun 15 - [02]
Förordning (1994:1716) om fisket, vattenbruket och fiskerinäringen — official SFS text (Sveriges riksdag)
Officialriksdagen.seAccessed Jun 15 - [03]
Motion 2022/23:1107 Undervattensjakt (Magnus Berntsson, KD) — parliamentary motion confirming spearfishing prohibited under Förordning 1994:1716; rejected
Officialriksdagen.seAccessed Jun 15 - [04]
Fiskeregler för fritidsfiske — Havs- och vattenmyndigheten (recreational fishing rules; free hand-tackle fishing on coast and five big lakes)
Officialhavochvatten.seAccessed Jun 15 - [05]
Boom för harpunfiske i Danmark – förbjudet i Sverige (SVT Nyheter) — banned under fiskelagen; animal-welfare rationale; allowed in EU/Denmark
Secondarysvt.seAccessed Jun 15 - [06]
Spearfishing Rules Worldwide / Europe — harpune.info (Sweden listed as prohibited; speargun only for target practice with club licence)
communityharpune.infoAccessed Jun 15
Researcher notes
Spearfishing is one of the few outright prohibitions in Europe. Canonical legal basis: Förordning (1994:1716) 2 kap. 6 §, which bans 'sådana redskap som fisken kan spetsas med' (gear with which fish can be impaled), spears/gigs (ljuster), firearms, and catching lobster/crab while diving. Verbatim Swedish text was retrieved from lagen.nu (an authoritative mirror of the consolidated SFS). The ban is national and year-round; there are no allowed zones or seasons for spearfishing. The speargun is additionally a weapon under the Weapons Act, with permits limited to target practice and effectively not granted. Confidence is high for the prohibition itself (official primary text). The harpoon-length / 50 cm gummiband detail and the 'police issue no licences in practice' claim appear only in community/forum sources and are flagged as lower-reliability; they are reflected in equipment notes but not stated as primary law. Species-level minimum sizes and closed seasons were not enumerated because they govern legal hand-tackle fishing, not the banned spearfishing method.
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