SpearfishingMap

Cuba

Americas · Caribbean

Spearfishing (pesca submarina) is legal in Cuba as a sub-category of recreational fishing (pesca recreativa), but it is tightly restricted by Ley No. 129/2019 (Ley de Pesca) and its Regulation (Decreto No. 1/2019). It may only be practised on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, only in the designated maritime areas of Chapter V of the Decree, and only by free-diving (apnea) with spring/rubber, pneumatic or pneumatic-oil spearguns and harpoons, in single units. The use of artificial breathing equipment (scuba) for spearfishing is prohibited, and competitive spearfishing events are banned nationwide. A personal, non-transferable annual spearfishing licence is required (issued by the Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal of the Ministry of the Food Industry); applicants must be at least 17 years old. Catch is for personal/family consumption only, not for profit. Certain species are reserved for state commercial fishing (e.g. spiny lobster Panulirus argus, queen conch Lobatus gigas) and others are fully protected (e.g. sea turtles, manatee, black coral). Spearfishing is also prohibited inside marine protected areas / national parks such as Jardines de la Reina.

Restricted
Confianza de los datosConfianza alta

Última actualización junio 14, 2026

Marco regulador

  • §Ley No. 129/2019 "Ley de Pesca" (National Assembly, in force from 7 February 2020)
  • §Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca" (Council of Ministers)
  • §Resolucion 18/2020 of the Ministry of the Food Industry (procedure for granting fishing authorisations)
  • §Replaced Decreto-Ley No. 164/1996 "Reglamento de Pesca"
Licencia obligatoria
Obligatoria
Fusil de pesca
Permitido
Escafandra
Prohibido
Extranjeros
Bienvenidos
Máx. de arpones
1

La ley, literal

Textos legales

Las disposiciones legales y reglamentarias exactas que regulan la pesca submarina aquí, citadas tal como están publicadas, con un enlace a cada fuente oficial.

01Article 14, point 3Cuba · national

Definition of recreational fishing including spearfishing

Ley No. 129/2019 "Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

3. La pesca recreativa es aquella mediante la que se produce la captura de organismos acuaticos con fines recreativos o de esparcimiento, incluye la pesca submarina.

02Article 16Cuba · national

Spearfishing days, allowed gear and free-diving requirement

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 16. La pesca submarina solo puede practicarse los sabados, domingos y dias feriados, en las aguas maritimas que se consignan en el Capitulo V del presente Decreto y mediante buceo a pulmon libre y con escopetas de liga o resorte, oleoneumaticas y arpon, siempre en cantidades unitarias.

03Article 17Cuba · national

Prohibition of competitive spearfishing events

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 17. Se prohibe la celebracion de cualquier tipo de evento competitivo relacionado con la pesca submarina en el territorio nacional.

04Article 18Cuba · national

Recreational/sports catch is for personal consumption, not for profit

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 18. El producto de la pesca deportiva y de la recreativa se destina, fundamentalmente, al consumo personal o familiar y no puede utilizarse con fines de lucro.

05Article 5Cuba · national

Minimum age of 17 to obtain a fishing authorisation

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 5. Para solicitar una autorizacion de pesca es requisito indispensable, en el caso de personas naturales, que el solicitante tenga cumplidos los diecisiete (17) anos de edad.

06Article 41Cuba · national

Spearfishing licence is a class of recreational fishing licence

Resolucion 18/2020 "Procedimiento para el otorgamiento de autorizaciones de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 41. Dentro de la clasificacion de pesca recreativa se encuentra la licencia de pesca submarina.

07Article 43Cuba · national

Spearfishing licence for Cuban nationals and permanent residents - fees

Resolucion 18/2020 "Procedimiento para el otorgamiento de autorizaciones de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 43. La licencia de pesca submarina para personas naturales cubanas y extranjeras residentes permanentes se emite anualmente conforme a las modalidades y tarifas siguientes: a) ... Licencias territoriales (provinciales) cien pesos (100.00 CUP); y b) ... Licencias nacionales doscientos pesos (200.00 CUP).

08Article 44Cuba · national

Spearfishing licence for temporary-resident foreigners - fees

Resolucion 18/2020 "Procedimiento para el otorgamiento de autorizaciones de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 44. La licencia de pesca submarina para personas naturales extranjeras residentes temporales se emite anualmente conforme a las modalidades y tarifas siguientes: a) ... Licencias territoriales (provinciales) cien pesos (100.00 CUC); y b) ... Licencias nacionales doscientos pesos convertibles (200.00 CUC).

09Article 45Cuba · national

Spearfishing licence is personal and non-transferable

Resolucion 18/2020 "Procedimiento para el otorgamiento de autorizaciones de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 45. La licencia de pesca submarina es de caracter personal e intransferible en todos los casos.

10Article 32, point 16Cuba · national

Spearfishing-related fishing violation (illegal days, zones, gear, scuba)

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

16. Practicar la pesca submarina en dias y en zonas no autorizados, asi como utilizar equipos de respiracion artificial o escopetas que no sean las permitidas.

11Article 32, point 3Cuba · national

Species reserved exclusively for state commercial fishing (cannot be speared)

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

3. Capturar, extraer, desembarcar, transportar, procesar o comercializar, sin la correspondiente autorizacion del Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria, especies destinadas exclusivamente a la pesca comercial estatal tales como: a) langosta (Panulirus argus); b) cangrejo moro (Menippe mercenaria); ... i) cobo (Lobatus gigas).

12Article 32, point 2Cuba · national

Protected / threatened species that may not be captured

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

2. Capturar, extraer, desembarcar, transportar, procesar y comercializar ... especies hidrobiologicas en regimen especial de proteccion, amenazadas o en peligro de extincion tales como: a) Manati (Trichechus manatus); b) delfin (Turciops truncatus); ... f) carey (Erectmochelys imbricata); g) tortuga verde (Chelonia mydas); h) caguama (Caretta caretta); i) tinglado (Dermochelys coriacea); j) coral negro (Antipatharia sp.) ...

13Article 31 (Chapter V, Zonas de Pesca)Cuba · national

Maritime areas given preference to sports/recreational fishing (spearfishing zones), with coordinates

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOriginal

Articulo 31. Se otorga preferencia a las pescas deportiva, la recreativa y a la comercial de autoconsumo social, en las areas citadas en el Anexo 2 del presente, constituidas por las aguas maritimas, comprendidas entre los siguientes tramos del litoral: 1. Desde Punta Gobernadora (Latitud 23 00'08,12" y Longitud 83 13'20,49") hasta la Punta de la Peninsula de Hicacos (Latitud 23 08'30,36" y Longitud 81 19'02,19"); 2. Desde la Punta de Practicos (Latitud 21 37'08,32" y Longitud 77 05'12,10") hasta la Punta de Maisi; 3. Desde la Punta de Maisi hasta Cabo Cruz; 4. Desde el Cabo de San Antonio hasta el Cabo Frances; 5. Desde Playa Giron hasta la Punta de Maria Aguilar.

Cuándo puedes bucear

Temporadas y restricciones horarias

Periodos de veda, de apertura y restringidos a lo largo del año. Confirma siempre localmente las vedas específicas de cada especie.

  • RestringidoAll spearfishing (pesca submarina) nationwide

    Spearfishing may be practised ONLY on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (sabados, domingos y dias feriados), per Article 16 of Decreto No. 1/2019. On all other days it is prohibited.

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu
  • VedaSpecies under temporary closed seasons (epoca de veda) set by ministerial resolution

    The Ley de Pesca (Art. 32.8 of the Reglamento) prohibits capturing any species during its closed season (epoca de veda). Specific veda dates per species are fixed by separate resolutions of the Ministry of the Food Industry and are not enumerated in the Ley/Reglamento text; exact dates were not retrieved from a primary source.

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu

Permiso para pescar

Licencia

Qué necesitas para poder estar en el agua, cuánto cuesta y cómo conseguirlo.

Licencia obligatoriaa través de Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal (ONIE), Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria (MINAL)

Apply to the Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal of the Ministry of the Food Industry providing identity data and home address (Art. 42). Applicant must be at least 17 years old (Art. 5) and have no fishing-regime violations in the previous 5 years (Art. 21).

Consigue tu licencia

Abre el portal oficial · gacetaoficial.gob.cu

Licencia obligatoria
Tipo
Licencia de pesca submarina (spearfishing licence), a class of recreational fishing licence; personal and non-transferable; territorial (provincial) or national.
Coste
Cuban nationals & permanent residents: 100 CUP (provincial) / 200 CUP (national). Temporary-resident foreigners: 100 CUC (provincial) / 200 CUC (national). Per Arts. 43-44 of Resolucion 18/2020.
Validez
One calendar year (January to December); issued annually.
Cómo obtenerla
Apply to the Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal of the Ministry of the Food Industry providing identity data and home address (Art. 42). Applicant must be at least 17 years old (Art. 5) and have no fishing-regime violations in the previous 5 years (Art. 21).
Autoridad
Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal (ONIE), Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria (MINAL)
Portal oficial de licencias · gacetaoficial.gob.cu

Equipo y técnica

Normas de equipo

Qué equipo está permitido, cómo puede usarse y las condiciones asociadas.

Fusil de pescaPermitido
EscafandraProhibido
Máx. de arpones1

Restricciones

  • Only free-diving (buceo a pulmon libre / apnea) is permitted; artificial breathing equipment (scuba / escafandra) is prohibited for spearfishing (Reglamento Art. 16; violation under Art. 32.16).
  • Permitted weapons: rubber/spring-band spearguns (escopetas de liga o resorte), pneumatic / pneumatic-oil spearguns (oleoneumaticas) and harpoons (arpon), always in single units (cantidades unitarias).
  • Spearguns other than those permitted are illegal (Art. 32.16).
  • Mass fishing gear (nasas, palangres, gillnets, chinchorros), chemical substances and explosives are prohibited (Reglamento Art. 15.2 of the Ley; Art. 32.5).

Spearfishing is by definition free-dive only in Cuba. 'Cantidades unitarias' means a single speargun/harpoon per diver.

Lo que puedes capturar

Límites de captura y especies protegidas

Cuotas diarias, tallas mínimas y especies que nunca deben capturarse.

Límite diario

Not specified as a numeric daily bag limit in the Ley/Reglamento; the Minister of the Food Industry sets permissible species and quantities by resolution (Reglamento Art. 19). Catch is restricted to personal/family consumption, no commercial use (Art. 18).

Especies protegidas — no capturar

  • ProtegidaManati (Trichechus manatus)
  • ProtegidaDelfin (Tursiops truncatus)
  • ProtegidaCocodrilo (Crocodylus sp.)
  • ProtegidaCaiman (Caiman crocodylus)
  • ProtegidaCarey / hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
  • ProtegidaTortuga verde / green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
  • ProtegidaCaguama / loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
  • ProtegidaTinglado / leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
  • ProtegidaCoral negro / black coral (Antipatharia sp.)
  • ProtegidaManjuari (Atractosteus tristoechus)
  • ProtegidaCobo / queen conch (Lobatus gigas) - reserved for state commercial fishing
  • ProtegidaLangosta / spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) - reserved for state commercial fishing
  • ProtegidaCangrejo moro / stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) - reserved for state commercial fishing

Species in Art. 32.2 are fully protected (cannot be taken at all). Species in Art. 32.3 (notably spiny lobster and queen conch) are reserved exclusively for state commercial fishing and may not be taken by recreational spearfishers without specific authorisation. Capturing undersize/oversize specimens is a violation (Art. 32.21).

Quién puede pescar

Visitantes y residentes

Cómo difieren las normas para los visitantes extranjeros y los residentes locales.

Visitantes extranjeros

Permitido

Se requiere licencia especial

Requisitos

  • Be at least 17 years old (Reglamento Art. 5).
  • Obtain an annual spearfishing licence (licencia de pesca submarina): temporary-resident foreigners pay 100 CUC (provincial) or 200 CUC (national) per Resolucion 18/2020 Art. 44; permanent-resident foreigners are charged in CUP like Cuban nationals (Art. 43).
  • Provide identity data and home address (Art. 42).
  • No fishing-regime violations in the previous 5 years (Art. 21).

Restricciones

  • Same day/zone/gear restrictions as nationals: Sat/Sun/holidays only, designated maritime areas only, free-diving only, no scuba.
  • Catch for personal/family consumption only, no commercial use.
  • Cannot target species reserved for state commercial fishing (lobster, conch, etc.) or protected species.

Foreign tourists in practice usually spearfish/dive through licensed Cuban operators; tourist diving in marine parks (e.g. Jardines de la Reina) is non-extractive. Currency note: Cuba formally unified its currency (eliminating CUC) in 2021; fee figures here are the verbatim 2020 regulation values and may now be applied in CUP/equivalent.

Residentes

Licencia de pesca submarina (provincial 100 CUP or national 200 CUP), annual, personal and non-transferable.

Requisitos

  • At least 17 years old.
  • Identity data and home address.
  • No fishing-regime violations in the prior 5 years.

Ventajas

  • Lower CUP-denominated fees than the CUC fees historically charged to temporary-resident foreigners.
  • National licence allows spearfishing in the designated maritime areas of any province; provincial licence is limited to the issuing province.

Cuban nationals and permanent-resident foreigners are treated alike for spearfishing licence fees (Art. 43).

Dónde en la costa

Zonas permitidas y prohibidas

Áreas concretas abiertas o cerradas a la pesca submarina. Consulta el panorama completo en el mapa interactivo.

Áreas permitidas

Áreas prohibidas

  • Areas preferentially reserved for state commercial fishing (Art. 30 / Anexo 1)state commercial fishing zone (restricted)

    Four large coastal stretches over the submarine platform to the 200 m isobath where state commercial fishing is given preference: Cabo Frances-Playa Giron; Punta de Maria Aguilar-Cabo Cruz; Punta de Practicos-Punta de Hicacos; Cabo de San Antonio-Punta Gobernadora. Recreational/spearfishing here requires specific authorisation in the licence; fishing in these zones without it is a violation (Art. 32.12).

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu
  • Parque Nacional Jardines de la Reinanational park / marine reserve (no-take)

    Large no-take marine reserve / national park off Cuba's south-eastern coast (protected since 1996); fishing including spearfishing is prohibited. Catch-and-release fly-fishing and diving are managed by concession.

    edf.org
  • Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes (Peninsula de Guanahacabibes)national park / biosphere reserve

    UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and national park at Cuba's western tip protecting staghorn coral and reef habitat; a managed marine protected area where extractive fishing such as spearfishing is restricted/prohibited inside park boundaries.

    edf.org
  • Defence / environmental restriction areas (Art. 19 of Ley de Pesca)military / environmental exclusion zone

    Within fishing zones, the Ministry may delimit areas where fishing is limited or prohibited for reasons of national defence or environmental protection, agreed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the environment ministry (CITMA).

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu
Ver en el mapa

Condiciones en el agua

Condiciones en vivo

Instantánea en vivo del mar y el tiempo cerca de un punto de referencia costero en Cuba, de Open-Meteo. Las condiciones varían a lo largo de la costa; tómalo como orientativo.

Estado del mar y el tiempo en vivo cerca de Punta Gobernadora to Punta de la Peninsula de Hicacos (north-west coast).

Condiciones

A quién preguntar

Autoridades

Los organismos oficiales responsables de la pesca y las licencias.

  • Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria (MINAL)

    fisheries authority (governing ministry for fishing activity)

    minal.gob.cu

  • Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal (ONIE)

    fisheries inspection / licensing authority (subordinate to MINAL)

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu

  • Tropas Guardafronteras (Border Guard, Ministry of the Interior)

    maritime enforcement authority

  • Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Medio Ambiente (CITMA)

    environment ministry (marine protected areas)

    citma.gob.cu

De dónde proviene

Fuentes

Cada afirmación de esta página se remonta a una de estas referencias.

  1. [01]

    Gaceta Oficial No. 11 Ordinaria (7 Feb 2020): Ley No. 129/2019 Ley de Pesca, Decreto No. 1/2019 Reglamento, and Resolucion 18/2020

    Oficial
    gacetaoficial.gob.cuConsultado Jun 14
  2. [02]

    Ley de Pesca (PDF) - Parlamento Cubano

    Oficial
    parlamentocubano.gob.cuConsultado Jun 14
  3. [03]

    Ley No. 129/2019 - Ley de Pesca (ECOLEX / FAO legal database)

    Oficial
    ecolex.orgConsultado Jun 14
  4. [04]

    Dan a conocer las prohibiciones de la Ley de Pesca de Cuba (CiberCuba)

    Secundaria
    cibercuba.comConsultado Jun 14
  5. [05]

    Asamblea Nacional aprueba primera Ley de Pesca de la Republica (Cubadebate)

    Secundaria
    cubadebate.cuConsultado Jun 14
  6. [06]

    Marine protected areas in Cuba (Environmental Defense Fund)

    Secundaria
    edf.orgConsultado Jun 14
  7. [07]

    Jardines de la Reina National Park (Marine Conservation Institute - Blue Parks)

    Secundaria
    marine-conservation.orgConsultado Jun 14

Notas del investigador

Primary legal source is Cuba's official Gaceta Oficial No. 11 of 7 February 2020, which publishes Ley No. 129/2019 (Ley de Pesca), Decreto No. 1/2019 (its Reglamento) and Resolucion 18/2020 (licensing procedure). All verbatim law_texts were extracted from that PDF (pdftotext); Spanish accents/diacritics were normalised to ASCII for storage but otherwise the wording is exact. Key takeaways for spearfishers: (1) spearfishing is legal but only on Saturdays/Sundays/public holidays; (2) free-diving only - scuba/artificial breathing apparatus is banned; (3) only single-unit spring, pneumatic or harpoon spearguns allowed; (4) an annual personal licence (min age 17) is required; (5) catch is for personal/family use only - no sale and no competitions; (6) spiny lobster and queen conch are reserved for state fishing and may not be taken; sea turtles, manatee, black coral etc. are fully protected; (7) marine national parks such as Jardines de la Reina and Guanahacabibes are no-take/restricted. Species-specific closed-season (veda) dates and any numeric bag limits are set by separate MINAL resolutions and were not retrieved verbatim, so seasons[] for species and catch_limits.daily_limit are left general; confidence high overall for the framework, medium for exact current fees (currency was unified in 2021, replacing CUC).

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