Sudan
Africa · Northern Africa
Sudan has a Red Sea coastline regulated primarily by the Marine Fisheries Ordinance of 1937 and its 1975 amendment (Marine Fisheries Regulation). The 1975 by-law specifically prohibits the use of 'water guns' (spearguns) in fishing without an issued permit, and FAO's regional review describes the framework as banning dynamite, poisons and spearguns in fishing. As a result, spearfishing is not freely allowed: it requires an official permit and is effectively prohibited for unlicensed and recreational use. All fishing, including spearfishing, is entirely banned inside the no-take Sanganeb Marine National Park, and is restricted in the Dungonab Bay / Mukkawar Island Marine National Park. There is no evidence of a recreational spearfishing licensing scheme aimed at tourists; the licensing regime is built around fishing craft and artisanal/commercial fishers. Enforcement at sea is reported to be weak. No verbatim primary legal text could be retrieved (the official ordinance PDF is a scanned image), so confidence is low; the legal status is sourced from FAO and UNEP/ECOLEX secondary summaries.
Última actualización junio 16, 2026
Marco regulador
- §Marine Fisheries Ordinance of 1937 (15 June 1937)
- §Marine Fisheries Regulation 1975 (by-law of 15 April 1975 amending the 1937 Ordinance; bans use of water guns/spearguns and collection of corals, molluscs and ornamental fish without a permit)
- §Federal Wildlife and Hunting (Conservation) Law 1986 (legal basis for marine national parks)
- Licencia obligatoria
- Obligatoria
- Fusil de pesca
- Prohibido
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.
1975 by-law prohibition on water guns (spearguns) - excerpt as quoted in the FAO regional fisheries review (secondary source; not the gazette)
Marine Fisheries Regulation 1975 (by-law amending the Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1937)
The law prohibits the use of dynamite, poisons, and spear guns in fishing.
Penalty for fishing offences - excerpt as quoted in the FAO regional fisheries review (secondary source; not the gazette)
Marine Fisheries Ordinance of 1937 (Sudan), as amended 1975
liable to a fine not exceeding 50 pond or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three month or to both
Licensing discretion and close areas - editorial abstract from the UNEP LEAP / ECOLEX FAOLEX record (secondary source; not the gazette)
Marine Fisheries Ordinance of 1937 (Sudan)
The Ordinance regulates fishing in the Territorial Waters of Sudan. Fishing licences shall be issued by the Local Authority (defined in section 2). These authorities may at discretion refuse licences to non-residents and refuse licences to residents for a 'good cause' (sect. 5). The Minister may declare close areas (sect. 6). A Local Authority may amend or revoke the Schedules and may make regulations not inconsistent with the present Ordinance (sect. 9).
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.
No se registran vedas estacionales — verifícalo localmente antes de bucear.
Permiso para pescar
Licencia
Qué necesitas para poder estar en el agua, cuánto cuesta y cómo conseguirlo.
Fishing licences are issued by the Local Authority under the Marine Fisheries Ordinance; speargun use requires a permit from the Fisheries Administration. Marine national park access is controlled by the Wildlife Conservation General Administration. Exact procedure for spearfishing permits is not documented online.
Consigue tu licenciaAbre el portal oficial · fao.org
- Tipo
- Fishing permit / fishing craft licence (no dedicated recreational spearfishing licence identified). A separate permit is required to use a 'water gun' (speargun) under the 1975 regulation.
- Coste
- unknown
- Validez
- unknown
- Cómo obtenerla
- Fishing licences are issued by the Local Authority under the Marine Fisheries Ordinance; speargun use requires a permit from the Fisheries Administration. Marine national park access is controlled by the Wildlife Conservation General Administration. Exact procedure for spearfishing permits is not documented online.
- Autoridad
- Fisheries Administration of Sudan / Local Authority (fishing); Wildlife Conservation General Administration (protected areas)
Equipo y técnica
Normas de equipo
Qué equipo está permitido, cómo puede usarse y las condiciones asociadas.
Restricciones
- Use of 'water guns' (spearguns) in fishing is prohibited without an issued permit (1975 by-law amending the Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1937).
- FAO regional review states the framework bans dynamite, poisons and spearguns in fishing.
- Collecting corals, molluscs or ornamental fish without a permit is prohibited (1975 by-law).
speargun_allowed set to false because spearguns ('water guns') may not be used without a specific permit and are listed among prohibited fishing methods; recreational/unlicensed speargun use is effectively banned. SCUBA-assisted fishing rules were not located.
Lo que puedes capturar
Límites de captura y especies protegidas
Cuotas diarias, tallas mínimas y especies que nunca deben capturarse.
Límite diario
unknown
Especies protegidas — no capturar
- ProtegidaCorals (collection prohibited without permit)
- ProtegidaMolluscs (collection prohibited without permit)
- ProtegidaOrnamental fish (collection prohibited without permit)
- ProtegidaSharks, marine turtles, marine mammals and manta rays (protected within Red Sea marine national parks)
No published numerical recreational catch or size limits were found. The 1975 by-law restricts collection of corals, molluscs and ornamental fish; commercial marine fishing was reportedly banned in 1978. Sharks, turtles, marine mammals and manta rays are protected within the marine national parks.
Quién puede pescar
Visitantes y residentes
Cómo difieren las normas para los visitantes extranjeros y los residentes locales.
Visitantes extranjeros
Se requiere licencia especial
Requisitos
- Local Authorities may at their discretion refuse fishing licences to non-residents (Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1937).
- Foreign fishing vessels operate under permits specifying zones, seasons and target resources.
Restricciones
- No-take marine national parks (Sanganeb, no-take zones of Dungonab Bay/Mukkawar Island) are closed to all fishing including spearfishing.
- Speargun use requires a permit and is otherwise prohibited.
There is no documented recreational spearfishing scheme for foreigners. Sudan also has significant practical access constraints (security situation, permits, restricted Red Sea State access). Status for foreign recreational spearfishers is effectively restricted/unclear.
Residentes
Fishing craft licence / fishing permit issued by the Local Authority; speargun use requires a separate permit.
Requisitos
- Hold a valid fishing craft licence and/or personal fishing permit to fish in territorial waters.
- Obtain a permit to use a 'water gun' (speargun).
Ventajas
- Local Authorities may give preference to residents over non-residents when issuing fishing licences.
The licensing regime is oriented toward artisanal and commercial fishers (open-access regime within territorial waters for licensed local fishermen), not recreational spearfishing.
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 prohibidas
- Sanganeb Marine National Park (SMNP)marine national park (no-take zone)
Atoll/coral reef structure in the central Red Sea about 25-30 km north-east of Port Sudan. Gazetted in 1990 under the Federal Wildlife and Hunting Law of 1986 (order signed 1 April 1990); a UNESCO World Heritage site (2016). Described as a no-take zone where all types of fishing are prohibited; spearfishing is therefore banned here.
- Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island Marine National Park (DMNP)marine national park (with no-take zones)
Coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, beaches and islets situated about 125 km north of Port Sudan. Designated as a Federal Reserve in 2004 under the Federal Wildlife and Hunting Law of 1986; a UNESCO World Heritage site (2016). Managed by the Wildlife Conservation General Administration; small-scale subsistence/commercial fishing is generally permitted only outside designated no-take zones, and the area is protected by Wildlife Administration and Fisheries regulations. Spearfishing is restricted/effectively prohibited within the protected area.
Condiciones en el agua
Condiciones en vivo
Instantánea en vivo del mar y el tiempo cerca de un punto de referencia costero en Sudan, 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 Sanganeb Marine National Park (SMNP).
A quién preguntar
Autoridades
Los organismos oficiales responsables de la pesca y las licencias.
Fisheries Administration of Sudan (Marine Fisheries Administration, Red Sea State)
fisheries authority
fao.orgunknownWildlife Conservation General Administration (WCGA), Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife
wildlife / protected areas authority
Red Sea State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources
state natural resources authority
De dónde proviene
Fuentes
Cada afirmación de esta página se remonta a una de estas referencias.
- [01]
FAO - Review of the state of world marine capture fisheries management: Indian Ocean (Sudan section)
Oficialfao.orgConsultado Jun 16 - [02]
ECOLEX - Marine Fisheries Ordinance of 1937 (Sudan)
Oficialecolex.orgConsultado Jun 16 - [03]
UNEP Law and Environment Assistance Platform (LEAP) - Marine Fisheries Ordinance of 1937 (Sudan)
Oficialleap.unep.orgConsultado Jun 16 - [04]
FAOLEX - full-text record of the Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1937 (scanned PDF, not machine-readable)
Oficialfaolex.fao.orgConsultado Jun 16 - [05]
UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay - Mukkawar Island Marine National Park
Oficialwhc.unesco.orgConsultado Jun 15 - [06]
IUCN World Heritage Outlook - Sanganeb / Dungonab Bay - Mukkawar Island Marine National Park
Oficialworldheritageoutlook.iucn.orgConsultado Jun 15 - [07]
WorldAtlas - Sanganeb Marine National Park, Sudan
Secundariaworldatlas.comConsultado Jun 15 - [08]
MedCrave - Current status and sustainability issues of marine resources and biodiversity in Sudanese national Red Sea water
Secundariamedcraveonline.comConsultado Jun 15
Notas del investigador
Sudan's marine fisheries are governed by the Marine Fisheries Ordinance of 1937 and its 1975 amendment (Marine Fisheries Regulation). The 1975 by-law explicitly bans the use of 'water guns' (spearguns) in fishing without an issued permit, and FAO's regional review lists spearguns alongside dynamite and poisons as prohibited fishing methods - hence spearfishing is classified as 'restricted' (permit-gated, effectively prohibited for unlicensed/recreational use). No primary verbatim statutory text could be retrieved: the official ordinance is published only as a scanned, non-machine-readable PDF on FAOLEX (https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/sud2152.pdf) and the 1975 amending by-law is not available in primary digital form, so the law_texts entries are NOT gazette quotations - they reproduce only what the cited secondary records actually state (two short fragments quoted inside the FAO regional fisheries review, and the editorial abstract published by UNEP LEAP / ECOLEX, which gives the parenthetical section references 2/5/6/9). The underlying clause numbers could not be verified against the primary text - this is why data_confidence is 'low'. The two marine national parks (Sanganeb, declared 1990; Dungonab Bay/Mukkawar Island, 2004), both UNESCO World Heritage and managed by the Wildlife Conservation General Administration, prohibit fishing in their no-take zones. Coordinates given are approximate (Sanganeb derived from N19 42' E37 26'; Dungonab Bay approximate). No closed/open seasons specific to spearfishing, no numeric recreational catch/size limits, and no recreational spearfishing licence scheme were found. Enforcement at sea is reported by FAO/UNESCO sources to be weak. Anyone planning to dive should also factor in Sudan's security situation and Red Sea State access permits. Verify directly with the Fisheries Administration and the Wildlife Conservation General Administration before diving.
Avísame cuando cambien las normas de Sudan
Te enviaremos un correo cuando se actualicen las temporadas o la normativa de Sudan en nuestro conjunto de datos.