Sierra Leone
Africa · Western Africa
Sierra Leone has no spearfishing-specific statute. Recreational fishing is governed generically by the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018) and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations, 2019. Recreational fishing is recognised and is reserved (together with artisanal fishing) for the Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) near the coast. Under section 14 a valid licence or authorisation from the Director of Fisheries is required when a fishing vessel (national or foreign) is used for fishing or related activities 'including diving for commercial fishing purposes, commercial sport fishing and recreational fishing'. The Act does not name spearguns or spears; the only explicitly banned methods are explosives, chemicals, poisons, noxious substances and electrical devices (section 40). Fishing is also prohibited or restricted inside the four designated Marine Protected Areas (Sierra Leone River Estuary, Sherbro River Estuary, Scarcies River Estuary and Yawri Bay) and during ministerial closed-season bans. No public guidance specifically addresses shore-based / breath-hold spearfishing without a vessel, so the precise legality for a foreign visitor spearfishing from shore is not clearly documented; treat as restricted and confirm with the Ministry.
Última actualización junio 15, 2026
Marco regulador
- §Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018)
- §Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations, 2019
- §Annual closed-season Public Notices of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (issued under sections 9 and 10 of the 2018 Act)
- Licencia obligatoria
- Obligatoria
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.
Licence or authorisation required for sport and recreational fishing
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018)
14. (1) No person shall engage in any of the following activities without a valid licence or authorisation issued by the Director of Fisheries under this Act – (a) using a fishing vessel (national or foreign) for fishing or related activities, including diving for commercial fishing purposes, commercial sport fishing and recreational fishing;
Inshore Exclusion Zone reserved for artisanal and recreational fisheries
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018)
18. (1) The Inshore Exclusion Zone shall be reserved for artisanal and recreational fisheries.
Definition of Inshore Exclusion Zone
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018)
“Inshore Exclusion Zone” consists of all waters seawards of the low-water line along the coast of Sierra Leone to the line connecting the following coordinates of latitude and longitude as may be defined in Regulations made under this Act;
Prohibited fishing methods – explosives, chemicals, poisons, electrical devices
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018)
40. (1) No person shall, for the purpose of killing, taking, stunning, stupefying or disabling fish or in any way rendering fish more easily caught- (a) use, permit to be used or attempt to use; (b) support or facilitate any person to use or attempt to use; (c) carry, permit to be carried, possess or control; or (d) place in the water or assist in placing in the water, any chemical, poison or noxious substance, bomb, electrical device, or material (whether of manufactured or of natural origin), dynamite or explosive substance or device.
Definition of marine protected area
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018)
“marine protected area” means a form of marine reserve and includes any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying waters and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved pursuant to the Act to protect part or all of the enclosed environment;
Definition of fishing gear (includes hookah and scuba gear)
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018)
“gear” in relation to fishing, includes any equipment, implement or other thing that can be used in the act of fishing or related activities, including any net, rope, line, float, trap, hook, hookah gear, scuba gear, winch, boat, craft or aircraft carried on board a vessel, fish finding equipment, fish aggregating devices, aircraft or vehicle used in association with the act of fishing;
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.
- VedaAll fishing (industrial, semi-industrial and artisanal) in Sierra Leone fisheries waters during ministerial closed-season bansAbr 1 – Abr 30
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has imposed one-month annual closed-season fishing bans (e.g. 1–30 April 2022 by Public Notice dated 28 March 2022, declared under sections 9 and 10 of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018) to reduce fishing pressure and rebuild stocks. Bans apply to industrial, semi-industrial and artisanal fishers; artisanal fishers were also required to avoid Marine Protected Areas. Dates are set each year by Public Notice and are not a fixed permanent statutory season; verify the current year's notice.
Permiso para pescar
Licencia
Qué necesitas para poder estar en el agua, cuánto cuesta y cómo conseguirlo.
Apply to the Director of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Details and fees are set under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations 2019.
Consigue tu licenciaAbre el portal oficial · sliepa.gov.sl
- Tipo
- Recreational / sport fishing licence or authorisation issued by the Director of Fisheries (required by s.14(1)(a) where a national or foreign fishing vessel is used for recreational or commercial sport fishing). Shore-based breath-hold spearfishing without a vessel is not expressly addressed.
- Coste
- unknown
- Validez
- unknown
- Cómo obtenerla
- Apply to the Director of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Details and fees are set under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations 2019.
- Autoridad
- Director of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources
Equipo y técnica
Normas de equipo
Qué equipo está permitido, cómo puede usarse y las condiciones asociadas.
Restricciones
- Use of explosives, dynamite, bombs, chemicals, poisons, noxious substances and electrical devices to take or stun fish is prohibited (Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2018, s.40).
- Spearguns, spears and pole-spears are not specifically named or banned in the Act; their status is therefore not expressly regulated.
The Act's definition of fishing 'gear' references scuba gear and hookah gear, but the Act neither expressly permits nor prohibits spearguns. Whether SCUBA-assisted spearfishing is allowed is not addressed in the publicly available text; confirm with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Lo que puedes capturar
Límites de captura y especies protegidas
Cuotas diarias, tallas mínimas y especies que nunca deben capturarse.
Límite diario
unknown
Mesh-size, minimum-size and species-specific limits are set in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations 2019 schedules and in the Act; no recreational/spearfishing-specific daily bag or size limits were located in the sources reviewed.
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
- Where a foreign fishing vessel is used for recreational or sport fishing, a licence or authorisation from the Director of Fisheries is required (s.14(1)(a)).
- Foreign fishing vessels are excluded from the Inshore Exclusion Zone except as permitted for artisanal/recreational fisheries; industrial foreign vessels may not fish within the IEZ.
Restricciones
- Must respect Marine Protected Areas and any active closed-season ban.
- Banned methods under s.40 (explosives, chemicals, electrical devices) apply equally to foreigners.
No spearfishing-specific rules for tourists were found. Visitors should contact the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources before spearfishing, as the legality of foreign shore-based spearfishing is not clearly documented.
Residentes
Artisanal / recreational fishing within the Inshore Exclusion Zone (s.18 reserves the IEZ for artisanal and recreational fisheries).
Requisitos
- Licence or authorisation from the Director of Fisheries where a fishing vessel is used for recreational/sport fishing (s.14).
- Compliance with MPA boundaries and closed-season bans.
Ventajas
- The IEZ (approx. 12 nautical miles) is legally reserved for artisanal and recreational fishers, excluding industrial vessels.
Subsistence/artisanal fishers are the primary users of the IEZ; recreational fishing is recognised but not separately codified beyond the licensing requirement.
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
Coastal belt of waters seawards of the low-water line, reserved by section 18(1) of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2018 for artisanal and recreational fisheries (industrial vessels excluded). Commonly described as extending to about 12 nautical miles; the precise outer boundary coordinates are set by the Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations 2019. Recreational fishing (the category most relevant to spearfishing) is permitted here, subject to licensing under section 14 and to MPA and closed-season restrictions.
Recreational/sport fishing via a vessel requires a licence or authorisation from the Director of Fisheries (s.14); explosives, poisons, chemicals and electrical devices are prohibited (s.40); MPAs within the zone are off-limits during bans.
Áreas prohibidas
- Sierra Leone River Estuary Marine Protected Areamarine protected area / Ramsar site
Designated Marine Protected Area and Ramsar Wetland of International Importance near Freetown Peninsula (Ramsar site 1014, approx. 295,000 ha), dominated by mangroves. Fishing is restricted/managed and artisanal fishers were directed to avoid MPAs during closed-season bans.
- Yawri Bay Marine Protected Areamarine protected area
Designated Marine Protected Area; shallow coastal wetland of intertidal mudflats and mangroves, important fish spawning ground and Important Bird Area. Fishing restricted/managed under the MPA framework.
- Sherbro River Estuary Marine Protected Areamarine protected area
Designated Marine Protected Area of roughly 284 km2 in the Southern Province spanning Moyamba and Bonthe districts; mangrove estuary with managed/restricted fishing.
- Scarcies River Estuary Marine Protected Areamarine protected area
Designated Marine Protected Area in the north of Sierra Leone (Kambia / Port Loko area), mangrove estuary with managed/restricted fishing.
Condiciones en el agua
Condiciones en vivo
Instantánea en vivo del mar y el tiempo cerca de un punto de referencia costero en Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone River Estuary Marine Protected Area.
A quién preguntar
Autoridades
Los organismos oficiales responsables de la pesca y las licencias.
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources
fisheries authority
sliepa.gov.slDirector of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Freetown, Sierra LeoneSierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA)
investment / sector promotion agency
sliepa.gov.slunknown
De dónde proviene
Fuentes
Cada afirmación de esta página se remonta a una de estas referencias.
- [01]
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018) – full text PDF (FAOLEX)
Oficialfaolex.fao.orgConsultado Jun 15 - [02]
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No.10 of 2018) – UNEP Law and Environment Assistance Platform (LEAP)
Oficialleap.unep.orgConsultado Jun 15 - [03]
Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2018 (No.10 of 2018) – ECOLEX record
Secundariaecolex.orgConsultado Jun 15 - [04]
Marine Fisheries Policy and Regulations in Sierra Leone – SLIEPA
Oficialsliepa.gov.slConsultado Jun 15 - [05]
Ministry of Fisheries Bans Fishing Activities from 1st-30th April – The Calabash Newspaper
Secundariathecalabashnewspaper.comConsultado Jun 15 - [06]
Sierra Leone River Estuary – Ramsar Sites Information Service (RIS 1014)
Oficialrsis.ramsar.orgConsultado Jun 15 - [07]
MPAtlas – Sierra Leone marine protected areas
Secundariaold.mpatlas.orgConsultado Jun 15 - [08]
Yawri Bay – Wikipedia (coordinates and conservation status)
communityen.wikipedia.orgConsultado Jun 15
Notas del investigador
Sierra Leone has no statute or regulation that mentions spearfishing, spearguns or underwater hunting by name. Classification as 'restricted' reflects that: (1) recreational fishing is lawful and is reserved (with artisanal fishing) for the Inshore Exclusion Zone under s.18; (2) a licence/authorisation from the Director of Fisheries is required where a vessel is used for recreational or sport fishing (s.14); (3) the only expressly banned capture methods are explosives, chemicals, poisons and electrical devices (s.40), which do not cover spears; and (4) fishing is restricted in the four designated MPAs and during ministerial closed-season bans. The legality of unlicensed shore-based breath-hold spearfishing (no vessel) and the status of SCUBA-assisted spearfishing are NOT clearly documented in the public sources reviewed. The verbatim section texts were extracted from the official FAOLEX PDF of the Act (sie192561.pdf) via local pdftotext extraction. The IEZ outer boundary coordinates and any recreational catch/size limits are set in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations 2019, whose full schedules were not retrieved in machine-readable form here. data_confidence is 'low' because no spearfishing-specific provision exists and several visitor-relevant points (licence cost, shore spearfishing legality, SCUBA) remain unconfirmed. Anyone intending to spearfish should confirm directly with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources before doing so.
Avísame cuando cambien las normas de Sierra Leone
Te enviaremos un correo cuando se actualicen las temporadas o la normativa de Sierra Leone en nuestro conjunto de datos.