Myanmar
Asia · South-Eastern Asia
Myanmar has no dedicated spearfishing statute and no recreational/sport-fishing licence scheme for individuals. Spearfishing is not named as a prohibited method, but all fishing in Myanmar's marine fisheries waters is licence-based under the Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90, 1990): 'Fishing' is defined broadly as 'catching, collecting, inducing, pursuing, stupefying and killing of fish' (sec 2.i), and no person may engage in inshore/offshore fishery, collect marine products, or run a commercial-scale sport fishery without a licence (secs 33, 34, 40, 41). The Director General sets the permitted method of catching, gear, species, sizes and grounds for each licence (sec 22). In practice there is no individual recreational permit, so foreign visitors can only fish/spearfish lawfully through a Department-of-Fisheries-licensed tour or liveaboard operator; independent fishing by tourists or foreign vessels without multi-layered government approval is treated as a serious offence. Large parts of the Myeik (Mergui) Archipelago are marine protected areas (e.g. Lampi Marine National Park, the country's only marine national park) where extractive activity is controlled or banned, and a nationwide three-month offshore closed season applies (1 April-30 June in 2026). Explosives, poisons and chemicals are banned (sec 38). Confidence is medium: the underlying laws are official and verbatim, but no provision explicitly addresses recreational spearfishing, so the restricted status is inferred from the general licensing regime and operator-only access reported by secondary sources.
Dernière mise à jour juin 15, 2026
Cadre réglementaire
- §Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (State Law and Order Restoration Council Law No. 9/90, 25 April 1990)
- §Law amending the Myanmar Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 16/93, 1993)
- §Freshwater Fisheries Law (Law No. 1/91, 4 March 1991)
- §Law Relating to Fishing Rights of Foreign Fishing Vessels (1989)
- Licence requise
- Requise
- Étrangers
- Non autorisé
La loi, verbatim
Textes juridiques
Les dispositions législatives et réglementaires exactes qui régissent la chasse sous-marine ici, citées telles que publiées, avec un lien vers chaque source officielle.
Definition of 'Fishing'
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
Fishing means catching, collecting, inducing, pursuing, stupefying and killing of fish. This expression also includes works in support of and preparatory to fishing operations;
Definition of 'Licence' (includes sport fishing)
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
Licence means a licence issued by the Department for fishery within the Myanma Marine Fisheries Waters or collecting Marine products for sale, or establishing fishery on commercial scale for sport fishing or carrying out other enterprises relating to fish;
Application for a licence to establish a sport-fishing fishery
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
A person desiring to establish fishery on commercial scale for sport fishing shall apply for a licence to the Officer-in-charge of the Department of the respective Township in the prescribed application form.
Director General determines method, gear, species, sizes and grounds
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
The Director General shall determine the following: a. type of fishery, volume of business and duties and fees; b. method of catching fish, period of fishing, species of fish permitted to catch, size of fish, fishing implement and fishing grounds; c. licence conditions.
Prohibition - no inshore fishery without a licence
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
No person shall without a licence, engage in inshore fishery.
Prohibition - no offshore fishery without a licence
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
No person shall without a licence, engage in offshore fishery.
Prohibition - dangerous substances on board
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
No person shall keep on board the fishing vessel, explosive substances, poisons, chemicals and such other dangerous substances not permitted for use in fishing.
Prohibition - no collection of marine products without a licence
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
No person shall search for and collect any marine products without a licence.
Prohibition - no commercial-scale sport fishery without a licence
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
No person shall establish a fishery on commercial scale for sport fishing in the Myanma Marine Fisheries Waters without a licence.
Penalties - fishing without a licence / sport fishery offences
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90)
44. Whoever is found guilty of violating any of the provisions of section 33, section 41 or section 42 shall be liable to be punished with fine which may extend to kyats 5,000 or with imprisonment which may extend to 6 months or with both. 45. Whoever is found guilty of violating any of the provisions of section 34, section 37, section 39 or section 40, shall be liable to be punished with fine which may extend to kyats 10,000 or with imprisonment which may extend to 1 year or with both.
Quand vous pouvez plonger
Saisons et restrictions temporelles
Périodes de fermeture, d'ouverture et de restriction tout au long de l'année. Confirmez toujours localement les fermetures propres à chaque espèce.
- FerméeAll fishing boats operating in offshore marine areasavr. 1 – juin 30
Annual offshore marine closed season (spawning-season fishing ban) imposed by the Department of Fisheries to protect breeding fish stocks. In 2026 the ban ran 1 April to 30 June; in other years the spawning closure has been stated as roughly May to end July. Fishing in offshore areas and in designated no-fishing zones is prohibited during this period and violators face legal action.
- FerméeFreshwater fishingmai 1 – juil. 31
Reported freshwater closed season (spawning protection) under the Freshwater Fisheries Law administered by the Department of Fisheries.
Autorisation de pêcher
Licence
Ce dont vous avez besoin pour être autorisé dans l'eau, ce que cela coûte et comment l'obtenir.
Apply to the Officer-in-charge of the Department of Fisheries of the relevant Township/State/Division in the prescribed form (Marine Fisheries Law secs 3-7). For visitors, book through a registered, DoF-licensed tour/liveaboard operator that handles permits and clearances.
Obtenez votre licenceOuvre le portail officiel · dof.gov.mm
- Type
- Fisheries licence issued by the Department of Fisheries; no individual recreational/sport-fishing permit exists for tourists. Lawful fishing/spearfishing for visitors is via a licensed tour or liveaboard operator holding DoF clearances and area permits.
- Coût
- unknown
- Validité
- unknown
- Comment l'obtenir
- Apply to the Officer-in-charge of the Department of Fisheries of the relevant Township/State/Division in the prescribed form (Marine Fisheries Law secs 3-7). For visitors, book through a registered, DoF-licensed tour/liveaboard operator that handles permits and clearances.
- Autorité
- Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation
Matériel et technique
Règles d'équipement
Quel matériel est autorisé, comment il peut être utilisé et les conditions associées.
Restrictions
- Explosive substances, poisons, chemicals and other dangerous substances not permitted for use in fishing may not be kept on board a fishing vessel (Marine Fisheries Law sec 38).
- Permitted catching method, gear/implement, species, sizes, period and grounds are fixed per licence by the Director General (sec 22) - spearguns are neither explicitly authorised nor explicitly banned in the statute.
No statutory provision specifically authorises or prohibits spearguns/spearfishing. Legality of speargun use depends on licence conditions set by the Department of Fisheries and on the operator's permit. Many dive/liveaboard operations and protected areas in the Mergui Archipelago do not permit spearfishing in practice.
Ce que vous pouvez prélever
Limites de capture et espèces protégées
Quotas journaliers, tailles minimales et espèces qui ne doivent jamais être prélevées.
Limite journalière
unknown
Espèces protégées — ne pas prélever
- ProtégéeWhale Shark (Rhincodon typus) - nationwide ban on catching, killing or selling; accidental catches must be released
- ProtégéeMarine turtles (Turtle Excluder Devices mandated in trawls, Directive No. 6/2018)
No published recreational daily bag or size limits for spearfishing. Permitted species and sizes are set per licence by the Director General (Marine Fisheries Law sec 22). Marine turtles, their eggs and corals are listed marine products and are protected; whale sharks are subject to a national catch ban.
Qui peut pêcher
Visiteurs et résidents
Comment les règles diffèrent pour les visiteurs étrangers et les résidents locaux.
Visiteurs étrangers
Non autoriséeLicence spéciale requise
Exigences
- Cannot fish or spearfish independently; must go through a registered, Department-of-Fisheries-licensed tour or liveaboard operator that holds the required government permits and area clearances.
- Advance booking and permit lead time required for Mergui Archipelago access (operators typically require booking around 20 days ahead).
- Foreign fishing rights in Myanmar marine waters are otherwise restricted to registered foreign vessels / joint ventures under the Marine Fisheries Law (secs 14-15) and the Law Relating to Fishing Rights of Foreign Fishing Vessels.
Restrictions
- Independent fishing by tourists or foreign-owned vessels without multi-layered government approval is treated as a serious offence (risk of vessel seizure, fines, prosecution).
- No-fishing zones, marine protected areas and Lampi Marine National Park are off-limits.
- Subject to the annual offshore closed season (approx. 1 April-30 June).
There is no recreational fishing licence pathway for individual foreigners; the only lawful route is via a permitted local operator.
Résidents
Fisheries licence (inshore/offshore/sport) issued by the Department of Fisheries to citizens under the Marine Fisheries Law.
Exigences
- Apply to the relevant Township/State/Division Officer-in-charge of the Department in the prescribed form (secs 3-7).
- Pay licence and registration fees in Myanmar currency (secs 8-9, 26).
Avantages
- Fishing rights in inshore grounds between the baselines and the coast are reserved/preferred for citizens (sec 13).
No dedicated recreational spearfishing licence category for residents; sport fishing is licensed only at commercial scale (secs 7, 41).
Où sur la côte
Zones autorisées et interdites
Zones nommées ouvertes ou fermées à la chasse sous-marine. Voir l'image complète sur la carte interactive.
Zones autorisées
Spearfishing and fishing by foreign visitors are practicable only via Department-of-Fisheries-licensed tour or liveaboard operators that hold area permits and DoF clearances; independent fishing by tourists is not permitted. Specific extraction is at the operator's permit discretion and excludes protected zones.
Operator-only access; advance permits required; marine protected areas within the archipelago excluded; subject to the annual offshore closed season.
Zones interdites
- Lampi (Lanbi) Marine National Parkmarine national park
Myanmar's only marine national park, in the Myeik (Mergui) Archipelago, Bokpyin Township, Tanintharyi Region; ASEAN Heritage Park (2003). Protects coral reefs, seagrass and mangroves; extractive activities including fishing are controlled or banned within the park.
- Myeik (Mergui) Archipelago marine protected areas / no-fishing zonesmarine protected area
Large sections of the Myeik (Mergui) Archipelago are designated marine protected areas and no-fishing zones where commercial and extractive fishing is strictly controlled or banned.
Conditions sur l'eau
Conditions en direct
Aperçu marin et météo en direct près d'un point de référence côtier en Myanmar, fourni par Open-Meteo. Les conditions varient le long de la côte — à considérer comme indicatives.
Conditions marines et météo en direct près de Myeik (Mergui) Archipelago - licensed liveaboard/tour areas.
À qui s'adresser
Autorités
Les organismes officiels responsables de la pêche et des licences.
Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation
fisheries authority
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI)
ministry
Forest Department / Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division (manages Lampi Marine National Park)
environment authority
D'où cela provient
Sources
Chaque affirmation sur cette page renvoie à l'une de ces références.
- [01]
Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (Law No. 9/90, 25 April 1990) - full text (FAOLEX PDF)
Officiellefaolex.fao.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [02]
Marine Fisheries Law 1990 - Myanmar (The Outlaw Ocean Global Fishing Legislative Database)
Secondairetheoutlawocean.comConsulté le juin 15 - [03]
Fishing Offenses and Infractions - Myanmar (The Outlaw Ocean Global Fishing Legislative Database)
Secondairetheoutlawocean.comConsulté le juin 15 - [04]
Fisheries Country Profile: Myanmar 2025 - SEAFDEC
Officielleseafdec.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [05]
Department of Fisheries - Fisheries Management Division
Officielledof.gov.mmConsulté le juin 15 - [06]
Myanmar imposes fishing ban during spawning season to protect aquatic resources (Xinhua, 1 April 2026)
Secondaireenglish.news.cnConsulté le juin 15 - [07]
Fisheries Dept enacts seasonal ban to recover marine resources - Global New Light of Myanmar (official state newspaper)
Officiellegnlm.com.mmConsulté le juin 15 - [08]
Fishing in Myanmar 2026 (recreational fishing / tourist access guide)
Secondairefishingworldguide.comConsulté le juin 15 - [09]
Lampi Island Marine National Park - Wikipedia (coordinates and status)
Secondaireen.wikipedia.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [10]
Lampi - Marine National Park (official park site)
Officiellelampipark.orgConsulté le juin 15
Notes du chercheur
Spearfishing is not specifically regulated by name in Myanmar law. The framework is built on the Myanma Marine Fisheries Law (No. 9/90, 1990; amended by No. 16/93), the Freshwater Fisheries Law (No. 1/91, 1991), and the Law Relating to Fishing Rights of Foreign Fishing Vessels. 'Fishing' is defined broadly (catching, collecting, inducing, pursuing, stupefying, killing fish - sec 2.i) and is licence-based; explosives/poisons/chemicals are banned (sec 38) but harpoons/spearguns are not listed as prohibited gear. There is no individual recreational or sport-fishing licence; sport fishing is licensed only as a commercial-scale enterprise (secs 7, 41). For foreigners the only lawful route to fish/spearfish is through a DoF-licensed tour or liveaboard operator with area permits - hence the 'restricted' status. Practical caveats: large areas of the Mergui Archipelago are marine protected areas/no-fishing zones; Lampi is the only marine national park; a nationwide offshore closed season runs roughly April-June; whale sharks and marine turtles are protected. Confidence is medium because no provision explicitly addresses recreational spearfishing - the restricted classification is inferred from the general licensing regime plus secondary reporting on operator-only access, and licence-level rules (gear, species, bag, size) are set administratively per licence rather than published. The FAOLEX official law text was verified verbatim via pdftotext extraction of the FAO PDF. The extwprlegs1.fao.org HTML mirror (mya3461.htm) and the UNODC PDF mirror were intermittently unavailable (HTTP 404/521) at time of access.
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