Suriname
Americas · South America
No spearfishing-specific (underwater fishing / harpoon) legislation could be located for Suriname. The country's Atlantic coast is extremely turbid (Amazon-influenced mud plume) with near-zero underwater visibility, there is no developed dive or spearfishing industry, and no registered marine dive sites. Fisheries are governed by a commercial-oriented framework (Sea Fisheries Act 1980, amended 2017; Fish Stock Protection Act/Decree 1961; Coastal Fisheries Decree 1981) under which fishing is only permitted with a valid licence issued by the LVV Fisheries Department (Visserijdienst); these instruments target commercial vessels and do not explicitly address recreational spearfishing. Freshwater sport fishing is traditionally informal (free or for a small fee). Fishing of any kind in nature reserves is prohibited without written permission under the Nature Protection Act 1954 (Art. 5), and sea turtles and marine mammals are protected under the Game Act. Because no source explicitly permits or prohibits recreational spearfishing, legality is marked unknown; divers should treat coastal protected areas as no-fishing zones and confirm requirements with the LVV Fisheries Department before any underwater fishing.
Dernière mise à jour juin 16, 2026
Cadre réglementaire
- §Sea Fisheries Act 1980 (Decree of 31 December 1980 laying down regulations in the field of sea fishing; amended by Act of 7 April 2017 on the Maritime Zones of the Republic of Suriname)
- §Fish Stock Protection Act 1961 and Fish Stock Protection Decree 1961 (G.B. No. 44)
- §Coastal Fisheries Decree 1981
- §Nature Protection Act 1954 (Natuurbeschermingswet)
- §Game Act (Jachtwet) / Nature Conservation legislation
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.
Prohibited activities in nature reserves (incl. fishing) without written permission
Nature Protection Act 1954 (Natuurbeschermingswet)
It is forbidden to undertake any kind of activity in a nature reserve which will affect the integrity of the reserves in a detrimental way. It is also prohibited to camp, make fire, cut wood or make charcoal, and to hunt or fish, unless written permission for this has been obtained from the Head of the Suriname Forest Service, and then only on the conditions stipulated in the permit.
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.
Aucune fermeture saisonnière enregistrée — vérifiez localement avant de plonger.
Autorisation de pêcher
Licence
Ce dont vous avez besoin pour être autorisé dans l'eau, ce que cela coûte et comment l'obtenir.
The only documented licence regime is for commercial fishing: each fishing vessel must operate under a valid annual licence (specifying gear, vessel size, engine power, fishing zone and target species) issued by the LVV Fisheries Department (Visserijdienst) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Ministerie van LVV). No evidence was found that recreational underwater fishing/spearfishing requires this licence. Recreational freshwater fishing is traditionally informal (free or for a small fee); no formal recreational/spearfishing licence procedure was located, so the requirement for recreational spearfishing is unknown.
Obtenez votre licenceOuvre le portail officiel · discover-suriname.com
- Type
- Commercial fishing-vessel licence only; no recreational/sport-fishing or spearfishing licence requirement was located
- Coût
- unknown
- Validité
- Annual (commercial fishing-vessel licences must be renewed each year)
- Comment l'obtenir
- The only documented licence regime is for commercial fishing: each fishing vessel must operate under a valid annual licence (specifying gear, vessel size, engine power, fishing zone and target species) issued by the LVV Fisheries Department (Visserijdienst) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Ministerie van LVV). No evidence was found that recreational underwater fishing/spearfishing requires this licence. Recreational freshwater fishing is traditionally informal (free or for a small fee); no formal recreational/spearfishing licence procedure was located, so the requirement for recreational spearfishing is unknown.
- Autorité
- Visserijdienst (Fisheries Department), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (LVV)
Matériel et technique
Règles d'équipement
Quel matériel est autorisé, comment il peut être utilisé et les conditions associées.
No regulations specific to spearguns, harpoons or the use of SCUBA while fishing were located. Sea Fisheries Act licence conditions specify gear specifications, but published sources address commercial gear (e.g. trawl/shrimp fisheries), not recreational underwater fishing equipment.
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
- ProtégéeAll sea turtle species (protected under the Game Act; Galibi, Wia Wia and Coppename Monding reserves protect nesting grounds)
- ProtégéeMarine mammals (protected under the Game Act)
- ProtégéeAll mammal and bird species designated as wild species in Suriname (Game Act)
Sea Fisheries Act licence conditions can set minimum landing sizes and allowable bycatch for commercial fisheries, but no recreational/spearfishing-specific catch or size limits were located. Per a non-verbatim paraphrase of the Game Act (Jachtwet 1954, Art. 2) reported by The Outlaw Ocean Project, capture, killing or possession of protected animals (all mammals, birds and sea turtles, plus species designated by State Decree) is prohibited; the exact verbatim statutory wording could not be verified from a primary source, so this is a summary, not a quote.
Qui peut pêcher
Visiteurs et résidents
Comment les règles diffèrent pour les visiteurs étrangers et les résidents locaux.
Visiteurs étrangers
No rules specific to foreign recreational anglers or spearfishers were located. General fishing requires a valid licence, and fishing within nature reserves requires written permission from the Head of the Suriname Forest Service.
Résidents
unknown
Residents traditionally engage in freshwater sport fishing as a hobby, for free or for a small fee. No formal resident recreational/spearfishing licence regime was located.
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 interdites
- Bigi Pan Multiple Use Management Area (MUMA)multiple use management area / coastal wetland (permit-regulated, not an outright no-fishing zone)
Coastal wetland/mangrove protected area (IUCN category VI) in NW Suriname between the Atlantic Ocean and the Nickerie River, established 1987. As a multiple-use area it permits regulated fishing and recreation under permit rather than imposing an outright ban; listed here as restricted because any fishing is subject to permit and to the protections of the Nature Protection Act 1954. Coordinates are from a geolocation source (BirdLife), not a legal instrument.
- Coppename Monding Nature Reservemarine/coastal nature reserve (Ramsar site)
Coastal/marine nature reserve at the mouth of the Coppename River (Saramacca District), established 1961; Ramsar Wetland of International Importance (site #304, listed 22 July 1985). Legal basis for the no-fishing designation: Nature Protection Act 1954, Art. 5 (fishing prohibited without written permission of the Head of the Suriname Forest Service). Coordinates and reserve status are from a geolocation source (Wikipedia), not a legal instrument.
- Wia Wia Nature Reservemarine/coastal nature reserve
Coastal nature reserve on the Atlantic coast near the Marowijne River, established 1966 (approx. 360 km2); a sea turtle nesting area. Legal basis for the no-fishing designation: Nature Protection Act 1954, Art. 5 (fishing prohibited without written permission). Location/status are from a geolocation/shorebird-network source (WHSRN), not a legal instrument.
- Galibi Nature Reservemarine/coastal nature reserve
Coastal nature reserve near the mouth of the Marowijne River, established 1969, protecting sea turtle species. Legal basis for the no-fishing designation: Nature Protection Act 1954, Art. 5 (fishing prohibited without written permission). Coordinates and reserve status are from a geolocation source (Wikipedia), not a legal instrument.
Conditions sur l'eau
Conditions en direct
Aperçu marin et météo en direct près d'un point de référence côtier en Suriname, fourni par Open-Meteo. Les conditions varient le long de la côte — à considérer comme indicatives.
Conditions marines et météo en direct près de Bigi Pan Multiple Use Management Area (MUMA).
À qui s'adresser
Autorités
Les organismes officiels responsables de la pêche et des licences.
Visserijdienst (Fisheries Department), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Ministerie van LVV)
fisheries authority
discover-suriname.comunknownSuriname Forest Service (LBB) / Nature Conservation Division (Natuurbeheer)
nature conservation / protected areas authority
swm-programme.infounknownSuriname Coast Guard Authority (Kustwacht)
maritime enforcement authority
mas.srunknown
D'où cela provient
Sources
Chaque affirmation sur cette page renvoie à l'une de ces références.
- [01]
Suriname | The Global Fishing Legislative Database — The Outlaw Ocean Project
Secondairetheoutlawocean.comConsulté le juin 15 - [02]
Suriname — Fishing Offenses & Infractions (Game Act protected species) — The Outlaw Ocean Project
Secondairetheoutlawocean.comConsulté le juin 15 - [03]
Suriname — Statutory law, Non-consumption use (Nature Protection Act 1954, Art. 5) — Sustainable Wildlife Management Legal Hub (FAO)
Officielleswm-programme.infoConsulté le juin 15 - [04]
Socio-Economic Study of the Fisheries Sector in Suriname (2017) — WWF
Secondairewwflac.awsassets.panda.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [05]
Suriname National Plan of Action to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing (2024)
Officiellefisheryprogress.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [06]
FAOLEX Database — General Profile, Suriname (fisheries legislation listing)
Officiellefao.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [07]
Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Ministerie van LVV) — Discover Suriname
Secondairediscover-suriname.comConsulté le juin 15 - [08]
Diving in Suriname — PADI (turbid waters, undeveloped dive industry)
Secondairepadi.comConsulté le juin 15 - [09]
Coppename Monding Nature Reserve — Wikipedia (coordinates, Ramsar status)
communityen.wikipedia.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [10]
Bigi Pan IBA, Suriname — BirdLife International (coordinates)
Secondairedatazone.birdlife.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [11]
Galibi, Suriname — Wikipedia (coordinates, turtle reserve)
communityen.wikipedia.orgConsulté le juin 15 - [12]
Wia Wia — Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN)
Secondairewhsrn.orgConsulté le juin 15
Notes du chercheur
Suriname is not a marine spearfishing destination: its Atlantic coast carries the Amazon-derived mud plume with near-zero underwater visibility and there is no developed dive/spearfishing industry or registered marine dive sites (PADI confirms an undeveloped dive sector). No legislation specific to spearfishing, harpoons or underwater fishing was located after focused web research. The fisheries legal framework (Sea Fisheries Act 1980/2017, Fish Stock Protection Act/Decree 1961, Coastal Fisheries Decree 1981) is commercial-oriented; the only documented licence regime is an annual per-vessel commercial fishing licence issued by the LVV Fisheries Department, and no recreational/spearfishing licence requirement was found (so license.required is set to unknown/null rather than true). VERBATIM SOURCING: exact legal text was retrievable only for the Nature Protection Act 1954 (Art. 5, via the FAO/SWM legal hub) and that is the sole entry kept in law_texts. The Game Act (Jachtwet 1954, Art. 2) protected-species prohibition is described in catch_limits/protected_species and legal_status.summary as a NON-verbatim paraphrase only: the available secondary source (The Outlaw Ocean Project) is itself a paraphrase, and the official Dutch statute PDF (WET van 3 april 1954, SWM Programme) could not be fetched (repeated timeouts), so no verifiable verbatim Game Act quote could be obtained and the earlier paraphrase was removed from law_texts to avoid mislabelling. The full primary texts of the Sea Fisheries Act and Fish Stock Protection Act sit in FAOLEX but could not be fetched (PDF/403 access), so they are not quoted. data_confidence is LOW because no source explicitly addresses recreational spearfishing legality and no primary fisheries-act text could be quoted. PRACTICAL GUIDANCE: any fishing in the coastal nature reserves (Galibi, Wia Wia, Coppename Monding) requires written permission and is otherwise prohibited under the Nature Protection Act 1954, Art. 5; fishing in the Bigi Pan MUMA is permit-regulated; sea turtles and marine mammals are protected under the Game Act. Confirm current rules with the LVV Visserijdienst before any underwater fishing.
Prévenez-moi quand les règles de Suriname changent
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