SpearfishingMapa

Trinidad and Tobago

Americas · Caribbean

Recreational spearfishing is legal in Trinidad and Tobago and is widely practised, especially in Tobago where parrotfish, rockfish and other reef species are taken by free divers and scuba divers. The official Institute of Marine Affairs states plainly that spearfishing in Tobago is unregulated: there is no permitting system, no gear restrictions, no size or catch limits and no open or closed seasons for the activity itself. The key legal constraint is geographic: fishing of any kind (including spearfishing) is strictly prohibited inside declared marine protected/restricted areas, most notably the Buccoo Reef Marine Park / Bon Accord Lagoon complex in Tobago, designated under the Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act (Ch. 37:02). The general Fisheries Act (Ch. 67:51) bans poison and explosives, empowers the Minister to declare prohibited areas and to restrict harpooning/taking of fish, and absolutely prohibits taking, killing or harpooning any marine turtle. Visitors generally need a fishing permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, though enforcement of permits for shore/free-dive spearfishing is light and reporting is inconsistent.

Restricted
Muinín sonraíMuinín mheánach

Nuashonraithe go deireanach Meitheamh 15, 2026

Creat rialaitheach

  • §Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51 (Act 39 of 1916, as amended)
  • §Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act, Chapter 37:02 (Act 1 of 1970, as amended)
  • §Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations (GN 119/1975, as amended by 201/2011)
  • §Fisheries (Conservation of Marine Turtles) Regulations (LN 65/1994, as amended)
Ceadúnas riachtanach
Riachtanach
Gunna spéire
Ceadaithe
Scúba
Ceadaithe
Coigríche
Fáilte

An dlí, focal ar fhocal

Téacsanna dlíthiúla

Na forálacha reachtúla agus rialála beachta a rialaíonn spearfishing anseo, luaite mar a foilsíodh, le nasc le gach foinse oifigiúil.

01Section 4(c) and 4(d)Trinidad and Tobago · national

Power to declare prohibited areas and to prohibit harpooning/taking of fish

Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51

ENBunaidh

4. The Minister may make Regulations— ... (c) declaring any area to be a prohibited area; (d) prohibiting the killing, harpooning, taking, removing, catching or any other means of taking possession of fish or any variety thereof either absolutely or at such times and within such areas as may be prescribed;

02Section 7Trinidad and Tobago · national

Prohibition on use of poison or explosives to take fish

Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51

ENBunaidh

7. Any person who uses poison of any description or any explosive with intent to stupefy, poison, take or kill fish is liable on summary conviction to a fine of one thousand dollars or to imprisonment for three months.

03Section 8Trinidad and Tobago · national

Prohibition on taking fish in a prohibited area

Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51

ENBunaidh

8. (1) Except with the written permission of the Minister, no person shall take any fish in a prohibited area. (2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction to a fine of two thousand dollars and to imprisonment for six months.

04Section 2Trinidad and Tobago · national

Definition of fish (includes turtle, corals and other marine fauna)

Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51

ENBunaidh

“fish” includes oysters, crabs, shrimps, turtle, turtle eggs, corals and any species of other marine fauna;

05Regulation 3Trinidad and Tobago · national

Absolute prohibition on killing, harpooning or taking any marine turtle

Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations (made under section 4 of the Fisheries Act, Ch. 67:51)

ENBunaidh

3. No person shall, at any time, kill, harpoon, catch or otherwise take possession of any turtle, or purchase, sell, offer or expose for sale or cause to be sold or offered or exposed for sale any turtle, turtle meat or any other part of the turtle.

06Regulation 8(2)Trinidad and Tobago · national

Recreational vessel operation permitted within two nautical miles of the coast

Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51 (subsidiary regulations, 121/1998)

ENBunaidh

8. ... (2) A person operating an artisanal vessel or a vessel for recreational purposes shall be permitted to do so within a distance of two nautical miles from the coast line.

07Regulation 3Tobago (Buccoo Reef Marine Park) · national

Prohibited activities within a restricted marine area (Buccoo Reef Marine Park)

Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act, Chapter 37:02 (Act 1 of 1970), restricted-area regulations

ENBunaidh

No person may, without written ministerial permission: go in or alight upon a restricted area; operate a boat or other vessel within a restricted area or cause or allow a boat or other vessel to enter such an area; take or remove any fish or bird from a restricted area; take or remove any mangrove from a restricted area; dig, dredge, or otherwise interfere with the seabed of a restricted area. Fishing, of any kind, is strictly prohibited within the Marine Park.

Cathain is féidir leat tumadh

Séasúir & srianta ama

Tréimhsí dúnta, oscailte agus srianta ar fud na bliana. Deimhnigh i gcónaí dúnta speicis-shonraithe go háitiúil.

Gan dúnadh séasúrach taifeadta — fíoraigh go háitiúil sula dtumfaidh tú.

Cead iascaireachta

Ceadúnas

Cad atá de dhíth ort le bheith ceadaithe san uisce, cad a chosnaíonn sé, agus conas é a fháil.

Ceadúnas riachtanachtrí Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (Fisheries Division)

Apply to / contact the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries. In practice, no permitting system specifically governs shore-based/free-dive spearfishing in Tobago, and reports of permit requirements for visitors are inconsistent.

Faigh do cheadúnas

Osclaíonn an tairseach oifigiúil · agriculture.gov.tt

Ceadúnas riachtanach
Cineál
Fishing permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (for visitors who wish to fish); recreational use is broadly permitted within 2 nautical miles of the coast.
Costas
unknown
Bailíocht
unknown
Conas a fháil
Apply to / contact the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries. In practice, no permitting system specifically governs shore-based/free-dive spearfishing in Tobago, and reports of permit requirements for visitors are inconsistent.
Údarás
Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (Fisheries Division)
Tairseach ceadúnaithe oifigiúil · agriculture.gov.tt

Trealamh & teicníc

Rialacha trealamh

Cén trealamh atá ceadaithe, conas is féidir é a úsáid, agus na coinníollacha ceangailte.

Gunna spéireCeadaithe
ScúbaCeadaithe

Srianta

  • Use of poison or explosives to take, stupefy or kill fish is prohibited (Fisheries Act s.7).
  • No gear restrictions specific to spearfishing exist in law (per Institute of Marine Affairs).

Parrotfish in Tobago are harvested mainly by spear-fishers using either SCUBA diving or free diving; the Institute of Marine Affairs confirms spearfishing is unregulated outside protected areas, with no gear restrictions. Spearguns are commonly used and provided on local spearfishing tours.

Cad is féidir leat a ghlacadh

Teorainneacha gabháil & speicis chosanta

Cuótaí laethúla, méideanna íosta, agus speicis nach féidir a thógáil go deo.

Teorainn laethúil

None established for recreational spearfishing (no catch limits per Institute of Marine Affairs).

Méideanna íosta

  • Lobster (carapace length)íos 8.9 cm

Speicis chosanta — ná tóg

  • CosantaAll marine turtles (absolute prohibition on killing, harpooning, catching, possessing or selling under the Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations)
  • CosantaCorals (included in statutory definition of 'fish'; taking restricted, especially within protected areas)

Lobster minimum legal size is reported as a carapace length of 3.5 inches (≈8.9 cm) and a minimum tail weight of 7 ounces. No spearfishing-specific size or catch limits exist (per Institute of Marine Affairs). Conservation concern exists over declining parrotfish abundance and size, but no statutory parrotfish limit has been confirmed. Size-limit figure for lobster is from a secondary aggregator source and should be verified against the official regulation before relying on it.

Cé is féidir iascaireacht

Cuairteoirí & cónaitheoirí

Conas a dhéanann na rialacha difear do chuairteoirí coigríche agus do chónaitheoirí áitiúla.

Cuairteoirí coigríche

Ceadaithe

Ceadúnas speisialta de dhíth

Riachtanais

  • Obtain a fishing permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries before fishing (per secondary travel sources).

Srianta

  • Same geographic and conservation restrictions as residents: no fishing inside the Buccoo Reef Marine Park or other restricted areas; turtles fully protected; no poison/explosives.

Visitors who wish to fish are generally advised to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, though some sources state no rod licence/permit is required for casual fishing around Tobago. Requirements are inconsistently reported; confirm with the Fisheries Division before travelling.

Cónaitheoirí

No spearfishing-specific licence; general Fisheries Act framework applies. Artisanal/recreational vessels may operate within 2 nautical miles of the coast.

Local skin/free divers traditionally and legally spear reef fish (e.g. parrotfish, rockfish) outside protected areas; the activity is unregulated in Tobago per the Institute of Marine Affairs.

Cá háit ar an gcósta

Criosanna ceadaithe & toirmiscthe

Ceantair ainmnithe atá oscailte nó dúnta do spearfishing. Féach an pictiúr iomlán ar an mapa idirghníomhach.

Ceantair cheadaithe

  • Tobago coastal waters (outside marine protected areas)

    Spearfishing is widely and legally practised along most of Tobago's coast by free divers and scuba divers, targeting parrotfish, rockfish and other reef species. The Institute of Marine Affairs states the activity is unregulated outside protected areas (no permits, gear, size, catch limits or seasons).

    Must not enter the Buccoo Reef Marine Park or any other declared restricted/prohibited area; turtles are fully protected nationwide; poison and explosives prohibited.

    ima.gov.tt
  • Trinidad coastal waters (outside prohibited areas)

    Spearfishing is generally permitted in Trinidad's coastal waters outside any declared prohibited area, subject to the general Fisheries Act prohibitions.

    No taking of fish in declared prohibited areas without written ministerial permission; turtles fully protected; no poison/explosives.

    veronikasadventure.com

Ceantair thoirmiscthe

  • Buccoo Reef Marine Park / Bon Accord Lagoon Complexmarine park / no-take marine protected area

    Tobago's principal and oldest marine protected area, designated a no-take marine park in 1973 under the Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act (Ch. 37:02). Fishing of any kind, including spearfishing, is strictly prohibited; access requires a valid Access/Transit Permit from the Division.

    tha.gov.tt
Féach ar mhapa

Coinníollacha ar an uisce

Coinníollacha beo

Grianghraf muirí agus aimsire beo in aice le pointe tagartha cósta in Trinidad and Tobago, ó Open-Meteo. Athraíonn coinníollacha feadh an chósta — caith leis mar tháscaire.

Muirí beo & aimsir in aice le Buccoo Reef Marine Park / Bon Accord Lagoon Complex.

Coinníollacha

Cé le fiafraí

Údaráis

Na comhlachtaí oifigiúla atá freagrach as iascach agus ceadúnú.

  • Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries – Fisheries Division

    fisheries authority

    agriculture.gov.ttunknown

  • Tobago House of Assembly – Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development

    regional environment/fisheries authority (Tobago)

    tha.gov.ttunknown

  • Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA)

    marine research institute

    ima.gov.ttunknown

Cá as a dtagann sé seo

Foinsí

Rianaíonn gach éileamh ar an leathanach seo ar ais go ceann de na tagairtí seo.

  1. [01]

    Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51 (unofficial consolidated version updated to 31 Dec 2015) – Ministry of Agriculture

    Oifigiúil
    agriculture.gov.ttRochtain Mei 15
  2. [02]

    Prohibited Use of the Buccoo Reef Marine Protected Area – Tobago House of Assembly

    Oifigiúil
    tha.gov.ttRochtain Mei 15
  3. [03]

    Parrotfish – Eating and 'pooping' their way to healthy reefs! – Institute of Marine Affairs

    Oifigiúil
    ima.gov.ttRochtain Mei 15
  4. [04]

    Snorkel, Freedive or Spearfish in Trinidad and Tobago – Veronika's Adventure

    Tánaisteach
    veronikasadventure.comRochtain Mei 15
  5. [05]

    Caribbean Fishing – Laws and Regulations – Yacht Cruising Lifestyle

    Tánaisteach
    hashtagboatlife.comRochtain Mei 15
  6. [06]

    Fishing Conservation – Trinidad and Tobago (Buccoo Reef Marine Park 1973; bottom trawling ban 2013)

    Tánaisteach
    fishingtnt.comRochtain Mei 15

Nótaí taighdeora

Spearfishing is legal and commonly practised in Trinidad and Tobago, particularly in Tobago, and is explicitly described as unregulated outside protected areas by the Institute of Marine Affairs (no permits, gear, size/catch limits or seasons specific to the activity). The binding legal constraints are: (1) a strict no-fishing rule inside declared marine protected/restricted areas, above all the Buccoo Reef Marine Park / Bon Accord Lagoon complex (Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act, Ch. 37:02); (2) a nationwide absolute prohibition on taking, killing or harpooning marine turtles; and (3) the Fisheries Act ban on poison and explosives. The Fisheries Act (Ch. 67:51) verbatim text was retrieved from the official Ministry of Agriculture PDF and extracted with pdftotext. The Marine Areas Act restricted-area prohibitions were taken from the official Tobago House of Assembly page (which paraphrases Regulation 3); the verbatim wording of the underlying statutory instrument was not independently retrieved, so that entry is a faithful close paraphrase from an official source rather than a guaranteed exact transcription. Lobster size/tail-weight figures and the visitor-permit requirement come from secondary travel/aggregator sources and should be verified against official regulations. A modernising Fisheries Management Bill (2020) was before Parliament but is not confirmed as enacted; the 1916 Fisheries Act remains the governing statute. Coordinates for Buccoo Reef are approximate centroid values. No closed seasons relevant to spearfishing were found. Confidence: medium – strong official primary sourcing for the Fisheries Act, turtle protection and Buccoo Reef prohibition; weaker (secondary) sourcing for licensing details and lobster size limits.

Fan cothrom le dátaRochtain luath

Cuir in iúl dom nuair a athraíonn rialacha Trinidad and Tobago

Seolfaimid ríomhphost chugat nuair a nuashonraítear séasúir nó rialacháin Trinidad and Tobago inár dtacar sonraí.

Cuir in iúl dom faoi

Gan turscar — foláirimh athraithe amháin. Díscríobh am ar bith. Ní dhíolaimid do ríomhphost go deo.