Turkmenistan
Asia · Central Asia
No Turkmenistan law specifically addresses recreational spearfishing (подводная охота). Fishing is governed by the Law of Turkmenistan 'On Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources' (adopted 21 May 2011, amended through 11 April 2026), which regulates commercial, amateur and sport fishing but whose verbatim provisions on permitted gear and methods could not be retrieved online. Turkmenistan is a strongly state-controlled country with restricted internet access and little published recreational-fishing guidance. Practical constraints make marine spearfishing on the Caspian effectively inaccessible to the public: sturgeon fishing in Turkmen Caspian waters has been banned since 1946 and a Caspian-wide commercial sturgeon moratorium runs through 2026; the country's only Caspian protected coastal area (Hazar State Nature Reserve, a strict 'zapovednik') prohibits public access and resource use; and foreign access to the Caspian coast and border-zone areas requires special permits. Recreational fishing with a line is reportedly permitted in inland lakes and rivers (Amu Darya, Murgab, Tejen), but no spearfishing-specific rules were found. Legality of spearfishing is therefore genuinely unknown and should be treated as restricted in practice.
Última actualización Abril 17, 2026
Marco normativo
- §Law of Turkmenistan 'On Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources' (21 May 2011; amendments adopted 11 April 2026)
- §Law of Turkmenistan 'On Hunting and Protection of Hunting Treasures' (18 December 2021)
- §Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention, 2003; in force 2006)
- §Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea (2018)
- §Caspian littoral states' commercial sturgeon fishing moratorium (extended through 2026)
A lei, literalmente
Textos legais
As disposicións estatutarias e regulamentarias exactas que rexen a pesca submarina aquí, citadas tal como se publicaron, con ligazón a cada fonte oficial.
Law on Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources (amendment instrument)
Law of Turkmenistan 'On Amendments and Additions to the Law of Turkmenistan "On Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources"'
Закон Туркменистана О внесении изменений и дополнения в Закон Туркменистана «О рыболовстве и сохранении водных биологических ресурсов». [Документ вносит поправки в Закон Туркменистана «О рыболовстве и сохранении водных биологических ресурсов» от 21 мая 2011 года. Подписан Президентом Туркменистана Сердаром Бердымухамедовым в Ашхабаде 11 апреля 2026 года.] Поправки уточняют терминологию и порядок добычи (вылова) водных биоресурсов, выдачи разрешений на добычу (вылов), спасения водных биоресурсов, а также промыслового, любительского и спортивного рыболовства.
Cando podes mergullarte
Tempadas e restricións horarias
Períodos pechados, abertos e restrinxidos ao longo do ano. Confirma sempre localmente os peches específicos por especie.
- PechadoSturgeon (all species, Caspian Sea)1946 – ongoing
Commercial sturgeon fishing in Turkmen waters of the Caspian Sea has been prohibited since 1946 (limited from 1942). A Caspian-wide commercial sturgeon moratorium agreed by the five littoral states (Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan) has been repeatedly extended; catches are permitted only for scientific research and artificial reproduction. As of late 2025 the ban was extended through 2026.
Permiso para pescar
Licenza
O que necesitas para poder estar na auga, o seu custo e como obtela.
- Autoridade
- Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan (fisheries function); state-owned operator Balkanbalyk on the Caspian
Equipamento e técnica
Normas de equipamento
Que equipamento está permitido, como se pode usar e as condicións aplicables.
No retrievable Turkmenistan source specifies whether spearguns/harpoons (подводное ружье, острога) are permitted or prohibited for fishing. In neighbouring Caspian states, underwater guns are commonly restricted under fishing rules, but Turkmen rules could not be confirmed. Treat as unknown.
O que podes capturar
Límites de captura e especies protexidas
Cotas diarias, tamaños mínimos e especies que nunca se poden capturar.
Especies protexidas — non capturar
- ProtexidaSturgeon (all Caspian species) — fishing banned
- ProtexidaSpecies listed in the Red Book of Turkmenistan
- ProtexidaCaspian seal and other reserve fauna within Hazar State Nature Reserve
Annual quotas historically limited sturgeon catch; sturgeon fishing is banned in Turkmen Caspian waters. The Hazar reserve also lists rare fish (Caspian stone eel, spike fish, Volga herring, Caspian bulltrout, white salmon). Specific recreational catch/size limits were not found.
Quen pode pescar
Visitantes e residentes
Como difiren as normas para os visitantes estranxeiros e os residentes locais.
Visitantes estranxeiros
Restricións
- Turkmenistan is highly restrictive for foreign travellers; most independent travel requires a guide and registered tour, and many areas need special permits.
- The Caspian coast and border zones typically require additional access permits.
- No published pathway for foreigners to conduct recreational spearfishing was found.
No source confirms any legal route for foreigners to spearfish in Turkmenistan. In practice this should be treated as not available without official authorisation.
Residentes
No spearfishing-specific resident rules were found. Recreational line fishing is reportedly tolerated/permitted on some inland waters, but gear/method rules for residents are not documented in retrievable sources.
Onde na costa
Zonas permitidas e prohibidas
Áreas nomeadas que están abertas ou pechadas para a pesca submarina. Ve o panorama completo no mapa interactivo.
Áreas permitidas
Recreational fishing is reported to be permitted in several small lakes and rivers, notably the Amu Darya, Murgab and Tejen Rivers. No spearfishing-specific rules were found; permitted gear is not documented in retrievable sources.
Gear and method rules unknown; no published spearfishing authorisation.
Áreas prohibidas
- Hazar State Nature Reserve (incl. Ogurjaly Sanctuary)strict nature reserve (zapovednik) / Ramsar wetland
Strict state nature reserve (zapovednik) on the south-east coast of the Caspian Sea in Balkan Province, area 2,690 km2. Ramsar wetland of international importance (listed 2009). As a zapovednik it carries Turkmenistan's highest protection regime; public access and resource use (including fishing/hunting) are restricted/prohibited.
- Caspian Sea (Turkmen waters) — sturgeonspecies-protection / regulated marine zone
Sturgeon fishing in Turkmen Caspian waters is prohibited (since 1946); a Caspian-wide commercial sturgeon moratorium runs through 2026. Targeting sturgeon by any method, including spearing, is not permitted.
- Ogurjaly (Ogurchinskiy) Island Sanctuarystrict nature reserve / wildlife sanctuary (offshore island)
Offshore island (~45 km², ~45 km from Turkmenbashi) in the south-eastern Caspian Sea, administered as part of the Hazar State Nature Reserve. It hosts a Caspian seal haul-out/sanctuary and breeding seabird colonies and is an Important Bird Area; as part of the zapovednik regime, public access and resource extraction (fishing/hunting, hence spearfishing) are restricted/prohibited. Although the file's Hazar entry mentions the Ogurjaly Sanctuary by name, the island itself is a geographically distinct, far-offshore feature ~150 km north of the mainland reserve center point and warrants its own location.
- Awaza National Tourist Zone (Turkmenbashi) — designated beachesswimming/bathing beach resort zone
State-developed seaside resort on the eastern Caspian shore, ~12 km west of Turkmenbashi, with developed sandy bathing beaches, marinas (Yacht Club Yelken) and swimming areas plus a 30-hectare aquapark hosting ~150,000 visitors a year. As a managed swimming/bathing tourist zone with marinas, in-water spearfishing along these designated beaches is incompatible with bather-safety practice; treat as a no-spearfishing swimming/beach zone (explicit regulatory confirmation for Turkmenistan not retrievable — inferred).
- Turkmenbashi International Seaportport / harbour
Largest seaport of Turkmenistan on the eastern Caspian coast (Turkmenbashi Gulf), a 150-hectare government-owned passenger and cargo port with ferry lines to Baku, Aktau and Astrakhan. Active commercial port waters where in-water fishing/spearfishing is precluded by port operations and security; treat as a prohibited (port) zone (port-operations basis inferred, not from an explicit spearfishing rule).
Condicións na auga
Condicións en directo
Instantánea mariña e meteorolóxica en directo preto dun punto de referencia costeiro en Turkmenistan, de Open-Meteo. As condicións varían ao longo da costa — úsaas como indicativas.
Condicións mariñas e meteorolóxicas en directo preto de Hazar State Nature Reserve (incl. Ogurjaly Sanctuary).
A quen preguntar
Autoridades
Os organismos oficiais responsables da pesca e das licenzas.
Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan
environment / agriculture ministry (fisheries and nature protection functions)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan
government ministry (Caspian inter-state fisheries cooperation, anti-IUU protocol)
Balkanbalyk (state-owned fishing enterprise)
state fisheries operator (Caspian Sea)
De onde vén esta información
Fontes
Cada afirmación desta páxina remite a unha destas referencias.
- [01]
Law of Turkmenistan on amendments to the Law 'On Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources' (official government portal)
Oficialturkmenistan.gov.tmConsultado o Xuñ 15 - [02]
Ban on commercial sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea extended until 2026 (Turkmenportal)
Secundariaturkmenportal.comConsultado o Xuñ 15 - [03]
Fishing industry in Turkmenistan (Wikipedia)
Secundariaen.wikipedia.orgConsultado o Xuñ 15 - [04]
Hazar State Nature Reserve (Wikipedia)
Secundariaen.wikipedia.orgConsultado o Xuñ 15 - [05]
Protected areas of Turkmenistan (Wikipedia)
Secundariaen.wikipedia.orgConsultado o Xuñ 15 - [06]
Environmental legislation improved in Turkmenistan — Law on Hunting and Protection of Hunting Treasures, 2021 (News Central Asia)
Secundarianewscentralasia.netConsultado o Xuñ 15 - [07]
Caspian states agree on fishing zones, protection for sturgeon (SeafoodSource)
Secundariaseafoodsource.comConsultado o Xuñ 15
Notas do investigador
Turkmenistan has a Caspian Sea coastline (~610 km / often cited up to ~1,200 km incl. indentations) and inland fisheries, but there is NO publicly retrievable law that specifically permits or prohibits recreational spearfishing. The governing statute is the Law 'On Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources' (2011, amended 2026); its full verbatim articles on gear/methods could not be obtained online, so law_texts contains only the cited amendment instrument from the official government portal. Per the anti-fabrication rule, no article numbers or gear prohibitions were invented. Key practical constraints: sturgeon ban since 1946 plus Caspian-wide commercial moratorium through 2026; the only Caspian coastal protected area (Hazar zapovednik) prohibits public access; and Turkmenistan's tightly controlled travel regime (guides/permits required, restricted border and coastal zones) makes recreational marine spearfishing effectively inaccessible. spearfishing_allowed is set to 'unknown' and data_confidence to 'low' to reflect genuine uncertainty. Recommended follow-up: obtain the full Russian/Turkmen text of the 2011 law and any 'Правила любительского и спортивного рыболовства' (amateur/sport fishing rules) from FAOLEX or the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection to confirm gear-method provisions.
Notifícame cando cambien as normas de Turkmenistan
Enviarémosche un correo cando as tempadas ou regulacións de Turkmenistan se actualicen no noso conxunto de datos.