SpearfishingMap

Guinea-Bissau

Africa · Western Africa

Guinea-Bissau has no statute that explicitly names recreational spearfishing (pesca submarina / caça submarina). It is governed indirectly by the general fisheries law, Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000. That law recognises 'pesca desportiva' (sport/leisure fishing) as a category (Art. 4(5)) and, like all fishing in waters under national sovereignty, it requires a licence except for traditional subsistence fishing. The law bans certain methods - explosives, toxic substances, electric/light-attraction means and suction gear (Art. 26) - and protects marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds (Art. 27). A breath-hold speargun is not itself a prohibited gear under the verbatim law text retrieved, but secondary fishing-operator sources report that in practice SCUBA-assisted spearfishing is banned and only apnea (breath-hold) spearfishing is tolerated, that a recreational licence is required for boat-based fishing, and that the richest grounds lie inside the Bolama-Bijagos Biosphere Reserve and its marine national parks where extra permits/guides are mandatory and turtle/shark/ray protections apply. Verbatim statutory text confirming a SCUBA/spearfishing-specific rule could not be retrieved, so confidence is low; field rules should be confirmed with the Ministry of Fisheries (Ministério das Pescas) and the protected-area authority (IBAP) before any trip.

Restricted
Trúverðugleiki gagnaLítill trúverðugleiki

Síðast uppfært Júní 14, 2026

Stjórnandakerfi

  • §Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000 - Recursos Pesqueiros e Direitos de Pesca nas Águas Marítimas da Guiné-Bissau (General Fisheries Law, 21 Aug 2000)
  • §Decreto-Lei nº 9/2011 - Lei Geral das Pescas (General Fisheries Law)
  • §Decreto nº 24/2011 - Regulamento da Pesca Artesanal (Artisanal Fishing Regulation, 7 Jun 2011)
  • §Decreto-Lei nº 30/2017 - Alteração ao Regulamento da Pesca Artesanal
  • §Decreto-Lei nº 2/2022 - Período de Repouso Biológico (Biological Rest Period)
  • §Lei nº 13/2013 - Fixação do Espaço Marítimo (Maritime Space Delimitation)
Leyfi nauðsynlegt
Nauðsynlegt
Köfunarbúnaður
Bannað
Erlendir gestir
Velkomin

Lögin, orðrétt

Lagagreinar

Nákvæmar lög- og reglugerðargreinar sem stjórna langskotsfiski hér, tilvitnað eins og birt, með tengil á hverja opinbera heimild.

01Artigo 4.ºGuinea-Bissau · national

Types of fishing by purpose (incl. sport/leisure fishing)

Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000 sobre Recursos Pesqueiros e Direitos de Pesca nas Águas Marítimas da Guiné-Bissau

PTFrumtexti

1. Em função da sua finalidade, a pesca pode ser de subsistência, comercial, cientifica e desportiva. 2. A pesca de subsistência é a praticada com artes de pesca tradicionais e tem por objecto fundamental a obtenção de espécies comestíveis para a subsistência do pescador e da sua família. 3. A pesca comercial é a praticada com fins lucrativos. 4. A pesca científica tem por objectivo o estudo e o conhecimento dos recursos, bem como o ensaio de navios, materiais e técnicas de pesca. 5. A pesca desportiva é a pesca exercida a título desportivo ou de lazer.

02Artigo 5.ºGuinea-Bissau · national

Criteria distinguishing artisanal and industrial fishing

Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000

PTFrumtexti

Os critérios de distinção entre a pesca artesanal e a pesca industrial serão estabelecidos por diploma regulamentar. Na determinação destes critérios serão tomadas em consideração as características gerais das embarcações, nomeadamente a sua capacidade e autonomia, e as artes de pesca empregues, bem como os critérios de distinção aplicados nos Estados da sub-região.

03Artigo 26.ºGuinea-Bissau · national

Prohibited fishing methods (explosives, toxic substances, electric/light means, suction gear)

Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000

PTFrumtexti

É expressamente proibido, no exercício de qualquer actividade de pesca: a) Utilizar lâmpadas, meios eléctricos, materiais explosivos ou substâncias tóxicas susceptíveis de enfraquecer, atordoar, excitar ou matar peixes, bem como a utilização de aparelho de pescas por sucção; c) Deter a bordo das embarcações de pescas materiais ou substâncias mencionadas na alínea precedente.

04Artigo 27.ºGuinea-Bissau · national

Protected species (marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds)

Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000

PTFrumtexti

1. São proibidas, salvo autorização especial da Comissão Internacional das Pescas para fins de investigação científica ou técnica, sob proposta do membro do governo responsável pela área da pesca: a) A pesca, a captura e a detenção de todas as espécies de mamíferos marinhos; b) A pesca, a captura e a detenção de tartarugas marinha; c) A caça, a captura, a detenção de todas as espécies de aves marinha. 2. É proibida toda a comercialização das espécies visadas nas alíneas do número anterior.

Hvenær þú getur kafað

Vertíðar og tímatakmörk

Lokaðar, opnar og takmarkaðar tímabilið yfir árið. Staðfestu alltaf lokun vegna ákveðinna tegunda staðbundið.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Maí
Jún
Júl
Ágú
Sep
Okt
Nóv
Des
LokaðTakmarkaðOpið
  • LokaðIndustrial fishing in waters under Guinea-Bissau jurisdiction (biological rest period). Not confirmed to apply to recreational spearfishing.Jan 1 – Jan 31

    Período de Repouso Biológico established by Decreto-Lei nº 2/2022. The Ministério das Pescas closes industrial fishing activity throughout January each year, the peak fish-reproduction month. Coverage of artisanal/recreational fishing is not explicitly stated in the retrieved official page.

Leyfi til veiða

Leyfi

Hvað þú þarft til að fá leyfi í vatnið, hvað það kostar og hvernig á að fá það.

Leyfi nauðsynlegtí gegnum Ministério das Pescas e Economia do Mar (Ministry of Fisheries)

Through the Ministério das Pescas / Direcção-Geral da Pesca Artesanal; in practice lodges and licensed operators handle the paperwork for visitors. Extra protected-area permits via IBAP for parks within the Bijagós reserve.

Fáðu þitt leyfi

Opnar opinberu gáttina · pescas.gw

Leyfi nauðsynlegt
Tegund
Recreational/sport fishing licence (pesca desportiva). Required for fishing in national waters except traditional subsistence fishing (Art. 4 & licensing regime, Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000). Spearfishing-specific licence is not separately defined in law.
Kostnaður
Not set in statute. Secondary operator source reports recreational permits arranged via lodges at roughly EUR 45-50, plus park entry fees (~EUR 35/day) for protected areas.
Gildistími
unknown
Hvernig á að fá
Through the Ministério das Pescas / Direcção-Geral da Pesca Artesanal; in practice lodges and licensed operators handle the paperwork for visitors. Extra protected-area permits via IBAP for parks within the Bijagós reserve.
Yfirvald
Ministério das Pescas e Economia do Mar (Ministry of Fisheries)

Búnaður og tækni

Búnaðarreglur

Hvaða búnaður er leyfður, hvernig hann má nota og skilyrðin sem fylgja.

KöfunarbúnaðurBannað

Takmarkanir

  • Explosives and toxic/poisonous substances prohibited (Art. 26(a), Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000)
  • Electric means and light-attraction lamps prohibited (Art. 26(a))
  • Suction fishing apparatus prohibited (Art. 26(a))
  • Carrying any of the above prohibited materials aboard a fishing vessel is forbidden (Art. 26(c))
  • Secondary source: SCUBA-assisted spearfishing reported banned; only breath-hold (apnea) spearfishing tolerated; monofilament nets reported banned

The verbatim text of Art. 26 retrieved does not name harpoons/spearguns or diving apparatus, so the SCUBA-spearfishing ban and breath-hold-only rule come from a secondary fishing-operator guide (fishingworldguide.com), not from confirmed statute. Treat speargun_allowed as unknown pending official confirmation.

Hvað þú mátt taka

Aflamarkar og friðlýstar tegundir

Dagleg kvótar, lágmarksstærðir og tegundir sem aldrei má taka.

Daglegur hámarksafli

unknown

Friðlýstar tegundir — má ekki taka

  • FriðlýstAll marine mammals (mamíferos marinhos)
  • FriðlýstAll sea turtles (tartarugas marinhas)
  • FriðlýstAll seabirds (aves marinhas)
  • FriðlýstSharks and rays - capture prohibited under Artisanal Fishing Regulation (Decreto nº 24/2011, reported); reputable lodges enforce catch-and-release for sharks, rays and large tarpon (secondary source)

Art. 27 of Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000 prohibits the fishing, capture, possession and commercialisation of marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds except by special scientific/technical authorisation. Recreational fishers are reported to be barred from selling any part of their catch.

Hverjir mega veiða

Gestir og íbúar

Hvernig reglurnar eru mismunandi fyrir erlenda gesti og staðbundna íbúa.

Erlendir gestir

Leyfilegt

Sérstakt leyfi nauðsynlegt

Kröfur

  • Obtain a recreational fishing licence (typically arranged through a licensed lodge/operator)
  • Obtain additional protected-area permits and use local guides when fishing inside the Bolama-Bijagós Biosphere Reserve / national parks

Takmarkanir

  • May not sell any part of the catch (recreational fishing is leisure/sport only)
  • Subject to all protected-species and prohibited-method rules; SCUBA-assisted spearfishing reported banned

No distinct statutory regime separating foreign from national recreational fishers was found in the retrieved law; in practice visiting anglers/spearfishers go through lodges that handle permits. Confirm with the Ministry of Fisheries before travelling.

Íbúar

Subsistence fishing with traditional gear for the fisher and family is exempt from licensing (Art. 4(2)); other fishing requires a licence.

Réttindi

  • Traditional subsistence fishing (personal/family consumption, traditional gear) does not require a licence

Subsistence exemption is defined by gear and purpose (traditional gear, non-commercial), not by residency or nationality; it would not cover speargun-based recreational spearfishing.

Hvar á ströndinni

Leyfðar og bannaðar svæðar

Nafngreindar svæðar sem eru opnar eða lokaðar fyrir langskotsfiski. Sjá heildarmyndina á gagnvirka kortinu.

Bannaðar svæðar

  • Marine national park (Parque Nacional Marinho João Vieira e Poilão), ~495 km2, established August 2000, comprising João Vieira, Cavalo, Maio and Poilão islands. One of the world's most important green sea-turtle nesting sites. Inside the Bolama-Bijagós Biosphere Reserve; access for fishing is restricted and managed by IBAP, with sea turtles and seabirds protected under Art. 27 of Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000.

  • Parque Nacional das Ilhas de Orango, ~1,582 km2, created in 2000, including Orango, Orangozinho, Meneque, Canogo and Imbone islands. A marine protected area within the Bolama-Bijagós Biosphere Reserve where fishing access is restricted and additional permits/guides are required.

  • UNESCO biosphere reserve (recognised 1996) of 88 islands and islets off the Guinea-Bissau coast, containing the country's marine protected areas (Orango, João Vieira e Poilão, Urok Community MPA). Many of the best fishing grounds lie inside it; extra permits and local-zoning guides are required and protected-species rules apply.

  • Urok Islands Community Marine Protected Areacommunity marine protected area

    Community-managed marine protected area (Área Marinha Protegida Comunitária das Ilhas Urok) within the Bolama-Bijagós Biosphere Reserve, with community fishing restrictions.

  • Cacheu River Mangroves Natural Parknatural park (marine/estuarine protected area)

    Parque Natural dos Tarrafes do Rio Cacheu (PNTC), ~886 km2, established 1 December 2000 on the Cacheu River estuary in northern Guinea-Bissau. The largest concentration of mangroves in West Africa and a key shrimp/fish breeding zone; classified as a Marine Protected Area within the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) and managed by IBAP, where fishing access is regulated and protected-species/zoning rules apply.

Aðstæður á hafinu

Lifandi aðstæður

Lifandi sjávar- og veðurskyndimynd nálægt strandviðmiðunarpunkti í Guinea-Bissau, frá Open-Meteo. Aðstæður eru mismunandi meðfram ströndinni — meðhöndlaðu sem vísbendingu.

Lifandi sjávarloft og veður nálægt João Vieira and Poilão Marine National Park.

Aðstæður

Við hvern á að spyrja

Yfirvöld

Opinberu stofnanirnar sem bera ábyrgð á fiskveiðum og leyfisgjöf.

  • Ministério das Pescas e Economia do Mar (Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy)

    fisheries authority

    pescas.gwBissau, Guinea-Bissau
  • Direcção-Geral da Pesca Artesanal (DGPA)

    fisheries authority

  • Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas (IBAP)

    environment / protected areas authority

    ibapgbissau.orgManages national parks and marine protected areas in the Bijagós

Hvaðan þetta kemur

Heimildir

Sérhvert fullyrðing á þessari síðu á sér rót í einni þessara tilvísana.

  1. [01]

    LEI DAS PESCAS - Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000 (full Portuguese text)

    Aukaumhverfi
    didinho.orgOpnað Jún 14
  2. [02]

    Ministério das Pescas - Quadro Legal (official legal framework list)

    Opinbert
    pescas.gwOpnað Jún 14
  3. [03]

    Ministério das Pescas - Período de Repouso Biológico

    Opinbert
    pescas.gwOpnað Jún 14
  4. [04]

    The Outlaw Ocean Project - Global Fishing Legislative Database: Guinea-Bissau

    Aukaumhverfi
    theoutlawocean.comOpnað Jún 14
  5. [05]

    Fishing in Guinea-Bissau 2026 (fishing-operator guide: spearfishing, licences, parks)

    Aukaumhverfi
    fishingworldguide.comOpnað Jún 14
  6. [06]

    UNESCO World Heritage - Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Bijagós Archipelago

    Opinbert
    whc.unesco.orgOpnað Jún 14
  7. [07]

    Wikipedia - João Vieira and Poilão Marine National Park (coordinates, area, year)

    Aukaumhverfi
    en.wikipedia.orgOpnað Jún 14
  8. [08]

    Bio Guinea - Blue Bijagós (marine protected areas overview)

    Aukaumhverfi
    bioguinea.orgOpnað Jún 14

Athugasemdir rannsakanda

Guinea-Bissau has no spearfishing-specific statute. Legal status is inferred from the general fisheries law (Decreto-Lei nº 6 A/2000), which recognises sport/leisure fishing (Art. 4(5)), requires licensing for non-subsistence fishing, bans explosives/poisons/electric-light/suction methods (Art. 26) and protects marine mammals, turtles and seabirds (Art. 27). VERBATIM statutory text retrieved does NOT mention spearguns, harpoons or SCUBA, so the widely-cited 'SCUBA spearfishing banned, breath-hold only' and 'recreational licence required' rules come from a secondary fishing-operator guide rather than confirmed law - hence data_confidence=low and equipment_rules.speargun_allowed=null. Coordinates for João Vieira/Poilão are park-level approximations from Wikipedia. The richest grounds sit inside the Bolama-Bijagós Biosphere Reserve and its marine national parks (Orango, João Vieira e Poilão, Urok) where extra IBAP permits, guides and protected-species rules apply. The official Ministry law-text PDFs (Decreto-Lei nº 9/2011, Decreto nº 24/2011) on pescas.gw were not parsed in full; full verbatim articles on diving/spearfishing could not be located and may not exist. Confirm all field rules with the Ministério das Pescas and IBAP before any trip. Note: the political situation is volatile (transitional government as of 2026) and regulations may change.

Vertu uppfærðurSnemmbær aðgangur

Tilkynntu mér þegar reglur Guinea-Bissau breytast

Við munum senda þér tölvupóst þegar vertíðir eða reglur Guinea-Bissau eru uppfærðar í gagnasafni okkar.

Tilkynna mér um

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