SpearfishingMap

Mauritania

Africa · Western Africa

Mauritania's Maritime Fisheries Code (Loi n° 2015-017 of 29 July 2015) does not name spearfishing / underwater fishing (pêche sous-marine, chasse au harpon) as a distinct, regulated activity. The closest category is 'pêche sportive' (sport fishing), which Article 6 allows only for non-commercial recreational purposes, using gear whose composition and conditions of use are defined by an order (arrêté) of the Minister in charge of fisheries, and only in zones the Minister has designated. No publicly retrievable ministerial order specifically authorising or framing recreational spearfishing was found, so the practical legality is treated as restricted/unclear. General prohibitions apply: use of explosives or toxic substances is banned (Art. 38), and the capture/retention of all marine mammals, marine turtles and all seabird species is prohibited everywhere (Art. 39). The most important coastal areas — the Banc d'Arguin National Park (UNESCO World Heritage, est. 1976) and the Diawling National Park — bar modern/recreational fishing and motorboats; in the Banc d'Arguin only the indigenous Imraguen community may fish, using sail boats and traditional gear. Recreational spearfishing by tourists/foreigners is not documented as a permitted, licensed activity, and the marine national parks effectively prohibit it within their boundaries.

Restricted
Affidabilità dei datiAffidabilità bassa

Ultimo aggiornamento Giugno 14, 2026

Quadro normativo di riferimento

  • §Loi n° 2015-017 du 29 juillet 2015 portant Code des Pêches Maritimes (Maritime Fisheries Code)
  • §Banc d'Arguin National Park regime (national park established 1976; UNESCO World Heritage 1989; Ramsar 1982)
  • §Diawling National Park regime (national park established 1991; Ramsar 1994)
Licenza obbligatoria
Obbligatoria

La legge, integrale

Testi legali

Le esatte disposizioni di legge e regolamentari che disciplinano la pesca subacquea qui, citate come pubblicate, con un link a ogni fonte ufficiale.

01Article 6Mauritania · national

Types of fishing — sport (recreational) fishing definition and conditions

Loi n° 2015-017 du 29 juillet 2015 portant Code des Pêches Maritimes

FROriginale

Article 6 : La pêche peut avoir pour finalité a) la subsistance ; b) le commerce ; c) l'exploration; d) la recherche scientifique ou technique; e) le sport. [...] La pêche sportive est pratiquée sans but lucratif à des fins récréatives avec un matériel dont la composition et les modalités d'utilisation sont définies par arrêté du ministre chargé des pêches, dans les zones qu'il aura fixées. Les types de pêche peuvent être distingués en fonction des techniques utilisées, des espèces ciblées ou des zones où la pêche est pratiquée. Les types de pêche sont définis par décret pris en Conseil des Ministres sur rapport du Ministre chargé des pêches.

02Article 38Mauritania · national

Prohibition of explosives and toxic substances in fishing

Loi n° 2015-017 du 29 juillet 2015 portant Code des Pêches Maritimes

FROriginale

Article 38 : Il est expressément interdit, sauf autorisation spéciale du ministre chargé des pêches, de a) faire usage, dans l'exercice de la pêche, de matières explosives ou de substances toxiques susceptibles d'affaiblir, étourdir, exciter ou tuer des poissons ou de polluer le milieu marin ; b) détenir à bord des navires de pêche des matières et substances mentionnées à l'alinéa précédent.

03Article 39Mauritania · national

Protection of certain species (marine mammals, turtles, seabirds)

Loi n° 2015-017 du 29 juillet 2015 portant Code des Pêches Maritimes

FROriginale

Article 39 : Sont interdits en tout temps et en tout lieu, sauf autorisation spéciale du ministre chargé des pêches et à des fins de recherche scientifique ou technique a) la pêche, la capture et la détention de toutes espèces de mammifères marins ; b) la pêche, la capture et la détention des tortues marines ; c) la chasse, la capture, la détention de toutes espèces d'oiseaux marins; d) la pêche, la capture ou la rétention des animaux aquatiques faisant l'objet d'une restriction particulière prévue par les textes en vigueur. La commercialisation des espèces visées aux alinéas ci-dessus est interdite.

04Article (serious infractions list), point c)Mauritania · national

Serious offences — fishing in prohibited zones or with prohibited gear/technique

Loi n° 2015-017 du 29 juillet 2015 portant Code des Pêches Maritimes

FROriginale

c) la pêche dans les zones interdites ou avec des engins de pêche ou technique prohibée ; d) la détention à bord le transport ou l'emploi d'explosifs ou autres substances toxiques ou non autorisées, ou de tous moyens ou dispositifs ayant pour effet de réduire l'action sélective des engins de pêche ;

Quando puoi immergerti

Stagioni e restrizioni temporali

Periodi di chiusura, apertura e restrizione nel corso dell'anno. Conferma sempre localmente le chiusure specifiche per specie.

Nessuna chiusura stagionale registrata — verifica localmente prima di immergerti.

Permesso di pescare

Licenza

Cosa ti serve per poter entrare in acqua, quanto costa e come ottenerla.

Licenza obbligatoriatramite Ministère des Pêches et de l'Économie Maritime (Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy)

Via the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy (Ministère des Pêches et de l'Économie Maritime); in practice tourist fishing is arranged through licensed charter operators.

Ottieni la tua licenza

Apre il portale ufficiale · peches.gov.mr

Licenza obbligatoria
Tipo
Sport fishing ('pêche sportive') is permitted under the Maritime Fisheries Code only with gear and in zones set by ministerial order; no specific recreational spearfishing licence framework was located. General authorisation/concession requirements apply to fishing activity.
Costo
unknown
Validità
unknown
Come ottenerla
Via the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy (Ministère des Pêches et de l'Économie Maritime); in practice tourist fishing is arranged through licensed charter operators.
Autorità
Ministère des Pêches et de l'Économie Maritime (Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy)

Attrezzatura e tecnica

Regole sull'attrezzatura

Quale attrezzatura è consentita, come può essere usata e le condizioni associate.

Restrizioni

  • Explosives and toxic substances are prohibited in fishing (Art. 38).
  • Sport-fishing gear ('matériel') composition and conditions of use must be defined by ministerial order (arrêté) (Art. 6); no such order specific to spearfishing was located.

The Maritime Fisheries Code (Loi 2015-017) does not explicitly mention spearguns (fusil sous-marin), harpoons (harpon) or scuba; their permissibility for recreational spearfishing is therefore unknown and subject to ministerial regulation and protected-area bans.

Cosa puoi prelevare

Limiti di cattura e specie protette

Quote giornaliere, taglie minime e specie che non devono mai essere prelevate.

Limite giornaliero

unknown

Specie protette — non prelevare

  • ProtettaAll marine mammals (toutes espèces de mammifères marins) — Art. 39
  • ProtettaMarine turtles (tortues marines) — Art. 39
  • ProtettaAll seabird species (toutes espèces d'oiseaux marins) — Art. 39
  • ProtettaAquatic animals subject to specific conservation restrictions under regulations in force — Art. 39

Capture, retention and commercialisation of the species listed in Article 39 are prohibited at all times and in all places, except by special ministerial authorisation for scientific/technical research. Sharks and rays are not officially targetable within the Banc d'Arguin National Park.

Chi può pescare

Visitatori e residenti

Come le regole differiscono per i visitatori stranieri e i residenti locali.

Visitatori stranieri

Restrizioni

  • Marine national parks (Banc d'Arguin, Diawling) effectively exclude recreational/foreign spearfishing.
  • Foreign fishing vessels operate under a separate authorisation regime under the Fisheries Code.

No specific, documented framework permitting recreational spearfishing by foreigners/tourists was found. Tourist sea fishing in Mauritania is typically arranged via charter operators (rod-and-line); spearfishing by tourists is undocumented and likely impractical/restricted in the main protected coastal areas.

Residenti

unknown

Vantaggi

  • Within the Banc d'Arguin National Park, only the indigenous Imraguen community is authorised to fish, using traditional sail boats and primitive gear (no motorboats).

Subsistence and traditional fishing ('pêche de subsistance') are recognised by Article 6 of the Fisheries Code; this is distinct from recreational spearfishing.

Dove sulla costa

Zone consentite e vietate

Aree denominate aperte o chiuse alla pesca subacquea. Vedi il quadro completo sulla mappa interattiva.

Aree vietate

  • Banc d'Arguin National Park (Parc National du Banc d'Arguin)national park / UNESCO World Heritage marine protected area

    West Africa's largest marine protected area (~12,000 km2), established 1976, UNESCO World Heritage Site (1989) and Ramsar wetland (1982). Only the indigenous Imraguen community may fish within park boundaries, using relatively primitive techniques and tools; no motorboats are permitted and modern fishing gear is banned. Recreational/sport spearfishing is not permitted.

  • National park established 1991 in the Senegal River delta of south-west Mauritania (~16,000 ha), Ramsar wetland (1994), part of a trans-border biosphere reserve. Fishing is regulated and limited to managed sustainable use by local communities; recreational spearfishing is not documented as permitted.

Condizioni in acqua

Condizioni in tempo reale

Istantanea marina e meteo in tempo reale vicino a un punto di riferimento costiero in Mauritania, da Open-Meteo. Le condizioni variano lungo la costa — considerale indicative.

Condizioni marine e meteo in tempo reale vicino a Banc d'Arguin National Park (Parc National du Banc d'Arguin).

Condizioni

A chi rivolgersi

Autorità

Gli enti ufficiali responsabili della pesca e delle licenze.

  • Ministère des Pêches et de l'Économie Maritime (Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy)

    fisheries authority

    peches.gov.mrNouakchott, Mauritania
  • Parc National du Banc d'Arguin (PNBA)

    marine protected area authority

    pnba.mrNouadhibou / Nouakchott, Mauritania

Da dove provengono

Fonti

Ogni affermazione su questa pagina risale a uno di questi riferimenti.

  1. [01]

    Loi n° 2015-017 du 29 juillet 2015 portant Code des Pêches Maritimes (full text PDF, FAOLEX)

    Ufficiale
    faolex.fao.orgConsultato il Giu 14
  2. [02]

    ECOLEX record — Loi n° 2015-017 portant code des pêches maritimes

    Ufficiale
    ecolex.orgConsultato il Giu 14
  3. [03]

    Ministère des Pêches et de l'Économie Maritime de Mauritanie (official site)

    Ufficiale
    peches.gov.mrConsultato il Giu 14
  4. [04]

    Banc d'Arguin National Park — Wikipedia (coordinates, area, fishing restrictions, UNESCO/Ramsar status)

    Secondaria
    en.wikipedia.orgConsultato il Giu 14
  5. [05]

    Diawling National Park — Wikipedia (coordinates, area, Ramsar status)

    Secondaria
    en.wikipedia.orgConsultato il Giu 14
  6. [06]

    Mauritania's fishmeal fever ends as government tightens regulation — Mongabay (coastal access/depth restrictions, prohibited methods context)

    Secondaria
    news.mongabay.comConsultato il Giu 14
  7. [07]

    Fishing in Mauritania 2026: Permits, Best Spots, Charters & Costs — fishingworldguide.com (tourism guide; permits via charter/authority)

    community
    fishingworldguide.comConsultato il Giu 14

Note dei ricercatori

Spearfishing is not addressed as a named activity in Mauritanian law. The Maritime Fisheries Code (Loi 2015-017, Art. 6) only provides a generic 'pêche sportive' (sport fishing) category whose gear and authorised zones must be set by a ministerial order (arrêté) that was not retrievable online; therefore the concrete legality of recreational spearfishing (speargun/harpoon, with or without scuba) is genuinely unclear and is recorded as 'restricted'. Verbatim French text of Articles 6, 38 and 39 and the offences list was extracted directly from the official FAOLEX PDF of the law (pdftotext); a few OCR artifacts in the source PDF were corrected to the obvious standard legal French (e.g. 'à des fins récréatives'). The most relevant coastal areas (Banc d'Arguin and Diawling national parks) bar modern/recreational and motorised fishing, so practical recreational spearfishing access along the prime Mauritanian coast is heavily constrained. data_confidence is 'low' because no spearfishing-specific instrument, no recreational licence schedule, and no closed-season schedule for recreational fishing could be located; only the general framework law and protected-area rules are confirmed. Coordinates for the two national parks come from a secondary source (Wikipedia) and are approximate centroids.

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