Gambia
Africa · Western Africa
Spearfishing with spear guns is prohibited in The Gambia. The Fisheries Regulations, 2008 (Regulation 69(1)(d)) state plainly that 'no spear guns shall be used for fishing in the fisheries waters'. Separately, the conditions attached to a sports fishing vessel licence require that fish be taken by angling with a hook or lure on a line/rod, and expressly forbid the use of a spear (Regulation 60(e)-(f)). The primary Fisheries Act, 2007 (No. 20 of 2007) at section 105(g) empowers the Secretary of State to make regulations prohibiting the use of spear guns and underwater breathing apparatus for night fishing, which is the enabling power exercised in the 2008 Regulations. Possession or sale of speared lobster is also prohibited (Reg. 70(4)). There is no licensing pathway for recreational underwater spearfishing; the only recreational sea-fishing instrument is the sports fishing vessel licence, which mandates rod-and-line angling. Spearfishing should therefore be treated as not permitted in The Gambia's fisheries waters.
Zuletzt aktualiséiert Juni 14, 2026
Gouvernéierende Kader
- §Fisheries Act, 2007 (Act No. 20 of 2007)
- §Fisheries Regulations, 2008 (Regulation No. 2008-6 of 9 June 2008)
- Lizenz erfuerdert
- Erfuerdert
- Spiergewier
- Verboten
- Auslänner
- Net erlaabt
- Max. Spieren
- 0
D'Gesetz, verbatim
Gesetzestexte
Déi exakt gesetzlech a regulatoresch Bestëmmungen, déi d'Speerfëscherei hei gouvernéieren, esou wéi publizéiert zitéiert, mat engem Link op all offiziell Quell.
Gear restrictions - prohibition on spear guns
Fisheries Regulations, 2008 (Regulation No. 2008-6 of 9 June 2008)
69. (1) The following restrictions apply in respect of the use of fishing gear in addition to any restrictions otherwise imposed - (a) no trawling shall be undertaken in the waters of the River Gambia; (b) no beach seine nets shall be used for fishing in the fisheries waters; (c) no fishing gears, especially "dumbu" traps and other gears that catch juvenile fish shall be used in the fisheries waters, without a written permission from the Director of fisheries; (d) no spear guns shall be used for fishing in the fisheries waters; and (e) no fishing vessel shall have on board or use for fishing any net the stretched mesh size of which is less than indicated in Schedule XXVII to these Regulations.
Sports fishing vessel licence - method of fishing (angling only, no spear)
Fisheries Regulations, 2008 (Regulation No. 2008-6 of 9 June 2008)
(e) a person on board the sports fishing vessel shall fish by the method of angling with a hook or lure attached to a line held in the hand or attached to a pole, rod or reel; (f) a person shall not use a spear, fish trap or net other than a dip net or cast net; (g) the owner or operator of the vessel shall not use more than six rods or reels unless he or she is in possession of a licence authorizing the use of more rods or reels; (h) not more than two hundred kilograms of fish may be caught per [trip].
Enabling power to prohibit spear guns and underwater breathing apparatus
Fisheries Act, 2007 (Act No. 20 of 2007)
(g) regulating or prohibiting the use of underwater breathing apparatus and underwater torches for night fishing and regulating or prohibiting the use of spear guns or other similar devices;
Definition of sports fishing
Fisheries Act, 2007 (Act No. 20 of 2007)
"sports fishing" means fishing for the purpose of recreation and not for the purpose of selling the fish caught;
Sports fishing vessel licence requirement
Fisheries Act, 2007 (Act No. 20 of 2007)
36. (1) A fishing vessel shall not be used for sports fishing in the fisheries waters without having on board a sports fishing vessel licence issued by the Director, with the approval of the Secretary of State, in respect of that vessel.
Prohibition on speared lobster and lobster closed season
Fisheries Regulations, 2008 (Regulation No. 2008-6 of 9 June 2008)
(4) A person shall not have in his or her possession, sell or expose for sale, export or purchase any lobster that has been speared or hooked. (5) Until otherwise declared by the Secretary of State by Notice published in the Gazette, the closed season for lobster shall commence from the 1st day of July and end on the 30th day of November of every year. (6) A person shall not fish for lobster during the period of a closed season for lobster.
Prohibited methods of fishing - explosives, poison, noxious substances
Fisheries Act, 2007 (Act No. 20 of 2007)
62. (1) A person who (a) uses or attempts to use, any explosive, poison, or other noxious substance, for the purpose of killing, stunning, disabling or catching fish, or which in any way renders the fish more easily caught; [commits an offence].
Area restriction around Bijol Island
Fisheries Regulations, 2008 (Regulation No. 2008-6 of 9 June 2008)
The following restrictions apply in the areas indicated - (a) fishing vessels, other than canoes and licensed sports fishing vessels, shall not fish within twelve nautical miles of the low water mark, or within twelve nautical miles from the most westerly uncovering rocks at Bijol Island;
Wann Dir dauche kënnt
Saisons & Zäitbeschränkungen
Geschlossen, geöffent a ageschränkt Perioden iwwer d'Joer. Bestätegt ëmmer artenspezifisch Schliesszäiten lokal.
- ZouLobsterJul 1 – Nov 30
Closed season for lobster from 1 July to 30 November of every year (Fisheries Regulations, 2008, Reg. 70(5)). Possession/sale of speared or hooked lobster is prohibited at all times under Reg. 70(4).
Erlaabnis zum Fëschen
Lizenz
Wat Dir braucht fir am Waasser erlaabt ze sinn, wat et kascht a wéi Dir et kritt.
Apply to the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources / Department of Fisheries; a sports fishing vessel licence is issued by the Director with the approval of the Secretary of State. The vessel must be registered in the Register of Fishing Vessels as a sports fishing vessel.
Är Lizenz kréienÖffnet dat offiziellt Portal · mofwr.gm
- Typ
- Sports fishing vessel licence (vessel-based recreational fishing only; no licence exists for spearfishing, which is prohibited)
- Käschten
- unknown
- Gëltegkeet
- As prescribed by the Director; the underlying Act provides fishing licences are generally valid for up to one year unless earlier cancelled
- Wéi ze kréien
- Apply to the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources / Department of Fisheries; a sports fishing vessel licence is issued by the Director with the approval of the Secretary of State. The vessel must be registered in the Register of Fishing Vessels as a sports fishing vessel.
- Autoritéit
- Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters
Ausrüstung & Technik
Ausrüstungsreegelen
Wéi Ausrüstung erlaabt ass, wéi se benotzt duerf ginn a wéi Bedéngungen drun hänken.
Aschränkungen
- Spear guns are prohibited for fishing in the fisheries waters (Fisheries Regulations, 2008, Reg. 69(1)(d)).
- Use of underwater breathing apparatus and underwater torches for night fishing may be regulated or prohibited by regulation (Fisheries Act, 2007, s.105(g)).
- Under a sports fishing vessel licence, fish must be taken by angling with hook or lure on a line/rod; spears, fish traps and nets (other than dip net or cast net) are prohibited (Reg. 60(e)-(f)).
- Explosives, poison and other noxious substances are prohibited for killing or catching fish (Fisheries Act, 2007, s.62).
There is no recognised legal channel for recreational underwater spearfishing in The Gambia. Spear guns are explicitly banned and recreational sea fishing is confined to rod-and-line angling from a licensed sports fishing vessel.
Wat Dir mat kënnt huelen
Fangbeschränkungen & geschützte Arten
Deeglech Quoten, Mindestgréissten a Arten, déi ni geholl duerfen ginn.
Deeglech Limit
Sports fishing vessel: not more than 200 kg of fish may be caught per trip (Fisheries Regulations, 2008, Reg. 60(h)).
Mindestgréissten
- Shads/Bongamin. 15 cm
- Sardinellamin. 12 cm
- Mackerelsmin. 19 cm
- Sea breamsmin. 23 cm
- Dentexmin. 15 cm
- Red Pandoramin. 19 cm
- Sompat Gruntmin. 25 cm
- Rubberlip Gruntmin. 25 cm
- Brown Meagremin. 25 cm
- Meagre (capitaine)min. 70 cm
- Groupersmin. 40 cm
- Croakersmin. 70 cm
- Red Mulletmin. 15 cm
- Solefishmin. 30 cm
- Threadfinsmin. 60 cm
- Hakemin. 30 cm
- Catfishmin. 30 cm
- Cuttlefishmin. 13 cm
Geschützt Arten — net huelen
- GeschütztLobster (closed season 1 July - 30 November; no undersized/egg-bearing/moulting/speared lobster)
- GeschütztSharks, skates and rays (finning and carcass dumping prohibited, Reg. 73)
- GeschütztWhales and other marine mammals (Fisheries Act, 2007, s.106)
- GeschütztMarine turtles (breed at Bijol Islands, protected under reserve)
Minimum size limits set out in Schedule XXVIII to the Fisheries Regulations, 2008. Invertebrate limits: Octopus 500 g (eviscerated), Lobster 75 mm carapace length, Shrimps max 100 individuals per kg, Oysters 60 mm diameter. Undersized or unlawfully caught fish must be returned to the water if able to live (Reg. 72).
Wien fësche duerf
Besucher & Awunner
Wéi d'Reegelen fir auslännesch Besucher a lokal Awunner ënnerscheeden.
Auslännesch Besucher
Net erlaabtAschränkungen
- Spearfishing with spear guns is prohibited for everyone, residents and foreigners alike, in the fisheries waters of The Gambia.
- Foreign visitors may engage in recreational rod-and-line angling, typically through a licensed sports fishing vessel / tour operator, but not spearfishing.
No special foreigner spearfishing licence exists because spearfishing itself is prohibited. Tourist sport fishing in The Gambia is conducted as rod-and-line angling, often catch-and-release.
Awunner
Sports fishing vessel licence (recreational rod-and-line angling); artisanal fishing is separately regulated
Ufuerderungen
- Recreational sea fishing must be conducted from a vessel registered as a sports fishing vessel and holding a sports fishing vessel licence.
- Fishing must be by angling with hook or lure on a line/rod; spears are prohibited.
The spear gun prohibition applies to residents as well as foreigners; there is no resident exemption for spearfishing.
Wou op der Küst
Erlaabt & verbotene Zonen
Benannt Gebidder, déi fir Speerfëscherei op oder zou sinn. Kuckt d'ganzt Bild op der interaktiver Kaart.
Verbotene Gebidder
- Tanji Bird Reserve / Bijol Islandsnature reserve / protected marine area
The Bijol Islands (The Gambia's only offshore islands) and the surrounding marine area form part of the Tanji (Karinti) Bird Reserve, an important breeding site for marine turtles and roosting seabirds. The Fisheries Regulations, 2008 (Reg. 68(a)) impose a 12-nautical-mile fishing restriction measured from the most westerly uncovering rocks at Bijol Island. Spear guns are prohibited nationwide regardless of location.
- Niumi National Parknational park
Protected marine delta in the North Bank Region (Lower Niumi District); important fish breeding ground and one of the last untouched mangrove stands on the West African coast north of the equator. Spear guns are prohibited nationwide under the Fisheries Regulations, 2008.
- Tanbi Wetland National Parknational park / Ramsar wetland
Mangrove wetland national park (Ramsar site) at the mouth of the River Gambia near Banjul; a protected area. Spear guns are prohibited nationwide under the Fisheries Regulations, 2008.
- Bao Bolong Wetland Reservewetland reserve / Ramsar site
Tidal wetland complex (296.5 km2, est. 1996, Ramsar site) on the north bank of the River Gambia, approximately 100 km from the river mouth, comprising six major bolons (tidal tributaries), tidal estuaries, mangrove forest, saltmarsh and savanna woodland. The waters of the River Gambia are part of The Gambia's fisheries waters, where spear guns are prohibited nationwide (Fisheries Regulations 2008, Reg. 69(1)(d)); the area is additionally a protected reserve managed by the DPWM.
- Kiang West National Parknational park (riverine/tidal)
National park (est. 1987, ~115 km2) on the south bank of the River Gambia in the Lower River Region, Kiang West District, bordered to the north by the Gambia River and its tidal creeks/mangrove bolons. River Gambia waters are fisheries waters where spear guns are banned nationwide (Fisheries Regulations 2008, Reg. 69(1)(d)); the park is a protected area managed by the DPWM.
Konditioune op dem Waasser
Live-Konditioune
Live Mieres- a Wiederschnappschoss no engem Küstenreferenzpunkt a Gambia, vun Open-Meteo. Konditioune variéiere laanscht d'Küst — als indikatif betruechten.
Live Mieres- & Wiederbedéngungen no Tanji Bird Reserve / Bijol Islands.
Wien ze froen
Autoritéiten
Déi offiziell Gremien, déi fir Fëscherei a Lizenzéierung zoustänneg sinn.
Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters
fisheries authority
mofwr.gmMarina Parade, Banjul, The GambiaDepartment of Fisheries (Director of Fisheries)
fisheries authority
mofwr.gmIssues sports fishing vessel licences with approval of the Secretary of StateDepartment of Parks & Wildlife Management (DPWM), Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Natural Resources
environment ministry
meccnar.gov.gmManages national parks and protected/marine reserves including Tanji Bird Reserve and Bijol Islands
Wou dëst hierkommt
Quellen
All Behaaptung op dëser Säit geet op eng vun dëse Referenze zréck.
- [01]
Fisheries Act, 2007 (Act No. 20 of 2007) - full text (FAOLEX)
Offiziellfaolex.fao.orgOpgeruff Jun 14 - [02]
Fisheries Regulations, 2008 (Regulation No. 2008-6 of 9 June 2008) - full text (FAOLEX)
Offiziellfaolex.fao.orgOpgeruff Jun 14 - [03]
Fisheries Act, 2007 (No. 20 of 2007) - ECOLEX record
Sekundärecolex.orgOpgeruff Jun 14 - [04]
The Gambia - Fisheries Act (Global Fishing Legislative Database, The Outlaw Ocean Project)
Sekundärtheoutlawocean.comOpgeruff Jun 14 - [05]
Information on the protected areas in The Gambia - Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Natural Resources
Offiziellmeccnar.gov.gmOpgeruff Jun 14 - [06]
Tanji Bird Reserve / Bijol Islands - Wikipedia
Sekundären.wikipedia.orgOpgeruff Jun 14
Fuerschernotizen
Spearfishing with a spear gun is unambiguously prohibited in The Gambia under Regulation 69(1)(d) of the Fisheries Regulations, 2008 ('no spear guns shall be used for fishing in the fisheries waters'), made under the enabling power in section 105(g) of the Fisheries Act, 2007. Recreational sea fishing is permitted only as rod-and-line angling under a sports fishing vessel licence, and that licence's conditions also forbid the use of a spear (Reg. 60(f)). Possession or sale of speared lobster is separately banned (Reg. 70(4)). The full verbatim legal texts were extracted directly from the official FAOLEX PDFs of both the Act and the Regulations (the source PDFs are image/scanned; text was obtained via local OCR/pdftotext, which introduced minor character artifacts in some passages, but the cited provisions are legible and verbatim). Confidence is high because the prohibition is explicit in primary legislation. Licence fees are not published in the retrieved instruments and are marked unknown. Coordinates for protected areas are approximate (from reserve gazetteer sources, not legal text).
Mech notifizéieren wann Gambias Reegelen änneren
Mir emailen Iech wann Gambias Saisons oder Reegelen a eisem Dateset aktualiséiert ginn.