Greenland
Americas · Northern America
Greenland (an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark) does not recognise recreational spearfishing as a permitted fishing method. Its fisheries law operates a positive-list ('may only be done with') regime: the species-specific Self-Government orders for non-commercial/recreational fishing list only hooks/rods and nets (and pots/traps for shellfish) as legal gear. Spear or harpoon (lyster/harpun) are not among the listed recreational fishing methods, so taking fish with a speargun or spear is not legally provided for. Harpoons in Greenland are a hunting tradition used for marine mammals (seals, whales) under hunting (fangst) legislation reserved for residents, not for sport fishing of fish. No source describing legal recreational spearfishing of fish in Greenland was found. A fishing licence (fisketegn) is required for tourists/visitors. Confidence is medium: the absence of spearfishing from the exhaustive permitted-gear lists is well documented, but no single provision explicitly names and bans spearfishing by tourists.
Zuletzt aktualiséiert Abréll 22, 2025
Gouvernéierende Kader
- §Fishery Act (Landstingslov nr. 18 af 31. oktober 1996 om fiskeri) (1996)
- §Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 4 af 30. marts 2017 om tekniske bevaringsforanstaltninger i fiskeriet (technical conservation measures in fisheries) (2017)
- §Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 29 af 28. juli 2022 om fiskeri efter laks (salmon fishing) (2022)
- §Executive Order on non-commercial fishing (ikke-erhvervsmaessigt fiskeri) approved by Naalakkersuisut
- Lizenz erfuerdert
- Erfuerdert
- Spiergewier
- Verboten
- Auslänner
- Net erlaabt
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.
Permitted gear for non-commercial salmon fishing
Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 29 af 28. juli 2022 om fiskeri efter laks
Ikke-erhvervsmaessigt fiskeri efter laks ma kun foretages med: 1) kroge, eller 2) med 1 stk. 2000 knuders garn.
Gear restriction in Kapisillit river
Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 29 af 28. juli 2022 om fiskeri efter laks
Der ma kun fiskes med fiskestang med enkeltkrog i selve elven.
Definition of passive fishing gear (technical conservation measures)
Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 4 af 30. marts 2017 om tekniske bevaringsforanstaltninger i fiskeriet
Passive redskaber: ethvert fiskeredskab, hvis anvendelse ikke kraever, at det aktivt bevaeges gennem vandet, herunder hildingsgarn, indfiltringsnet, toggegarn, synkegarn, bundgarn, langliner, tejner og faelder.
Definition of active fishing gear (technical conservation measures)
Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 4 af 30. marts 2017 om tekniske bevaringsforanstaltninger i fiskeriet
Active redskaber: ethvert fiskeredskab, hvis anvendelse kraever, at det aktivt bevaeges gennem vandet, isaer trukne redskaber, omkredsende redskaber, trawl, snurrevod.
Scope of the technical conservation measures order
Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 4 af 30. marts 2017 om tekniske bevaringsforanstaltninger i fiskeriet
Bekendtgorelsen finder anvendelse ved erhvervsmaessigt fiskeri med gronlandsk registrerede fiskefartojer, samt udenlandske fiskefartojer pa Gronlands fiskeriterritorium.
Wann Dir dauche kënnt
Saisons & Zäitbeschränkungen
Geschlossen, geöffent a ageschränkt Perioden iwwer d'Joer. Bestätegt ëmmer artenspezifisch Schliesszäiten lokal.
- OpAtlantic salmon (recreational) - Northwest GreenlandSep 1 – Okt 31
Recreational salmon fishing season for the Northwest region. Salmon fishing is operated as 'olympic fishing' and stops when the quota is exhausted; a recreational salmon licence is required.
- OpAtlantic salmon (recreational) - Southwest GreenlandAug 1 – Sep 30
Recreational salmon fishing season for the Southwest region; quota-limited ('olympic fishing').
- OpAtlantic salmon (recreational) - East GreenlandAug 15 – Okt 15
Recreational salmon fishing season for the East region; quota-limited ('olympic fishing').
Erlaabnis zum Fëschen
Lizenz
Wat Dir braucht fir am Waasser erlaabt ze sinn, wat et kascht a wéi Dir et kritt.
Visitors transfer the fee to the Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-sufficiency's bank account (Gronlandsbanken) with a prescribed reference text; the bank money-transfer receipt is the personal licence. Many tourist offices/operators can also issue licences paid at a local bank or post office. Salmon recreational licence is applied for online with MitID or via local citizen service (Sullissivik).
Är Lizenz kréienÖffnet dat offiziellt Portal · sullissivik.gl
- Typ
- Fishing licence (fisketegn) for visitors/tourists; separate recreational salmon licence (fritidslicens til laks) for salmon
- Käschten
- Visitor fishing licence: DKK 75 for 24 hours, DKK 200 for one week, DKK 500 for one month (valid till December 2025 guideline).
- Gëltegkeet
- Visitor licence: 24 hours, 1 week or 1 month. Recreational salmon licence: valid 1 year (1 January - 31 December) or for a fishing period announced by the Department.
- Wéi ze kréien
- Visitors transfer the fee to the Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-sufficiency's bank account (Gronlandsbanken) with a prescribed reference text; the bank money-transfer receipt is the personal licence. Many tourist offices/operators can also issue licences paid at a local bank or post office. Salmon recreational licence is applied for online with MitID or via local citizen service (Sullissivik).
- Autoritéit
- Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-sufficiency (Aalisarnermut Piniarnermut Nunalerinermut Imminullu Pilersornermut Naalakkersuisoqarfik)
Ausrüstung & Technik
Ausrüstungsreegelen
Wéi Ausrüstung erlaabt ass, wéi se benotzt duerf ginn a wéi Bedéngungen drun hänken.
Aschränkungen
- Recreational/non-commercial fishing is restricted to hooks/rods and nets (and pots/traps for shellfish); spear and harpoon (lyster/harpun) are not listed as permitted fishing gear.
- Non-commercial salmon fishing may only be done with hooks or one 2000-knot net (§ 11, salmon order).
- In Kapisillit river only a single-hook fishing rod is allowed.
- Net length limits apply (e.g. Arctic char nets max 30 m); shellfish max ~3 pots per angler; wolffish (stenbider) max 2 nets, min 260 mm mesh.
- All gear must be marked with the owner's name in waterproof material.
Harpoons in Greenland are traditionally used for hunting marine mammals (seals, whales) under hunting legislation reserved for residents, not for recreational fishing of fish. No legal provision authorises taking fish with a speargun or spear.
Wat Dir mat kënnt huelen
Fangbeschränkungen & geschützte Arten
Deeglech Quoten, Mindestgréissten a Arten, déi ni geholl duerfen ginn.
Deeglech Limit
Recreational catch is for own consumption; anglers must respect daily quotas. Salmon recreational fishing is quota-limited and operated as 'olympic fishing' (stops when the national quota is reached). No single numeric pan-species daily figure published.
Greenland sets annual total allowable catches per species under the Fishery Act. Salmon (Atlantic salmon) is tightly quota-managed under NASCO/ICES advice. Marine mammals (seals, whales) are governed by hunting law, not fishing law.
Wien fësche duerf
Besucher & Awunner
Wéi d'Reegelen fir auslännesch Besucher a lokal Awunner ënnerscheeden.
Auslännesch Besucher
Net erlaabtSpeziell Lizenz erfuerdert
Ufuerderungen
- Tourists/visitors must hold a paid visitor fishing licence (fisketegn) and carry the bank money-transfer receipt while fishing.
- Recreational salmon licences are generally available only to citizens of Greenland or Denmark with permanent residence in Greenland, or foreign citizens with 2 consecutive years of residence.
Aschränkungen
- Spearfishing is not a permitted recreational fishing method for anyone, including foreigners.
- Only hooks/rods and nets are legal recreational gear; harpoon use for marine mammals is a residents-only hunting activity, not open to tourists.
'allowed: false' refers specifically to spearfishing being unavailable to foreigners; line-and-net recreational fishing IS open to tourists with a fisketegn.
Awunner
Free non-commercial fishing for own consumption for Greenland/Denmark citizens resident in Greenland (and foreigners with 2+ years residence); separate recreational salmon licence for salmon.
Ufuerderungen
- Permanent residence in Greenland (citizen of Greenland/Denmark, or foreigner resident 2+ consecutive years).
- Salmon requires a recreational salmon licence (fritidslicens til laks).
Virdeeler
- May fish freely for own consumption without paying the visitor fisketegn.
- Marine mammal harpoon hunting (seals, whales) is a traditional residents' activity under hunting legislation, distinct from fishing.
Spearfishing of fish is still not a recognised legal method for residents; permitted recreational gear remains hooks/rods and nets.
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
- Kapisillit riverriver fishing restriction zone
In the Kapisillit river (home to Greenland's only native salmon spawning population) fishing is restricted to a single-hook fishing rod only; nets and other gear are not permitted, which inherently excludes spear/harpoon methods.
- Melville Bay Nature Reserve (Qimusseriarsuaq)marine nature reserve
Approximately 10,500 km2 nature reserve in Melville Bay (Qimusseriarsuaq), Baffin Bay, off Northwest Greenland, established 1989 to protect narwhals at the ice edge. Inside the reserve all hunting, fishing, egg collecting, passage and low-altitude transit are prohibited (only Upernavik/Avanersuaq residents meeting conditions are exempt between conservation boundaries I and II). Any taking of fish — including by spear — is banned. Representative center point within the official boundary box (approx 75.5-76.4 N, 57-64 W).
- Northeast Greenland National Parknational park
World's largest national park (~972,000 km2) covering northern and northeastern Greenland and its coast. Hunting and fishing are not allowed within the park; several coastal and sea areas inside the park are designated strictly protected where access and all non-scientific activities are prohibited. Spearfishing (already not a permitted method anywhere in Greenland) is therefore additionally barred here. Representative point near the Daneborg area on the park's east coast.
Konditioune op dem Waasser
Live-Konditioune
Live Mieres- a Wiederschnappschoss no engem Küstenreferenzpunkt a Greenland, vun Open-Meteo. Konditioune variéiere laanscht d'Küst — als indikatif betruechten.
Live Mieres- & Wiederbedéngungen no Kapisillit river.
Wien ze froen
Autoritéiten
Déi offiziell Gremien, déi fir Fëscherei a Lizenzéierung zoustänneg sinn.
Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-sufficiency (Aalisarnermut Piniarnermut Nunalerinermut Imminullu Pilersornermut Naalakkersuisoqarfik)
fisheries ministry
nanoq.glPostboks 269, 3900 Nuuk; Tlf. (+299) 34 50 00; apn@nanoq.glGreenland Fisheries and Hunting Control Authority (GFJK)
fisheries control authority
gfjk.glAqqusinersuaq 48 A, 3900 Nuuk; Tlf. (+299) 34 50 00; gfjk@nanoq.gl
Wou dëst hierkommt
Quellen
All Behaaptung op dëser Säit geet op eng vun dëse Referenze zréck.
- [01]
Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 29 af 28. juli 2022 om fiskeri efter laks (salmon fishing order)
Offiziellnalunaarutit.glOpgeruff Jun 15 - [02]
Selvstyrets bekendtgorelse nr. 4 af 30. marts 2017 om tekniske bevaringsforanstaltninger i fiskeriet (technical conservation measures)
Offiziellnalunaarutit.glOpgeruff Jun 15 - [03]
Fritidsfiskeri (recreational fishing) - Sullissivik (official citizen portal)
Offiziellsullissivik.glOpgeruff Jun 15 - [04]
Ansog om fritidslicens til laks (apply for recreational salmon licence) - Sullissivik
Offiziellsullissivik.glOpgeruff Jun 15 - [05]
To visitors who wish to go fishing in Greenland - fishing licence guideline 2025 (Ministry of Fisheries)
Offiziellsullissivik.glOpgeruff Jun 15 - [06]
Greenland Fisheries and Hunting Control Authority (GFJK)
Offiziellgfjk.glOpgeruff Jun 15 - [07]
Fishery Act (No. 18 of 1996) - ECOLEX legislation record
Offiziellecolex.orgOpgeruff Jun 15 - [08]
Fishing in Greenland - An Arctic angling guide (Raw Arctic)
Sekundärrawarctic.comOpgeruff Jun 15
Fuerschernotizen
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark with its own fisheries legislation administered by the Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-sufficiency and enforced by GFJK. Recreational ('fritidsfiskeri' / 'ikke-erhvervsmaessigt fiskeri') fishing is governed by a positive-list of permitted gear consisting of hooks/rods and nets (plus pots/traps for shellfish). Spear and harpoon (lyster/harpun) are absent from every permitted-gear list reviewed, and the salmon order (§ 11) states recreational salmon fishing 'ma kun foretages med' (may ONLY be done with) hooks or one net - so spearfishing for fish is not legally provided for; legal_status set to 'no'. Important nuance: harpoons ARE central to Greenlandic culture but for HUNTING marine mammals (seals, whales) under hunting/fangst law reserved for residents, NOT for sport spearfishing of fish - these two regimes should not be conflated. Tourists CAN line/net fish with a paid visitor licence (fisketegn). data_confidence is 'medium' because the prohibition of spearfishing is inferred from the exhaustive permitted-gear lists rather than a single explicit ban naming spearguns; the cold Arctic water and absence of any dive-spearfishing culture or operators further support that recreational spearfishing of fish does not occur here. Cost figures are from the official 2025 licence guideline. No spearfishing-specific marine protected zones were identifiable.
Mech notifizéieren wann Greenlands Reegelen änneren
Mir emailen Iech wann Greenlands Saisons oder Reegelen a eisem Dateset aktualiséiert ginn.