Jordan
Asia · Western Asia
Jordan has a single short coastline (~27 km) on the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea), administered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA). Recreational/amateur fishing from shore and by tourist boats is prohibited, and spearfishing (harpoon hunting by divers) is not permitted along the Aqaba coast. Fishing of all resident species is governed by Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020 on the regulation of fishing of fish and aquatic life in the Gulf of Aqaba, which lists permitted gear (bait nets, lines and hooks) and bans metal traps (sakhawi) and gill nets (shawarat); spearguns/harpoons are not among the permitted gear. The Aqaba Marine Reserve (Jordan's first marine protected area) bans fishing in all forms within its boundaries. A four-month total closed season (1 January to 30 April) applies each year. There is no marine spearfishing fishery and no recognised recreational spearfishing regime; the dead Sea and inland freshwater bodies have no spearfishing provision either.
Zuletzt aktualiséiert Januar 1, 2026
Gouvernéierende Kader
- §Instructions No. (Z/1) for the Regulation of Fishing of Fish and Aquatic Life in the Gulf of Aqaba, 2020 (published in the Official Gazette, April 2020; replaced Instructions No. (G/5) of 2006)
- §Agriculture Law of Jordan (Law No. 13 of 2015, as amended)
- §Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Law (ASEZA mandate over the Aqaba coast and marine environment)
- §Aqaba Marine Reserve regulatory framework and Management Plan 2022-2026 (Jordan National Protected Areas network)
- Lizenz erfuerdert
- Erfuerdert
- Spiergewier
- Verboten
- Scuba
- 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.
Prohibition of metal traps and gill nets on licensed fishing boats (Aqaba)
ASEZA official announcement applying Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020 on the regulation of fishing in the Gulf of Aqaba
يمنع حمل الأفخاخ المعدنية ( السخاوي ) والشباك الخيشومية ( الشوارات )
Prohibition of all fishing by tourist and glass-bottom boats (Aqaba)
ASEZA official announcement applying Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020 on the regulation of fishing in the Gulf of Aqaba
يمنع ممارسة الصيد اطلاقاً من قبل القوارب السياحية وذات القاع الزجاجي
Prohibition of amateur and visitor fishing from the shore (Aqaba)
ASEZA official announcement applying Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020 on the regulation of fishing in the Gulf of Aqaba
يمنع الصيد إطلاقاً من قبل الهواة والزوار عن طريق الشاطئ
Annual four-month suspension of all forms of fishing in the Gulf of Aqaba (2026 season)
ASEZA decision based on Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020 on the regulation of fishing of fish and aquatic life in the Gulf of Aqaba
أعلنت سلطة منطقة العقبة الاقتصادية الخاصة عن وقف الصيد بمختلف أشكاله، الاحترافي والترفيهي، اعتباراً من صباح اليوم الخميس الموافق 1 كانون الثاني 2026، ولغاية مساء يوم الخميس الموافق 30 نيسان 2026 ... ويستند وقف الصيد إلى تعليمات تنظيم صيد الأسماك والأحياء المائية في خليج العقبة رقم (ز/1) لسنة 2020. ويمنع القرار صيد كافة أنواع الأسماك المتوطنة سواء من المياه الشاطئية أو العميقة، بينما يُسمح للصيادين المرخصين بصيد الأسماك المهاجرة فقط مثل التونا والفرس.
Definition of 'fishing' under Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020
Instructions No. (Z/1) for the Regulation of Fishing of Fish and Aquatic Life in the Gulf of Aqaba, 2020
الصيد: عملية جمع الأسماك بمختلف أنواعها وأحجامها من البحر
Wann Dir dauche kënnt
Saisons & Zäitbeschränkungen
Geschlossen, geöffent a ageschränkt Perioden iwwer d'Joer. Bestätegt ëmmer artenspezifisch Schliesszäiten lokal.
- ZouAll resident (non-migratory) fish species in the Gulf of Aqaba; all forms of fishing (professional and recreational), from shore and deep waterJan 1 – Apr 30
Annual four-month total fishing ban applied by ASEZA each year (in force for the 2026 season for the 4th consecutive year, 1 January to 30 April 2026) under Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020, to protect resident fish stocks during their spawning and egg-laying period. During the closure only licensed fishers may catch migratory species (tuna varieties and horse mackerel/kingfish, 'al-faras').
Erlaabnis zum Fëschen
Lizenz
Wat Dir braucht fir am Waasser erlaabt ze sinn, wat et kascht a wéi Dir et kritt.
Through the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) under Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020; licences authorise boat operation and/or fishing with permitted gear only. Spearfishing is not a licensable activity.
Är Lizenz kréienÖffnet dat offiziellt Portal · aseza.jo
- Typ
- Fishing licence issued by ASEZA / Ministry of Agriculture for the Gulf of Aqaba (professional and recreational categories); no recreational spearfishing licence exists.
- Käschten
- unknown
- Gëltegkeet
- unknown
- Wéi ze kréien
- Through the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) under Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020; licences authorise boat operation and/or fishing with permitted gear only. Spearfishing is not a licensable activity.
- Autoritéit
- Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA)
Ausrüstung & Technik
Ausrüstungsreegelen
Wéi Ausrüstung erlaabt ass, wéi se benotzt duerf ginn a wéi Bedéngungen drun hänken.
Aschränkungen
- Harpoon/speargun hunting by divers is not a permitted fishing method in the Gulf of Aqaba
- Metal traps (sakhawi) prohibited on licensed boats
- Gill nets (shawarat) prohibited on licensed boats
- Only nets designated for bait collection, plus lines and hooks, are permitted gear
- Net fishing on/over coral reefs is banned
Permitted fishing is limited to lines, hooks and bait-collection nets for licensed fishers targeting migratory species; spearguns and harpoons are not listed among permitted gear. Within the Aqaba Marine Reserve all fishing is prohibited regardless of gear.
Wat Dir mat kënnt huelen
Fangbeschränkungen & geschützte Arten
Deeglech Quoten, Mindestgréissten a Arten, déi ni geholl duerfen ginn.
Deeglech Limit
unknown
Geschützt Arten — net huelen
- GeschütztAll resident (endemic) Gulf of Aqaba fish species during the 1 January - 30 April closed season
- GeschütztCorals and reef-associated organisms (protected within the Aqaba Marine Reserve)
During the annual closed season only migratory species (tuna varieties such as skipjack/yellowfin/bigeye and horse mackerel / kingfish 'al-faras') may be taken by licensed fishers. No published numeric daily bag or minimum-size limits were retrievable from official sources.
Wien fësche duerf
Besucher & Awunner
Wéi d'Reegelen fir auslännesch Besucher a lokal Awunner ënnerscheeden.
Auslännesch Besucher
Net erlaabtAschränkungen
- Amateur/visitor (tourist) fishing from shore is prohibited for everyone, including foreigners
- Spearfishing/harpoon hunting by divers is not permitted for visitors
Tourists and visitors cannot fish from the shore or from tourist/glass-bottom boats, and spearfishing is not an allowed activity. Dive tourism is reef-conservation oriented; operators state harpoon hunting is not done in Aqaba.
Awunner
ASEZA professional or recreational fishing licence (Gulf of Aqaba)
Ufuerderungen
- Hold a valid ASEZA/Ministry of Agriculture fishing licence
- Use only permitted gear (lines, hooks, bait-collection nets)
- Observe the annual 1 January - 30 April closure (only migratory species permitted)
Virdeeler
- Licensed fishers who comply with the closed-season suspension receive monthly compensation of 400 Jordanian Dinars during the closure period (announced for the 2026 season)
Recreational and professional categories exist for residents; spearfishing is not a licensable category for residents either.
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
- Aqaba Marine Reserve (Aqaba Marine Park)marine reserve
Jordan's first marine protected area, managed by ASEZA. Runs along roughly 7 km of the eastern shore near the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, from the southern boundary of the Passenger Port (north) to the southern boundary of the Royal Diving Club (south); marine boundary extends ~350 m west of the shoreline and the land boundary ~50 m east. Fishing is prohibited in all forms within its boundaries: 'Do not fish in any form.' Spearfishing/harpoon hunting by divers is not permitted.
- Gulf of Aqaba (entire Jordanian coast)regulated coastal fishing zone
Across the whole Jordanian Aqaba coast, amateur/visitor shore fishing and fishing by tourist and glass-bottom boats are prohibited, and harpoon/spearfishing by divers is not an allowed method; only licensed line-and-hook and bait-net fishing for migratory species is permitted outside the protected reserve, subject to the annual closed season.
Konditioune op dem Waasser
Live-Konditioune
Live Mieres- a Wiederschnappschoss no engem Küstenreferenzpunkt a Jordan, vun Open-Meteo. Konditioune variéiere laanscht d'Küst — als indikatif betruechten.
Live Mieres- & Wiederbedéngungen no Aqaba Marine Reserve (Aqaba Marine Park).
Wien ze froen
Autoritéiten
Déi offiziell Gremien, déi fir Fëscherei a Lizenzéierung zoustänneg sinn.
Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) - Commissioner of Environment and Public Safety
maritime/coastal regulatory authority; manager of the Aqaba Marine Reserve
aseza.joAqaba, JordanMinistry of Agriculture of Jordan
fisheries authority (issued Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020 under the Agriculture Law)
moa.gov.joAmman, JordanRoyal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS)
marine conservation NGO (consultative partner on Aqaba fishing regulations)
jreds.orgJordan
Wou dëst hierkommt
Quellen
All Behaaptung op dëser Säit geet op eng vun dëse Referenze zréck.
- [01]
Aqaba Marine Reserve - ASEZA official page (prohibited activities, boundaries)
Offiziellaseza.joOpgeruff Jun 14 - [02]
ASEZA official announcement - four-month fishing ban in the Gulf of Aqaba (gear prohibitions, shore/tourist-boat fishing ban)
Offiziellaseza.joOpgeruff Jun 14 - [03]
ASEZA official announcement - application of the 2020 fishing regulation instructions
Offiziellaseza.joOpgeruff Jun 14 - [04]
Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020 on the regulation of fishing of fish and aquatic life in the Gulf of Aqaba (Qistas legal database)
Offiziellqistas.comOpgeruff Jun 14 - [05]
Al-Mamlaka TV - ASEZA suspends fishing in the Gulf of Aqaba until end of April 2026 (2026 closed season, legal basis, compensation)
Sekundäralmamlakatv.comOpgeruff Jun 14 - [06]
Hanns Seidel Foundation Jordan - New Fishing Regulations for the Gulf of Aqaba (2020 instructions replacing 2006, Official Gazette April 2020)
Sekundärjordan.hss.deOpgeruff Jun 14 - [07]
Arab Divers - Deep Fishing in Aqaba (states harpoon/diver spearfishing not done; fishing forbidden in Aqaba Marine Park)
communityarabdivers.joOpgeruff Jun 14 - [08]
Wikipedia - Aqaba Marine Reserve (coordinates, managing authority, area)
Sekundären.wikipedia.orgOpgeruff Jun 14 - [09]
Jordan Times - ASEZA implements four-month fishing suspension for environmental conservation
Sekundärjordantimes.comOpgeruff Jun 14
Fuerschernotizen
Jordan's only marine coast is ~27 km on the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea), governed by ASEZA. No recreational spearfishing regime exists: amateur/visitor shore fishing and tourist/glass-bottom-boat fishing are banned, harpoon hunting by divers is not a permitted method, and all fishing is banned inside the Aqaba Marine Reserve. The primary instrument is Instructions No. (Z/1) of 2020 (Official Gazette, April 2020), issued under the Agriculture Law and replacing Instructions No. (G/5) of 2006; an annual 1 Jan - 30 Apr total closure applies (in force for 2026, the 4th consecutive year). Verbatim Arabic provisions on banned gear (metal traps 'sakhawi', gill nets 'shawarat'), the shore/tourist-boat fishing ban, and the closure were captured from the official ASEZA announcement. The full article-by-article text of Instructions No. (Z/1) (e.g. an explicit named spearfishing prohibition) is paywalled on the Qistas legal database; only the title, definitions (Article 2) and committee article (Article 3) were publicly retrievable, so the 'no spearfishing' conclusion rests on (a) only lines/hooks/bait-nets being permitted gear, (b) the total amateur/shore fishing ban, (c) the all-forms fishing ban in the marine reserve, and (d) dive-operator confirmation - rather than on a single verbatim 'spearfishing prohibited' clause. data_confidence set to medium for this reason. Freshwater/inland (e.g. Dead Sea, dams) has no spearfishing provision and no fishery of relevance. Numeric bag/size limits and licence cost were not retrievable from official sources and are marked unknown.
Mech notifizéieren wann Jordans Reegelen änneren
Mir emailen Iech wann Jordans Saisons oder Reegelen a eisem Dateset aktualiséiert ginn.