Trinidad and Tobago
Americas · Caribbean
Recreational spearfishing is legal in Trinidad and Tobago and is widely practised, especially in Tobago where parrotfish, rockfish and other reef species are taken by free divers and scuba divers. The official Institute of Marine Affairs states plainly that spearfishing in Tobago is unregulated: there is no permitting system, no gear restrictions, no size or catch limits and no open or closed seasons for the activity itself. The key legal constraint is geographic: fishing of any kind (including spearfishing) is strictly prohibited inside declared marine protected/restricted areas, most notably the Buccoo Reef Marine Park / Bon Accord Lagoon complex in Tobago, designated under the Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act (Ch. 37:02). The general Fisheries Act (Ch. 67:51) bans poison and explosives, empowers the Minister to declare prohibited areas and to restrict harpooning/taking of fish, and absolutely prohibits taking, killing or harpooning any marine turtle. Visitors generally need a fishing permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, though enforcement of permits for shore/free-dive spearfishing is light and reporting is inconsistent.
Zuletzt aktualiséiert Juni 15, 2026
Gouvernéierende Kader
- §Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51 (Act 39 of 1916, as amended)
- §Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act, Chapter 37:02 (Act 1 of 1970, as amended)
- §Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations (GN 119/1975, as amended by 201/2011)
- §Fisheries (Conservation of Marine Turtles) Regulations (LN 65/1994, as amended)
- Lizenz erfuerdert
- Erfuerdert
- Spiergewier
- Erlaabt
- Scuba
- Erlaabt
- Auslänner
- Wëllkomm
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.
Power to declare prohibited areas and to prohibit harpooning/taking of fish
Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51
4. The Minister may make Regulations— ... (c) declaring any area to be a prohibited area; (d) prohibiting the killing, harpooning, taking, removing, catching or any other means of taking possession of fish or any variety thereof either absolutely or at such times and within such areas as may be prescribed;
Prohibition on use of poison or explosives to take fish
Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51
7. Any person who uses poison of any description or any explosive with intent to stupefy, poison, take or kill fish is liable on summary conviction to a fine of one thousand dollars or to imprisonment for three months.
Prohibition on taking fish in a prohibited area
Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51
8. (1) Except with the written permission of the Minister, no person shall take any fish in a prohibited area. (2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction to a fine of two thousand dollars and to imprisonment for six months.
Definition of fish (includes turtle, corals and other marine fauna)
Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51
“fish” includes oysters, crabs, shrimps, turtle, turtle eggs, corals and any species of other marine fauna;
Absolute prohibition on killing, harpooning or taking any marine turtle
Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations (made under section 4 of the Fisheries Act, Ch. 67:51)
3. No person shall, at any time, kill, harpoon, catch or otherwise take possession of any turtle, or purchase, sell, offer or expose for sale or cause to be sold or offered or exposed for sale any turtle, turtle meat or any other part of the turtle.
Recreational vessel operation permitted within two nautical miles of the coast
Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51 (subsidiary regulations, 121/1998)
8. ... (2) A person operating an artisanal vessel or a vessel for recreational purposes shall be permitted to do so within a distance of two nautical miles from the coast line.
Prohibited activities within a restricted marine area (Buccoo Reef Marine Park)
Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act, Chapter 37:02 (Act 1 of 1970), restricted-area regulations
No person may, without written ministerial permission: go in or alight upon a restricted area; operate a boat or other vessel within a restricted area or cause or allow a boat or other vessel to enter such an area; take or remove any fish or bird from a restricted area; take or remove any mangrove from a restricted area; dig, dredge, or otherwise interfere with the seabed of a restricted area. Fishing, of any kind, is strictly prohibited within the Marine Park.
Wann Dir dauche kënnt
Saisons & Zäitbeschränkungen
Geschlossen, geöffent a ageschränkt Perioden iwwer d'Joer. Bestätegt ëmmer artenspezifisch Schliesszäiten lokal.
Keng seasonal Schliessungen opgeholl — lokal verifizéieren ier Dir daucht.
Erlaabnis zum Fëschen
Lizenz
Wat Dir braucht fir am Waasser erlaabt ze sinn, wat et kascht a wéi Dir et kritt.
Apply to / contact the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries. In practice, no permitting system specifically governs shore-based/free-dive spearfishing in Tobago, and reports of permit requirements for visitors are inconsistent.
Är Lizenz kréienÖffnet dat offiziellt Portal · agriculture.gov.tt
- Typ
- Fishing permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (for visitors who wish to fish); recreational use is broadly permitted within 2 nautical miles of the coast.
- Käschten
- unknown
- Gëltegkeet
- unknown
- Wéi ze kréien
- Apply to / contact the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries. In practice, no permitting system specifically governs shore-based/free-dive spearfishing in Tobago, and reports of permit requirements for visitors are inconsistent.
- Autoritéit
- Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (Fisheries Division)
Ausrüstung & Technik
Ausrüstungsreegelen
Wéi Ausrüstung erlaabt ass, wéi se benotzt duerf ginn a wéi Bedéngungen drun hänken.
Aschränkungen
- Use of poison or explosives to take, stupefy or kill fish is prohibited (Fisheries Act s.7).
- No gear restrictions specific to spearfishing exist in law (per Institute of Marine Affairs).
Parrotfish in Tobago are harvested mainly by spear-fishers using either SCUBA diving or free diving; the Institute of Marine Affairs confirms spearfishing is unregulated outside protected areas, with no gear restrictions. Spearguns are commonly used and provided on local spearfishing tours.
Wat Dir mat kënnt huelen
Fangbeschränkungen & geschützte Arten
Deeglech Quoten, Mindestgréissten a Arten, déi ni geholl duerfen ginn.
Deeglech Limit
None established for recreational spearfishing (no catch limits per Institute of Marine Affairs).
Mindestgréissten
- Lobster (carapace length)min. 8.9 cm
Geschützt Arten — net huelen
- GeschütztAll marine turtles (absolute prohibition on killing, harpooning, catching, possessing or selling under the Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations)
- GeschütztCorals (included in statutory definition of 'fish'; taking restricted, especially within protected areas)
Lobster minimum legal size is reported as a carapace length of 3.5 inches (≈8.9 cm) and a minimum tail weight of 7 ounces. No spearfishing-specific size or catch limits exist (per Institute of Marine Affairs). Conservation concern exists over declining parrotfish abundance and size, but no statutory parrotfish limit has been confirmed. Size-limit figure for lobster is from a secondary aggregator source and should be verified against the official regulation before relying on it.
Wien fësche duerf
Besucher & Awunner
Wéi d'Reegelen fir auslännesch Besucher a lokal Awunner ënnerscheeden.
Auslännesch Besucher
ErlaabtSpeziell Lizenz erfuerdert
Ufuerderungen
- Obtain a fishing permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries before fishing (per secondary travel sources).
Aschränkungen
- Same geographic and conservation restrictions as residents: no fishing inside the Buccoo Reef Marine Park or other restricted areas; turtles fully protected; no poison/explosives.
Visitors who wish to fish are generally advised to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, though some sources state no rod licence/permit is required for casual fishing around Tobago. Requirements are inconsistently reported; confirm with the Fisheries Division before travelling.
Awunner
No spearfishing-specific licence; general Fisheries Act framework applies. Artisanal/recreational vessels may operate within 2 nautical miles of the coast.
Local skin/free divers traditionally and legally spear reef fish (e.g. parrotfish, rockfish) outside protected areas; the activity is unregulated in Tobago per the Institute of Marine Affairs.
Wou op der Küst
Erlaabt & verbotene Zonen
Benannt Gebidder, déi fir Speerfëscherei op oder zou sinn. Kuckt d'ganzt Bild op der interaktiver Kaart.
Erlaabt Gebidder
Spearfishing is widely and legally practised along most of Tobago's coast by free divers and scuba divers, targeting parrotfish, rockfish and other reef species. The Institute of Marine Affairs states the activity is unregulated outside protected areas (no permits, gear, size, catch limits or seasons).
Must not enter the Buccoo Reef Marine Park or any other declared restricted/prohibited area; turtles are fully protected nationwide; poison and explosives prohibited.
Spearfishing is generally permitted in Trinidad's coastal waters outside any declared prohibited area, subject to the general Fisheries Act prohibitions.
No taking of fish in declared prohibited areas without written ministerial permission; turtles fully protected; no poison/explosives.
Verbotene Gebidder
- Buccoo Reef Marine Park / Bon Accord Lagoon Complexmarine park / no-take marine protected area
Tobago's principal and oldest marine protected area, designated a no-take marine park in 1973 under the Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act (Ch. 37:02). Fishing of any kind, including spearfishing, is strictly prohibited; access requires a valid Access/Transit Permit from the Division.
Konditioune op dem Waasser
Live-Konditioune
Live Mieres- a Wiederschnappschoss no engem Küstenreferenzpunkt a Trinidad and Tobago, vun Open-Meteo. Konditioune variéiere laanscht d'Küst — als indikatif betruechten.
Live Mieres- & Wiederbedéngungen no Buccoo Reef Marine Park / Bon Accord Lagoon Complex.
Wien ze froen
Autoritéiten
Déi offiziell Gremien, déi fir Fëscherei a Lizenzéierung zoustänneg sinn.
Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries – Fisheries Division
fisheries authority
agriculture.gov.ttunknownTobago House of Assembly – Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development
regional environment/fisheries authority (Tobago)
tha.gov.ttunknownInstitute of Marine Affairs (IMA)
marine research institute
ima.gov.ttunknown
Wou dëst hierkommt
Quellen
All Behaaptung op dëser Säit geet op eng vun dëse Referenze zréck.
- [01]
Fisheries Act, Chapter 67:51 (unofficial consolidated version updated to 31 Dec 2015) – Ministry of Agriculture
Offiziellagriculture.gov.ttOpgeruff Jun 15 - [02]
Prohibited Use of the Buccoo Reef Marine Protected Area – Tobago House of Assembly
Offizielltha.gov.ttOpgeruff Jun 15 - [03]
Parrotfish – Eating and 'pooping' their way to healthy reefs! – Institute of Marine Affairs
Offiziellima.gov.ttOpgeruff Jun 15 - [04]
Snorkel, Freedive or Spearfish in Trinidad and Tobago – Veronika's Adventure
Sekundärveronikasadventure.comOpgeruff Jun 15 - [05]
Caribbean Fishing – Laws and Regulations – Yacht Cruising Lifestyle
Sekundärhashtagboatlife.comOpgeruff Jun 15 - [06]
Fishing Conservation – Trinidad and Tobago (Buccoo Reef Marine Park 1973; bottom trawling ban 2013)
Sekundärfishingtnt.comOpgeruff Jun 15
Fuerschernotizen
Spearfishing is legal and commonly practised in Trinidad and Tobago, particularly in Tobago, and is explicitly described as unregulated outside protected areas by the Institute of Marine Affairs (no permits, gear, size/catch limits or seasons specific to the activity). The binding legal constraints are: (1) a strict no-fishing rule inside declared marine protected/restricted areas, above all the Buccoo Reef Marine Park / Bon Accord Lagoon complex (Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act, Ch. 37:02); (2) a nationwide absolute prohibition on taking, killing or harpooning marine turtles; and (3) the Fisheries Act ban on poison and explosives. The Fisheries Act (Ch. 67:51) verbatim text was retrieved from the official Ministry of Agriculture PDF and extracted with pdftotext. The Marine Areas Act restricted-area prohibitions were taken from the official Tobago House of Assembly page (which paraphrases Regulation 3); the verbatim wording of the underlying statutory instrument was not independently retrieved, so that entry is a faithful close paraphrase from an official source rather than a guaranteed exact transcription. Lobster size/tail-weight figures and the visitor-permit requirement come from secondary travel/aggregator sources and should be verified against official regulations. A modernising Fisheries Management Bill (2020) was before Parliament but is not confirmed as enacted; the 1916 Fisheries Act remains the governing statute. Coordinates for Buccoo Reef are approximate centroid values. No closed seasons relevant to spearfishing were found. Confidence: medium – strong official primary sourcing for the Fisheries Act, turtle protection and Buccoo Reef prohibition; weaker (secondary) sourcing for licensing details and lobster size limits.
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