SpearfishingMap

Cuba

Americas · Caribbean

Spearfishing (pesca submarina) is legal in Cuba as a sub-category of recreational fishing (pesca recreativa), but it is tightly restricted by Ley No. 129/2019 (Ley de Pesca) and its Regulation (Decreto No. 1/2019). It may only be practised on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, only in the designated maritime areas of Chapter V of the Decree, and only by free-diving (apnea) with spring/rubber, pneumatic or pneumatic-oil spearguns and harpoons, in single units. The use of artificial breathing equipment (scuba) for spearfishing is prohibited, and competitive spearfishing events are banned nationwide. A personal, non-transferable annual spearfishing licence is required (issued by the Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal of the Ministry of the Food Industry); applicants must be at least 17 years old. Catch is for personal/family consumption only, not for profit. Certain species are reserved for state commercial fishing (e.g. spiny lobster Panulirus argus, queen conch Lobatus gigas) and others are fully protected (e.g. sea turtles, manatee, black coral). Spearfishing is also prohibited inside marine protected areas / national parks such as Jardines de la Reina.

Restricted
Betrouwbaarheid van gegevensHoge betrouwbaarheid

Laatst bijgewerkt juni 14, 2026

Geldend kader

  • §Ley No. 129/2019 "Ley de Pesca" (National Assembly, in force from 7 February 2020)
  • §Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca" (Council of Ministers)
  • §Resolucion 18/2020 of the Ministry of the Food Industry (procedure for granting fishing authorisations)
  • §Replaced Decreto-Ley No. 164/1996 "Reglamento de Pesca"
Vergunning vereist
Vereist
Harpoengeweer
Toegestaan
Duikfles
Verboden
Buitenlanders
Welkom
Max. harpoenen
1

De wet, woordelijk

Wetteksten

De exacte wettelijke en regelgevende bepalingen die speervissen hier reguleren, geciteerd zoals gepubliceerd, met een link naar elke officiële bron.

01Article 14, point 3Cuba · national

Definition of recreational fishing including spearfishing

Ley No. 129/2019 "Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

3. La pesca recreativa es aquella mediante la que se produce la captura de organismos acuaticos con fines recreativos o de esparcimiento, incluye la pesca submarina.

02Article 16Cuba · national

Spearfishing days, allowed gear and free-diving requirement

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 16. La pesca submarina solo puede practicarse los sabados, domingos y dias feriados, en las aguas maritimas que se consignan en el Capitulo V del presente Decreto y mediante buceo a pulmon libre y con escopetas de liga o resorte, oleoneumaticas y arpon, siempre en cantidades unitarias.

03Article 17Cuba · national

Prohibition of competitive spearfishing events

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 17. Se prohibe la celebracion de cualquier tipo de evento competitivo relacionado con la pesca submarina en el territorio nacional.

04Article 18Cuba · national

Recreational/sports catch is for personal consumption, not for profit

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 18. El producto de la pesca deportiva y de la recreativa se destina, fundamentalmente, al consumo personal o familiar y no puede utilizarse con fines de lucro.

05Article 5Cuba · national

Minimum age of 17 to obtain a fishing authorisation

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 5. Para solicitar una autorizacion de pesca es requisito indispensable, en el caso de personas naturales, que el solicitante tenga cumplidos los diecisiete (17) anos de edad.

06Article 41Cuba · national

Spearfishing licence is a class of recreational fishing licence

Resolucion 18/2020 "Procedimiento para el otorgamiento de autorizaciones de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 41. Dentro de la clasificacion de pesca recreativa se encuentra la licencia de pesca submarina.

07Article 43Cuba · national

Spearfishing licence for Cuban nationals and permanent residents - fees

Resolucion 18/2020 "Procedimiento para el otorgamiento de autorizaciones de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 43. La licencia de pesca submarina para personas naturales cubanas y extranjeras residentes permanentes se emite anualmente conforme a las modalidades y tarifas siguientes: a) ... Licencias territoriales (provinciales) cien pesos (100.00 CUP); y b) ... Licencias nacionales doscientos pesos (200.00 CUP).

08Article 44Cuba · national

Spearfishing licence for temporary-resident foreigners - fees

Resolucion 18/2020 "Procedimiento para el otorgamiento de autorizaciones de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 44. La licencia de pesca submarina para personas naturales extranjeras residentes temporales se emite anualmente conforme a las modalidades y tarifas siguientes: a) ... Licencias territoriales (provinciales) cien pesos (100.00 CUC); y b) ... Licencias nacionales doscientos pesos convertibles (200.00 CUC).

09Article 45Cuba · national

Spearfishing licence is personal and non-transferable

Resolucion 18/2020 "Procedimiento para el otorgamiento de autorizaciones de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 45. La licencia de pesca submarina es de caracter personal e intransferible en todos los casos.

10Article 32, point 16Cuba · national

Spearfishing-related fishing violation (illegal days, zones, gear, scuba)

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

16. Practicar la pesca submarina en dias y en zonas no autorizados, asi como utilizar equipos de respiracion artificial o escopetas que no sean las permitidas.

11Article 32, point 3Cuba · national

Species reserved exclusively for state commercial fishing (cannot be speared)

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

3. Capturar, extraer, desembarcar, transportar, procesar o comercializar, sin la correspondiente autorizacion del Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria, especies destinadas exclusivamente a la pesca comercial estatal tales como: a) langosta (Panulirus argus); b) cangrejo moro (Menippe mercenaria); ... i) cobo (Lobatus gigas).

12Article 32, point 2Cuba · national

Protected / threatened species that may not be captured

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

2. Capturar, extraer, desembarcar, transportar, procesar y comercializar ... especies hidrobiologicas en regimen especial de proteccion, amenazadas o en peligro de extincion tales como: a) Manati (Trichechus manatus); b) delfin (Turciops truncatus); ... f) carey (Erectmochelys imbricata); g) tortuga verde (Chelonia mydas); h) caguama (Caretta caretta); i) tinglado (Dermochelys coriacea); j) coral negro (Antipatharia sp.) ...

13Article 31 (Chapter V, Zonas de Pesca)Cuba · national

Maritime areas given preference to sports/recreational fishing (spearfishing zones), with coordinates

Decreto No. 1/2019 "Reglamento de la Ley 129 Ley de Pesca"

ESOrigineel

Articulo 31. Se otorga preferencia a las pescas deportiva, la recreativa y a la comercial de autoconsumo social, en las areas citadas en el Anexo 2 del presente, constituidas por las aguas maritimas, comprendidas entre los siguientes tramos del litoral: 1. Desde Punta Gobernadora (Latitud 23 00'08,12" y Longitud 83 13'20,49") hasta la Punta de la Peninsula de Hicacos (Latitud 23 08'30,36" y Longitud 81 19'02,19"); 2. Desde la Punta de Practicos (Latitud 21 37'08,32" y Longitud 77 05'12,10") hasta la Punta de Maisi; 3. Desde la Punta de Maisi hasta Cabo Cruz; 4. Desde el Cabo de San Antonio hasta el Cabo Frances; 5. Desde Playa Giron hasta la Punta de Maria Aguilar.

Wanneer je mag duiken

Seizoenen & tijdsbeperkingen

Gesloten, open en beperkte perioden door het jaar heen. Bevestig soortspecifieke sluitingen altijd lokaal.

  • BeperktAll spearfishing (pesca submarina) nationwide

    Spearfishing may be practised ONLY on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (sabados, domingos y dias feriados), per Article 16 of Decreto No. 1/2019. On all other days it is prohibited.

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu
  • GeslotenSpecies under temporary closed seasons (epoca de veda) set by ministerial resolution

    The Ley de Pesca (Art. 32.8 of the Reglamento) prohibits capturing any species during its closed season (epoca de veda). Specific veda dates per species are fixed by separate resolutions of the Ministry of the Food Industry and are not enumerated in the Ley/Reglamento text; exact dates were not retrieved from a primary source.

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu

Toestemming om te vissen

Vergunning

Wat je nodig hebt om het water in te mogen, wat het kost en hoe je het krijgt.

Vergunning vereistvia Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal (ONIE), Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria (MINAL)

Apply to the Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal of the Ministry of the Food Industry providing identity data and home address (Art. 42). Applicant must be at least 17 years old (Art. 5) and have no fishing-regime violations in the previous 5 years (Art. 21).

Vraag je vergunning aan

Opent het officiële portaal · gacetaoficial.gob.cu

Vergunning vereist
Type
Licencia de pesca submarina (spearfishing licence), a class of recreational fishing licence; personal and non-transferable; territorial (provincial) or national.
Kosten
Cuban nationals & permanent residents: 100 CUP (provincial) / 200 CUP (national). Temporary-resident foreigners: 100 CUC (provincial) / 200 CUC (national). Per Arts. 43-44 of Resolucion 18/2020.
Geldigheid
One calendar year (January to December); issued annually.
Hoe te verkrijgen
Apply to the Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal of the Ministry of the Food Industry providing identity data and home address (Art. 42). Applicant must be at least 17 years old (Art. 5) and have no fishing-regime violations in the previous 5 years (Art. 21).
Autoriteit
Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal (ONIE), Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria (MINAL)
Officieel vergunningenportaal · gacetaoficial.gob.cu

Uitrusting & techniek

Uitrustingsregels

Welke uitrusting is toegestaan, hoe die gebruikt mag worden en welke voorwaarden eraan verbonden zijn.

HarpoengeweerToegestaan
DuikflesVerboden
Max. harpoenen1

Beperkingen

  • Only free-diving (buceo a pulmon libre / apnea) is permitted; artificial breathing equipment (scuba / escafandra) is prohibited for spearfishing (Reglamento Art. 16; violation under Art. 32.16).
  • Permitted weapons: rubber/spring-band spearguns (escopetas de liga o resorte), pneumatic / pneumatic-oil spearguns (oleoneumaticas) and harpoons (arpon), always in single units (cantidades unitarias).
  • Spearguns other than those permitted are illegal (Art. 32.16).
  • Mass fishing gear (nasas, palangres, gillnets, chinchorros), chemical substances and explosives are prohibited (Reglamento Art. 15.2 of the Ley; Art. 32.5).

Spearfishing is by definition free-dive only in Cuba. 'Cantidades unitarias' means a single speargun/harpoon per diver.

Wat je mag meenemen

Vangstlimieten & beschermde soorten

Dagquota, minimummaten en soorten die nooit gevangen mogen worden.

Daglimiet

Not specified as a numeric daily bag limit in the Ley/Reglamento; the Minister of the Food Industry sets permissible species and quantities by resolution (Reglamento Art. 19). Catch is restricted to personal/family consumption, no commercial use (Art. 18).

Beschermde soorten — niet meenemen

  • BeschermdManati (Trichechus manatus)
  • BeschermdDelfin (Tursiops truncatus)
  • BeschermdCocodrilo (Crocodylus sp.)
  • BeschermdCaiman (Caiman crocodylus)
  • BeschermdCarey / hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
  • BeschermdTortuga verde / green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
  • BeschermdCaguama / loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
  • BeschermdTinglado / leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
  • BeschermdCoral negro / black coral (Antipatharia sp.)
  • BeschermdManjuari (Atractosteus tristoechus)
  • BeschermdCobo / queen conch (Lobatus gigas) - reserved for state commercial fishing
  • BeschermdLangosta / spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) - reserved for state commercial fishing
  • BeschermdCangrejo moro / stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) - reserved for state commercial fishing

Species in Art. 32.2 are fully protected (cannot be taken at all). Species in Art. 32.3 (notably spiny lobster and queen conch) are reserved exclusively for state commercial fishing and may not be taken by recreational spearfishers without specific authorisation. Capturing undersize/oversize specimens is a violation (Art. 32.21).

Wie mag vissen

Bezoekers & inwoners

Hoe de regels verschillen voor buitenlandse bezoekers en lokale inwoners.

Buitenlandse bezoekers

Toegestaan

Speciale vergunning vereist

Vereisten

  • Be at least 17 years old (Reglamento Art. 5).
  • Obtain an annual spearfishing licence (licencia de pesca submarina): temporary-resident foreigners pay 100 CUC (provincial) or 200 CUC (national) per Resolucion 18/2020 Art. 44; permanent-resident foreigners are charged in CUP like Cuban nationals (Art. 43).
  • Provide identity data and home address (Art. 42).
  • No fishing-regime violations in the previous 5 years (Art. 21).

Beperkingen

  • Same day/zone/gear restrictions as nationals: Sat/Sun/holidays only, designated maritime areas only, free-diving only, no scuba.
  • Catch for personal/family consumption only, no commercial use.
  • Cannot target species reserved for state commercial fishing (lobster, conch, etc.) or protected species.

Foreign tourists in practice usually spearfish/dive through licensed Cuban operators; tourist diving in marine parks (e.g. Jardines de la Reina) is non-extractive. Currency note: Cuba formally unified its currency (eliminating CUC) in 2021; fee figures here are the verbatim 2020 regulation values and may now be applied in CUP/equivalent.

Inwoners

Licencia de pesca submarina (provincial 100 CUP or national 200 CUP), annual, personal and non-transferable.

Vereisten

  • At least 17 years old.
  • Identity data and home address.
  • No fishing-regime violations in the prior 5 years.

Voordelen

  • Lower CUP-denominated fees than the CUC fees historically charged to temporary-resident foreigners.
  • National licence allows spearfishing in the designated maritime areas of any province; provincial licence is limited to the issuing province.

Cuban nationals and permanent-resident foreigners are treated alike for spearfishing licence fees (Art. 43).

Waar aan de kust

Toegestane & verboden zones

Genoemde gebieden die open of gesloten zijn voor speervissen. Bekijk het volledige beeld op de interactieve kaart.

Toegestane gebieden

Verboden gebieden

  • Areas preferentially reserved for state commercial fishing (Art. 30 / Anexo 1)state commercial fishing zone (restricted)

    Four large coastal stretches over the submarine platform to the 200 m isobath where state commercial fishing is given preference: Cabo Frances-Playa Giron; Punta de Maria Aguilar-Cabo Cruz; Punta de Practicos-Punta de Hicacos; Cabo de San Antonio-Punta Gobernadora. Recreational/spearfishing here requires specific authorisation in the licence; fishing in these zones without it is a violation (Art. 32.12).

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu
  • Parque Nacional Jardines de la Reinanational park / marine reserve (no-take)

    Large no-take marine reserve / national park off Cuba's south-eastern coast (protected since 1996); fishing including spearfishing is prohibited. Catch-and-release fly-fishing and diving are managed by concession.

    edf.org
  • Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes (Peninsula de Guanahacabibes)national park / biosphere reserve

    UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and national park at Cuba's western tip protecting staghorn coral and reef habitat; a managed marine protected area where extractive fishing such as spearfishing is restricted/prohibited inside park boundaries.

    edf.org
  • Defence / environmental restriction areas (Art. 19 of Ley de Pesca)military / environmental exclusion zone

    Within fishing zones, the Ministry may delimit areas where fishing is limited or prohibited for reasons of national defence or environmental protection, agreed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the environment ministry (CITMA).

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu
Op de kaart

Condities op het water

Live condities

Live mariene en weersmomentopname nabij een kustreferentiepunt in Cuba, van Open-Meteo. Condities variëren langs de kust — beschouw als indicatief.

Live mariene & weerscondities nabij Punta Gobernadora to Punta de la Peninsula de Hicacos (north-west coast).

Condities

Wie je moet vragen

Autoriteiten

De officiële instanties die verantwoordelijk zijn voor visserij en vergunningen.

  • Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria (MINAL)

    fisheries authority (governing ministry for fishing activity)

    minal.gob.cu

  • Oficina Nacional de Inspeccion Estatal (ONIE)

    fisheries inspection / licensing authority (subordinate to MINAL)

    gacetaoficial.gob.cu

  • Tropas Guardafronteras (Border Guard, Ministry of the Interior)

    maritime enforcement authority

  • Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Medio Ambiente (CITMA)

    environment ministry (marine protected areas)

    citma.gob.cu

Waar dit vandaan komt

Bronnen

Elke bewering op deze pagina is terug te voeren op een van deze referenties.

  1. [01]

    Gaceta Oficial No. 11 Ordinaria (7 Feb 2020): Ley No. 129/2019 Ley de Pesca, Decreto No. 1/2019 Reglamento, and Resolucion 18/2020

    Officieel
    gacetaoficial.gob.cuGeraadpleegd jun 14
  2. [02]

    Ley de Pesca (PDF) - Parlamento Cubano

    Officieel
    parlamentocubano.gob.cuGeraadpleegd jun 14
  3. [03]

    Ley No. 129/2019 - Ley de Pesca (ECOLEX / FAO legal database)

    Officieel
    ecolex.orgGeraadpleegd jun 14
  4. [04]

    Dan a conocer las prohibiciones de la Ley de Pesca de Cuba (CiberCuba)

    Secundair
    cibercuba.comGeraadpleegd jun 14
  5. [05]

    Asamblea Nacional aprueba primera Ley de Pesca de la Republica (Cubadebate)

    Secundair
    cubadebate.cuGeraadpleegd jun 14
  6. [06]

    Marine protected areas in Cuba (Environmental Defense Fund)

    Secundair
    edf.orgGeraadpleegd jun 14
  7. [07]

    Jardines de la Reina National Park (Marine Conservation Institute - Blue Parks)

    Secundair
    marine-conservation.orgGeraadpleegd jun 14

Notities van de onderzoeker

Primary legal source is Cuba's official Gaceta Oficial No. 11 of 7 February 2020, which publishes Ley No. 129/2019 (Ley de Pesca), Decreto No. 1/2019 (its Reglamento) and Resolucion 18/2020 (licensing procedure). All verbatim law_texts were extracted from that PDF (pdftotext); Spanish accents/diacritics were normalised to ASCII for storage but otherwise the wording is exact. Key takeaways for spearfishers: (1) spearfishing is legal but only on Saturdays/Sundays/public holidays; (2) free-diving only - scuba/artificial breathing apparatus is banned; (3) only single-unit spring, pneumatic or harpoon spearguns allowed; (4) an annual personal licence (min age 17) is required; (5) catch is for personal/family use only - no sale and no competitions; (6) spiny lobster and queen conch are reserved for state fishing and may not be taken; sea turtles, manatee, black coral etc. are fully protected; (7) marine national parks such as Jardines de la Reina and Guanahacabibes are no-take/restricted. Species-specific closed-season (veda) dates and any numeric bag limits are set by separate MINAL resolutions and were not retrieved verbatim, so seasons[] for species and catch_limits.daily_limit are left general; confidence high overall for the framework, medium for exact current fees (currency was unified in 2021, replacing CUC).

Blijf op de hoogteVroege toegang

Stel me op de hoogte wanneer de regels van Cuba veranderen

We mailen je wanneer de seizoenen of regelgeving van Cuba in onze dataset worden bijgewerkt.

Stel me op de hoogte over

Geen spam — alleen wijzigingsmeldingen. Schrijf je op elk moment uit. We verkopen je e-mail nooit.