State of Palestine
Asia · Western Asia
Palestine's only marine coast is the Gaza Strip's Mediterranean shore (the West Bank is landlocked; the Dead Sea is hypersaline and supports no fish). There is no dedicated Palestinian statute regulating recreational spearfishing as a distinct activity. The foundational fisheries law is the British Mandate Fisheries Ordinance No. 6 of 1937, which is still treated as the legislation in force for Gaza's waters; it requires a licence to take fish and prohibits the use of dynamite, other explosives and poison, but does not specifically address spearguns. Spearfishing is in practice carried out by an estimated ~250 Gazan free-divers (subsistence, depths ~4 m, home-made spearguns) targeting grouper, sea bream and mullet. The decisive constraint is not Palestinian fishing law but external control of the sea: under Oslo II (1995, Annex I, Article XIV) Palestinian fishing was nominally permitted up to 20 nautical miles, but Israel controls actual access, has repeatedly reduced the zone to 3-15 NM, and on 18 January 2025 declared Gaza's waters a 'no-go zone' banning all fishing, swimming and sea access. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Fisheries) registers fishers and issues licences. Because no marine spearfishing-specific Palestinian regulation could be located and sea access is frequently prohibited by the occupying power, the status is best described as restricted.
Laatst bijgewerkt mei 31, 2025
Geldend kader
- §Fisheries Ordinance No. 6 of 1937 (British Mandate of Palestine; still treated as the fisheries legislation in force in Gaza)
- §Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ('Oslo II'), 28 September 1995, Annex I, Article XIV (Maritime Activity Zones / Gaza fishing)
- Vergunning vereist
- Vereist
De wet, woordelijk
Wetteksten
De exacte wettelijke en regelgevende bepalingen die speervissen hier reguleren, geciteerd zoals gepubliceerd, met een link naar elke officiële bron.
Prohibition on use of dynamite, explosives and poison
Fisheries Ordinance No. 6 of 1937 (consolidated version published by FAO FAOLEX; original British Mandate of Palestine ordinance, 18 February 1937)
No person shall take or destroy or attempt to take or destroy any fish by the use of dynamite or other explosive substance or by the use of any noxious or poisonous matter.
Licence required to take fish
Fisheries Ordinance No. 6 of 1937 (consolidated version published by FAO FAOLEX; original British Mandate of Palestine ordinance, 18 February 1937)
No person shall take fish in Israel, unless he is the holder of a licence to take fish in Israel granted under this Ordinance: Provided that (a) any person who takes fish with a line from the shore [...] shall not be required to obtain such licence. [Note: in the FAO-published consolidated text the territorial term 'Palestine' of the 1937 Mandate ordinance has been editorially replaced by 'Israel'; the licensing requirement and the line-from-shore exemption derive from the original Mandate ordinance that is treated as the fisheries legislation in force for Gaza's waters.]
Gaza Maritime Activity Zone and fishing limits (Oslo II)
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ('Oslo II'), 28 September 1995, Annex I
Fishing boats will not exit Zone L into the open sea and may have engines of up to a limit of 25 HP for outboard motors and up to a maximum speed of 18 knots for inboard motors. The boats will neither carry weapons nor ammunition nor will they fish with the use of explosives. [...] The aforementioned fishing boats and recreational boats and their skippers sailing in Zone L shall carry licenses issued by the Council [Palestinian Authority].
Wanneer je mag duiken
Seizoenen & tijdsbeperkingen
Gesloten, open en beperkte perioden door het jaar heen. Bevestig soortspecifieke sluitingen altijd lokaal.
Geen seizoenssluitingen geregistreerd — controleer lokaal voordat je duikt.
Toestemming om te vissen
Vergunning
Wat je nodig hebt om het water in te mogen, wat het kost en hoe je het krijgt.
Registration with the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Fisheries), which maintains the register of Gaza fishers; vessel licences must conform to formats coordinated with the Israeli side per Oslo II.
Vraag je vergunning aanOpent het officiële portaal · ochaopt.org
- Type
- Fishing licence issued by the Palestinian Authority (Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries); required under the 1937 Fisheries Ordinance s.3 and under Oslo II Annex I Art. XIV for boats operating in Zone L. Line fishing from the shore is exempted under the 1937 Ordinance. No spearfishing-specific permit could be identified.
- Kosten
- unknown
- Geldigheid
- Under the 1937 Ordinance a licence to take fish is generally valid for a term not exceeding one year (s.3(3)).
- Hoe te verkrijgen
- Registration with the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Fisheries), which maintains the register of Gaza fishers; vessel licences must conform to formats coordinated with the Israeli side per Oslo II.
- Autoriteit
- Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture - Department of Fisheries
Uitrusting & techniek
Uitrustingsregels
Welke uitrusting is toegestaan, hoe die gebruikt mag worden en welke voorwaarden eraan verbonden zijn.
Beperkingen
- Taking fish by dynamite, other explosive substance, or noxious/poisonous matter is prohibited (1937 Fisheries Ordinance s.5).
- Fishing boats operating in the Oslo II Gaza maritime zone may not carry weapons or ammunition and may not fish with explosives (Oslo II Annex I Art. XIV).
- No Palestinian regulation specifically permitting or prohibiting spearguns or scuba for spearfishing could be located; in practice Gazan spearfishers free-dive with home-made spearguns.
Spearfishing equipment in Gaza is largely improvised (home-made spearguns from old rifles and wood) because diving gear is scarce under the blockade. No spearfishing-specific equipment statute was found in Palestinian law.
Wat je mag meenemen
Vangstlimieten & beschermde soorten
Dagquota, minimummaten en soorten die nooit gevangen mogen worden.
Daglimiet
unknown
The 1937 Fisheries Ordinance empowers the responsible Minister to make rules prescribing minimum fish sizes and closed areas/seasons (s.9), but no current Palestinian schedule of size limits, daily limits or protected species applicable to Gaza spearfishing could be retrieved from an authoritative source. Marked unknown rather than guessed.
Wie mag vissen
Bezoekers & inwoners
Hoe de regels verschillen voor buitenlandse bezoekers en lokale inwoners.
Buitenlandse bezoekers
Beperkingen
- Access to the Gaza Strip and its waters is controlled by Israel and effectively closed to outsiders; recreational diving/spearfishing tourism does not exist. No data on a foreigner-specific spearfishing regime could be found.
Given the blockade and the absence of any tourism dive infrastructure, foreigner spearfishing is not a practical reality and is unregulated as a distinct category.
Inwoners
Fishing licence / registration with the Ministry of Agriculture Department of Fisheries
Vereisten
- Registration as a fisher with the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Fisheries).
- Vessel licence for boats operating in the Oslo II maritime zone.
Approximately 3,600-3,700 fishers are registered in Gaza; an estimated ~250 of them practise spearfishing (subsistence free-diving). No spearfishing-specific resident permit category was identified.
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
Under Oslo II Annex I Article XIV, Palestinian fishing (and recreational) boats may operate in Zone L, nominally extending up to 20 nautical miles from the Gaza coast, carrying licences issued by the Palestinian Authority. In practice Israel controls access and has restricted the permitted zone to between 3 and 15 nautical miles, and on 18 January 2025 declared the waters a 'no-go zone' banning all fishing and sea access.
Boats must carry a Palestinian Authority licence; no weapons, no ammunition, no fishing with explosives; engine/speed limits per Oslo II. Actual seaward limit set unilaterally by Israel and frequently reduced or closed entirely.
Verboden gebieden
- Gaza maritime 'no-go zone' (Israeli military closure, from 18 January 2025)military / security closure zone
On 18 January 2025 the Israeli military declared Gaza's waters a 'no-go zone', banning fishing, swimming and sea access. Access to the sea off Gaza has been repeatedly and arbitrarily restricted or fully closed by Israel as the controlling power throughout the blockade period.
Condities op het water
Live condities
Live mariene en weersmomentopname nabij een kustreferentiepunt in State of Palestine, van Open-Meteo. Condities variëren langs de kust — beschouw als indicatief.
Live mariene & weerscondities nabij Gaza Strip Maritime Activity Zone L (Oslo II fishing zone).
Wie je moet vragen
Autoriteiten
De officiële instanties die verantwoordelijk zijn voor visserij en vergunningen.
Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture - Department of Fisheries
fisheries authority
ochaopt.orgunknownEnvironment Quality Authority (Palestine)
environment authority
en.wikipedia.orgunknown
Waar dit vandaan komt
Bronnen
Elke bewering op deze pagina is terug te voeren op een van deze referenties.
- [01]
Fisheries Ordinance No. 6 of 1937 (British Mandate of Palestine), consolidated text - FAO FAOLEX
Officieelfaolex.fao.orgGeraadpleegd jun 15 - [02]
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement ('Oslo II'), Annex I, Article XIV - Jewish Virtual Library
Secundairjewishvirtuallibrary.orgGeraadpleegd jun 15 - [03]
Gaza Marine: The facts and the law - Leiden Journal of International Law (Cambridge Core) - on the 1937 Fisheries Ordinance and Oslo II fishing limits remaining in force
Secundaircambridge.orgGeraadpleegd jun 15 - [04]
Gaza's fisheries: record expansion of fishing limit; shooting and detention incidents at sea continue - UN OCHA oPt (includes 18 Jan 2025 no-go zone, registered fishers, Ministry of Agriculture Dept of Fisheries)
Officieelochaopt.orgGeraadpleegd jun 15 - [05]
Israel expands fishing limits to 12 nautical miles - UN OCHA oPt (Oslo II 20 NM legal basis, Israeli control of zone)
Officieelochaopt.orgGeraadpleegd jun 15 - [06]
Israel's control of the air space and the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip - B'Tselem (Maritime Activity Zones K/L/M, PA licences)
Secundairbtselem.orgGeraadpleegd jun 15 - [07]
Spearfishing in Gaza, a living improvised under the sea - Ynetnews/Reuters (practice, ~250 spearfishers, home-made spearguns, target species, free-diving ~4 m)
Secundairynetnews.comGeraadpleegd jun 15 - [08]
Building to starvation: Systematic attacks on fishing in Gaza (May 2025) - UN (Question of Palestine)
Officieelun.orgGeraadpleegd jun 15
Notities van de onderzoeker
Marine context: Palestine's only sea coast is the Gaza Strip (Mediterranean). The West Bank is landlocked; the Dead Sea is hypersaline and contains no fish, so there is no freshwater/lake spearfishing there. CONFIDENCE is LOW because no Palestinian source could be retrieved that regulates recreational spearfishing as a distinct activity, and the verbatim provisions cited are: (1) the Mandate-era Fisheries Ordinance No. 6 of 1937 (Section 5 explosives/poison ban; Section 3 licence requirement), which the Leiden Journal analysis and FAO record confirm is treated as the fisheries legislation in force in Gaza, and (2) Oslo II Annex I Article XIV (1995) governing the Gaza maritime zone. IMPORTANT CAVEAT on law_texts source: the FAOLEX file isr1688.pdf is a consolidated edition in which the original Mandate ordinance's territorial references to 'Palestine' have been editorially replaced with 'Israel' and Israeli ministry/Knesset references inserted by later amendment; the substance of s.5 (explosives/poison) and the s.3 licensing requirement is original to the 1937 ordinance. The separate FAOLEX 'Fisheries Rules' (isr020039E.pdf), which contains the speargun provisions (banning spearguns only in Lake Kinneret and the Gulf of Eilat) and underwater-fishing restrictions, was reviewed but is the modern ISRAELI administrative regulation (it references Lake Kinneret, Gulf of Eilat and Haifa Bay - all Israeli territory) and was therefore NOT cited as Palestinian law to avoid misattribution. Spearfishing is documented as actually practised in Gaza by ~250 subsistence free-divers using home-made spearguns; no source indicates it is specifically prohibited under Palestinian law, but actual sea access is heavily restricted or banned by the Israeli authorities controlling Gaza's waters (e.g. the 18 January 2025 'no-go zone'). No closed seasons, catch limits, size limits, protected-species lists or designated spearfishing zones could be confirmed from authoritative Palestinian sources; these are left empty/unknown rather than fabricated. last_updated reflects the May 2025 UN reporting period on Gaza fisheries.
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