SpearfishingKart

Seychelles

Africa · Eastern Africa

Spearfishing is effectively banned in Seychelles. The sale and possession-for-fishing of spear guns has been prohibited since 1972 (Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations 1972), and the current Fisheries Act 2014 (s.32(1)) prohibits using a spear gun for fishing or possessing one in circumstances raising a reasonable inference it is used or intended for fishing in Seychelles. The Seychelles Fishing Authority confirms that 'the use of spearguns, explosives, poisons, and noxious substances is prohibited across all fisheries in Seychelles, including the recreational fishery.' The prohibition applies to residents and foreigners alike. Use for approved scientific research may be authorised under regulation/permit.

Prohibited
DatasikkerhetHøy sikkerhet

Sist oppdatert Juni 15, 2026

Styrende rammeverk

  • §Fisheries Act, 2014 (Act No. 20 of 2014) - section 32
  • §Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations, 1972
  • §Fisheries (Amendment) Ordinance, 1971 (defines 'spear-gun', s.2A)
  • §Fisheries Regulations, 1987
Lisens påkrevd
Ikke påkrevd
Spydgevær
Forbudt
Utlendinger
Ikke tillatt

Loven, ordrett

Lovtekster

De eksakte lovfestede og regulatoriske bestemmelsene som gjelder for spearfishing her, sitert slik de er publisert, med lenke til hver offisiell kilde.

01Section 32(1)Seychelles · national

Prohibition against use of spear guns

Fisheries Act, 2014 (Act No. 20 of 2014)

ENOriginal

32.(1) Subject to the regulations, a person shall not use any spear gun for fishing or be in possession of a spear gun in circumstances which raise a reasonable inference that the spear gun has been used or is intended for fishing in Seychelles.

02Article 4Seychelles · national

Sale of spear-guns prohibited

Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations, 1972

ENOriginal

Article 4. - Sale of spear-guns prohibited. - The sale or offering for sale of any spear-gun is hereby prohibited with effect from the 1st day of May, 1972.

03Article 5Seychelles · national

Circumstances in which possession of spear-gun is prohibited

Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations, 1972

ENOriginal

Article 5. - Circumstances in which possession of spear-gun is prohibited. The possession of any spear-gun in circumstances which raise a reasonable presumption that the spear-gun has recently been used, or is intended to be used, for fishing in Seychelles is hereby prohibited.

04Article 6Seychelles · national

Offences and penalties for spear-guns

Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations, 1972

ENOriginal

Article 6. - Offences. - Any person who: (a) on or after the 1st day of May 1972 sells or offers for sale any spear-gun; or (b) is found in possession of any spear-gun in such circumstances as are mentioned in regulation 5, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Rs. 500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both such fine and imprisonment.

05Article 2Seychelles · national

Application of spear-gun regulations

Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations, 1972

ENOriginal

Article 2. - Application. - These regulations and all the provisions of the Ordinance relating to spear-guns shall apply to the whole Colony, including all the islands listed in the First Schedule to the Outlying Islands (Employment of Servants) Ordinance.

06Recreational fisheries FAQ - fishing gearSeychelles · national

Recreational fishing gear - spearguns prohibited (SFA guidance)

Seychelles Fishing Authority - Types of fisheries and fishing rights in Seychelles (FiTI FAQ)

ENOriginal

The use of spearguns, explosives, poisons, and noxious substances is prohibited across all fisheries in Seychelles, including the recreational fishery. The Fisheries Act also bans the use of unauthorised fish aggregating devices. As [large] net fishing is a licensable activity, the use of large nets is not allowed as part of recreational fishing. The use of demersal trawl nets is also prohibited under the Fisheries Regulations (1987).

07Recreational fisheries FAQ - licenceSeychelles · national

Recreational fishing licence exemption

Seychelles Fishing Authority - Types of fisheries and fishing rights in Seychelles (FiTI FAQ)

ENOriginal

A licence is not required for recreational fishing. Paragraph 21 of the Fisheries Act exempt a vessel used for recreational fishing in Seychelles waters from the requirement of having a licence or permit unless otherwise prescribed.

Når du kan dykke

Sesonger og tidsbegrensninger

Lukkede, åpne og begrensede perioder gjennom året. Bekreft alltid artsspesifikke lukkinger lokalt.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Mai
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Okt
Nov
Des
LukketBegrensetÅpen
  • ÅpenRecreational fishing (general)Jan 1 – Des 31

    Per the SFA, there are currently no seasonal restrictions on recreational fishing; it may be conducted year-round. Note: spearfishing itself remains prohibited year-round regardless of season.

    sfa.sc
  • LukketKordonnyen (rabbitfish) spawning sites - fish trapsSep 1 – Apr 30

    Under the Fisheries (Mahe Plateau Trap and Line Fishery) Regulations 2021, leaving fish traps overnight on Kordonnyen (rabbitfish) spawning sites is banned during the spawning season (September to April inclusive); around each full moon in that season trap numbers are further limited. Relates to trap fishing, not spearfishing (which is banned anyway), included for completeness.

    sfa.sc

Tillatelse til å fiske

Lisens

Hva du trenger for å ha lov til å dykke, hva det koster, og hvordan du skaffer det.

Ingen lisens påkrevdvia Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA)
Ingen lisens påkrevd
Type
No recreational fishing licence required; however spearfishing/speargun use is prohibited entirely
Kostnad
N/A
Gyldighet
N/A
Hvordan du får det
Recreational rod-and-line/hand-line fishing from a vessel under 10 m needs no licence (Fisheries Act s.21). Spearfishing cannot be licensed for recreation; only approved scientific research may be authorised by the Seychelles Fishing Authority.
Myndighet
Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA)
Offisiell lisensiportal · sfa.sc

Utstyr og teknikk

Utstyrsregler

Hvilket utstyr som er tillatt, hvordan det kan brukes, og hvilke betingelser som gjelder.

SpydgeværForbudt

Begrensninger

  • Spear guns prohibited: cannot be used for fishing, possessed for fishing, or sold/offered for sale
  • Explosives, poisons and other noxious substances prohibited for fishing
  • Unauthorised fish aggregating devices (FADs) prohibited
  • Large nets are a licensable activity and not allowed for recreational fishing; demersal trawl nets prohibited (Fisheries Regulations 1987)

Hawaiian sling / pole spear status is not separately addressed in the located sources, but the SFA states spearguns are prohibited across all fisheries and the 1972 Regulations target 'spear-guns' as defined in s.2A of the Fisheries (Amendment) Ordinance 1971. Spearfishing for sport/recreation is not permitted in Seychelles.

Hva du kan ta

Fangstbegrensninger og vernede arter

Daglige kvoter, minimumsstørrelser og arter som aldri må tas.

Daglig grense

No general daily limit on recreational fishing currently; the Fisheries (Mahe Plateau Trap and Line Fishery) Regulations 2021 set, for recreational fishers, 5 Bourzwa (Emperor red snapper, Lutjanus sebae) per day, 5 Zob gris (Green jobfish, Aprion virescens) per day, and a maximum of 20 demersal fish per fisher per day.

Minimumsstørrelser

  • Bourzwa (Emperor red snapper, Lutjanus sebae)min 32 cm
  • Zob gris (Green jobfish, Aprion virescens)min 32 cm

Vernede arter — skal ikke tas

  • VernetGreen turtle (Chelonia mydas) - protected (Fisheries Regulations 1987, reg.12)
  • VernetHawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) - protected (Fisheries Regulations 1987, reg.13)
  • VernetTriton conch (Charonia tritonis) - collection prohibited (Fisheries Regulations 1987, reg.11)
  • VernetMarine mammals - taking prohibited (Fisheries Act 2014, s.32)
  • VernetSharks - fishing for sharks using nets prohibited (Fisheries Regulations 1987, reg.16C)

Minimum fork length of 32 cm (tip of jaw/snout to centre of tail fork) applies to Bourzwa and Zob gris under the Mahe Plateau Trap and Line Fishery Regulations. Limits apply to permitted gear (line/trap) - spearfishing is not a permitted method.

Hvem kan fiske

Besøkende og innbyggere

Hvordan reglene er forskjellige for utenlandske besøkende og lokale innbyggere.

Utenlandske besøkende

Ikke tillatt

Begrensninger

  • Spearfishing/speargun use is prohibited for everyone in Seychelles waters, including tourists and foreign visitors
  • Possession of a spear gun in circumstances raising a reasonable inference of intended fishing use is an offence

Tourists may fish recreationally by rod/hand-line (often via licensed charter/sport-fishing operators) but may not spearfish. The speargun prohibition draws no distinction between residents and foreigners.

Innbyggere

No licence required for recreational (non-spear) fishing

Residents are subject to the same speargun prohibition as foreigners. Traditional artisanal fishers are also barred from using spearguns across all fisheries.

Hvor langs kysten

Tillatte og forbudte soner

Navngitte områder som er åpne eller lukkede for spearfishing. Se hele bildet på det interaktive kartet.

Forbudte områder

Vis på kart

Betingelser på vannet

Sanntidsbetingelser

Sanntids marin- og væroversikt nær et kystnært referansepunkt i Seychelles, fra Open-Meteo. Betingelsene varierer langs kysten — behandle dette som veiledende.

Live marin- og værdata nær Sainte Anne Marine National Park.

Betingelser

Hvem du skal spørre

Myndigheter

De offisielle organene ansvarlige for fiskeri og lisensiering.

  • Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA)

    fisheries authority

    sfa.scP.O. Box 449, Fishing Port, Mahe, Seychelles

  • Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA)

    protected areas authority

    spga.gov.scManages marine national parks (e.g. Sainte Anne) where fishing is forbidden

Hvor dette kommer fra

Kilder

Hvert påstand på denne siden kan spores tilbake til en av disse referansene.

  1. [01]

    Fisheries Act, 2014 (Act No. 20 of 2014) - full text PDF (FAO FAOLEX)

    Offisiell
    faolex.fao.orgÅpnet Jun 15
  2. [02]

    Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations, 1972 - full text PDF (FAO FAOLEX)

    Offisiell
    faolex.fao.orgÅpnet Jun 15
  3. [03]

    Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations, 1972 - ECOLEX record

    Offisiell
    ecolex.orgÅpnet Jun 15
  4. [04]

    Fisheries Act (No. 20 of 2014) - ECOLEX record

    Offisiell
    ecolex.orgÅpnet Jun 15
  5. [05]

    Seychelles Fishing Authority - Types of fisheries and fishing rights in Seychelles: Recreational fisheries FAQ (FiTI)

    Offisiell
    sfa.scÅpnet Jun 15
  6. [06]

    Sainte Anne Marine National Park - Wikipedia

    Sekundær
    en.wikipedia.orgÅpnet Jun 15
  7. [07]

    National Parks of Seychelles (marine national parks overview) - GVI

    Sekundær
    gviusa.comÅpnet Jun 15

Forskernotater

Spearfishing is not permitted in Seychelles. Two distinct legal layers ban it: (1) the Fisheries (Spear-guns) Regulations 1972 prohibit selling spear-guns and possessing them in circumstances inferring fishing use (max penalty Rs.500 fine and/or 3 months imprisonment under the 1972 text); and (2) section 32(1) of the Fisheries Act 2014 prohibits using a spear gun for fishing or possessing one with reasonable inference of fishing use. The Seychelles Fishing Authority's own recreational-fisheries guidance states spearguns are prohibited across all fisheries including the recreational fishery. Recreational line/rod fishing remains legal and licence-free (Fisheries Act s.21). Marine national parks (e.g. Sainte Anne) are no-take zones where fishing of any kind is forbidden. Verbatim law texts were extracted via OCR/pdftotext from the official FAO FAOLEX PDFs of the 1972 Regulations and the 2014 Act; minor OCR artefacts in the 2014 Act PDF were corrected against the consistent wording reported by ECOLEX and the SFA. Confidence is high because the core prohibition is corroborated by the primary legislation and the national fisheries authority. Pole-spear / Hawaiian-sling status is not separately spelled out in located sources but is covered by the general prohibition on spearguns across all fisheries.

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