Eritrea
Africa · Eastern Africa
Eritrea has no dedicated recreational spearfishing statute. Fishing in Eritrean waters is governed by the Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998, which defines 'fishing' as catching or taking fish or other aquatic organisms 'by any method' (Art. 3(d)) and therefore captures spearfishing/skin diving. Spearfishing is not expressly prohibited, but it is restricted by several overlapping controls: the Minister may make regulations requiring a licence for 'any kind of fishing, with or without the use of a vessel' (Art. 19); the Minister may declare protected areas where fishing is prohibited or restricted (Art. 13); fishing for protected species and any taking/destruction of coral or shells without the Minister's written permission is prohibited (Art. 12); and the Minister may prescribe closed seasons, closed areas, prohibited fishing methods and gear, and size limits (Art. 9). The Dahlak Marine National Park is a declared protected area where activity is controlled. In practice, the activity is further constrained by Eritrea's strict internal-travel and coastal-access permit regime: travel to the coast/islands and any diving require permits from the authorities, and recreational scuba diving in the Dahlak archipelago is operated only through state-sanctioned dive operators. A draft 1993 FAO model 'Fisheries Regulations' contained an explicit spear-gun licensing clause (Art. 18 of the draft regulations: a spear gun could be used only with written permission of the Department), but that draft regulation has not been confirmed as part of the enacted law; the enacted Proclamation 104/1998 controls spearfishing through the general provisions above rather than a named spear-gun rule.
Última atualização junho 16, 2026
Enquadramento legal
- §Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998 (The Fisheries Proclamation), issued by the Ministry of Fisheries of the State of Eritrea, Gazette of Eritrean Laws, 25 May 1998
- §Draft Fisheries Legislation (FAO model Fisheries Proclamation and Fisheries Regulations, 1993) - basis for the 1998 law; spear-gun clause appears only in this draft and is not confirmed as enacted
A lei, na íntegra
Textos legais
As disposições legais e regulamentares exatas que regem a pesca submarina aqui, citadas tal como publicadas, com uma ligação a cada fonte oficial.
Definition of 'fishing' (covers all methods, including spearfishing)
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998
"fishing" means fishing for, catching, taking or killing fish or other aquatic organisms by any method;
Fisheries Management Measures (closed seasons/areas, prohibited methods and gear, size limits)
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998
1) The Minister may make regulations prescribing measures for the proper management of fisheries. 2) Prescribed management measures may include but are not limited to: (a) closed season and closed areas; (b) prohibited fishing method and gear and specification of gear that may be used (including the mesh size of nets); (c) the species, sizes and other characteristics of fish and other aquatic organisms that it is permitted or forbidden to catch; and (d) schemes for the limitation of entry into all or any specified fisheries. 3) A regulation prescribing management measures may also prohibit the possession, purchase, sale, import or export of any gear, fish or other aquatic organism.
Protected Species and coral/shell prohibition
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998
1) No person shall fish for any marine mammal or other protected species in Eritrea waters. 2) Any marine mammal or other protected species caught accidentally shall be released immediately and returned with the least possible injury to the waters from which it was taken. 3) Except with the written permission of the Minister, no person shall take or destroy any coral or take any shell.
Protected Areas
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998
1) The Minister may after consultation with the occupiers of adjoining land, the authorities responsible for other uses of the area, the appropriate local government councils and the Fisheries Advisory Council, declare any area of Eritrean waters and adjoining coast to be a protected area. 2) A declaration of a protected area may prohibit or restrict fishing within such area. 3) Except with the written permission of the Minister, no person shall within any protected area: (a) dredge or take any sand or gravel; (b) otherwise destroy or disturb the natural habitat; or (c) fish contrary to any prohibition or restriction under sub-Article (2) hereof.
Licence for any kind of fishing with or without a vessel (non-vessel fishing such as spearfishing)
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998
1) The Minister may make regulations requiring a license for: (a) any kind of fishing, with or without the use of a vessel; and/or (b) the use of a vessel for any related activity. 2) A licensing officer may, upon application in accordance with Article 20 hereof, issue a licence authorizing the applicant to conduct any kind of fishing or related activity for which the license is required by regulation under sub-Article (1) hereof.
Recreational fishing exemption for foreign vessels (licence requirement)
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998
1) No foreign fishing vessel, except a vessel used exclusively for recreational fishing, shall be used for fishing in Eritrean waters except under the authority of a valid licence issued under this Article or of an authorization under Article 11 hereof.
Offences - explosives/poison, protected species, coral/shell, protected-area and unlicensed fishing
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998
2) A person commits an offence where that person, in Eritrean waters: (a) conducts any fishing or related activities for which a license is required under Article 19 hereof without such a license or in contravention of the terms of such license; (b) uses any explosive or poison to kill, stun or disable fish or other aquatic organisms in order to render them more easily caught; (c) fishes in contravention of any management measure prescribed under Article 9 hereof; ... (f) fishes for any marine mammals or other protected species or, having accidentally caught any marine mammal or other protected species, fails to release it immediately ...; (g) takes or destroys any coral or takes any shell without the written permission of the Minister; (h) in a protected area, without the written permission of the Minister, dredges or takes any sand or gravel, destroys or disturbs the natural habitat, or fishes contrary to any prohibition or restriction ...
Penalties
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998
1) A person who is convicted of an offence: (a) referred to in Article 35 (1) (a) (i) hereof is liable to a fine not exceeding 500,000 Nakfa; (b) referred to in Article 35 (1) (a) (ii), Article 35 (1) (b) or Article 35 (2) (a) or (b) hereof, is liable to a fine not exceeding 200,000 Nakfa; (c) referred to in Article 35 (1) (c) (ii), Article 35 (d) or (e); or Article 35 (2) (a) or (b) hereof, is liable to a fine not exceeding 500,000 Nakfa. 2) A person who is convicted of an offence for which no other penalty is provided is liable to a fine not exceeding 50,000 Nakfa.
Spear gun licensing clause (FAO 1993 DRAFT regulation - NOT confirmed as enacted)
Draft Fisheries Legislation (FAO model Fisheries Regulations, 1993), Art. 18
No person shall use a spear gun for fishing except with the permission in writing of the Department and in accordance with such conditions as it may specify.
Quando pode mergulhar
Épocas e restrições temporais
Períodos de defeso, abertos e restritos ao longo do ano. Confirme sempre localmente os defesos específicos por espécie.
Sem defesos sazonais registados — confirme localmente antes de mergulhar.
Autorização para pescar
Licença
O que precisa para estar autorizado na água, quanto custa e como a obter.
Application to a licensing officer under Art. 20 of the Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998, via the Ministry of Marine Resources. In practice, coastal/island access and diving also require separate Eritrean travel permits.
Obtenha a sua licençaAbre o portal oficial · faolex.fao.org
- Tipo
- Fishing licence under Art. 19 (any kind of fishing, with or without a vessel), where required by ministerial regulation
- Custo
- unknown
- Validade
- unknown
- Como obter
- Application to a licensing officer under Art. 20 of the Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998, via the Ministry of Marine Resources. In practice, coastal/island access and diving also require separate Eritrean travel permits.
- Autoridade
- Ministry of Marine Resources (formerly Ministry of Fisheries), State of Eritrea, Massawa
Equipamento e técnica
Regras de equipamento
Que equipamento é permitido, como pode ser usado e as condições associadas.
Restrições
- Explosives and poison for taking fish are prohibited (Art. 35(2)(b)).
- The Minister may prescribe prohibited fishing methods and gear by regulation (Art. 9(2)(b)).
- Spearfishing with scuba is not separately regulated in the enacted Proclamation; the enacted law contains no confirmed spear-gun-specific clause (a spear-gun licensing clause appears only in the 1993 FAO draft regulations).
The enacted Fisheries Proclamation 104/1998 does not name spearguns. A draft FAO 1993 'Fisheries Regulations' (Art. 18) would have required written permission to use a spear gun, but that draft regulation is not confirmed as enacted. Whether spearguns or scuba-assisted spearfishing are permitted depends on ministerial regulations not located in open sources; treat as unknown/uncertain.
O que pode capturar
Limites de captura e espécies protegidas
Quotas diárias, tamanhos mínimos e espécies que nunca podem ser capturadas.
Limite diário
unknown
Espécies protegidas — não capturar
- ProtegidaMarine mammals (Art. 12(1))
- ProtegidaOther species declared 'protected species' by the Ministry (Art. 3(m), Art. 12)
- ProtegidaCoral - taking or destroying prohibited without the Minister's written permission (Art. 12(3))
- ProtegidaShells - taking prohibited without the Minister's written permission (Art. 12(3))
The Minister may set permitted/forbidden species and minimum sizes by regulation (Art. 9(2)(c)); specific numeric size or bag limits for recreational spearfishing were not located in open sources.
Quem pode pescar
Visitantes e residentes
Como as regras diferem para visitantes estrangeiros e residentes locais.
Visitantes estrangeiros
Requisitos
- Eritrean entry visa plus an internal travel permit to reach the coast/islands.
- Permit/permission to access the Dahlak Marine National Park.
- Recreational scuba diving in the Dahlak archipelago is conducted only through state-sanctioned/licensed dive operators.
- Any fishing licence required under Art. 19 of the Fisheries Proclamation.
Restrições
- Strict coastal and maritime security controls; independent access to the coast and islands is heavily restricted.
- Protected-area and protected-species rules apply equally to foreigners.
No specific recreational-spearfishing permit scheme for foreigners was found. The proclamation references foreign 'recreational fishing' only in the context of foreign fishing vessels (Art. 16(1)). In practice, Eritrea's permit regime makes independent recreational spearfishing by foreigners impractical; diving tourism is channelled through authorised operators.
Residentes
Fishing licence under Art. 19 where required; artisanal/subsistence fishing is the predominant local activity.
Requisitos
- Compliance with any ministerial fishing-licence regulations (Art. 18 for national vessels; Art. 19 for non-vessel fishing).
- Compliance with protected-species and coral/shell rules (Art. 12) and protected-area rules (Art. 13).
Benefícios
- The Minister may delimit areas of Eritrean waters in which fishing is reserved to Eritrean citizens and vessels.
Traditional underwater activities (skin diving for shell collection, hand methods) are part of Eritrea's artisanal fishery heritage; modern controls flow from the Fisheries Proclamation and ministerial regulations.
Onde na costa
Zonas permitidas e proibidas
Áreas designadas abertas ou fechadas à pesca submarina. Veja o panorama completo no mapa interativo.
Áreas permitidas
Fishing by any method (including spearfishing) is not prohibited in general Eritrean waters, but is subject to licensing where required (Art. 19), to protected-species and coral/shell rules (Art. 12), and to any management measures. Access to the coast and islands additionally requires Eritrean travel/coastal permits in practice.
Licence may be required under Art. 19; no fishing for protected species; no taking of coral or shells without the Minister's written permission; internal-travel and coastal-access permits required in practice.
Áreas proibidas
- Dahlak Marine National Parkmarine national park / protected area
National park covering part of the Dahlak archipelago and surrounding waters in the Northern Red Sea Region. Access requires permission; activity (including any extractive fishing) is controlled and recreational diving is operated only through state-sanctioned operators. As a declared protected area under Art. 13 of the Fisheries Proclamation, fishing may be prohibited or restricted; taking or destroying coral and taking shells is prohibited without ministerial permission (Art. 12(3)).
Condições na água
Condições em tempo real
Instantâneo marinho e meteorológico em tempo real perto de um ponto de referência costeiro em Eritrea, da Open-Meteo. As condições variam ao longo da costa — encare como indicativo.
Condições marinhas e meteorológicas em tempo real perto de Eritrean Red Sea coast and Dahlak archipelago waters (outside protected areas/parks).
A quem perguntar
Autoridades
Os organismos oficiais responsáveis pelas pescas e pelo licenciamento.
Ministry of Marine Resources (State of Eritrea)
fisheries / marine resources authority
oceanexpert.orgPO Box 923, Massawa, Eritrea; tel +291 8534216; fax +291 1552177 (per OceanExpert listing). Formerly the Ministry of Fisheries, the issuing authority of Proclamation 104/1998.Ministry of Tourism (State of Eritrea)
tourism authority (issues travel/access permits)
en.wikipedia.orgIssues permits required to travel outside Asmara and to access coastal/island areas including the Dahlak Marine National Park.
De onde vem isto
Fontes
Cada afirmação nesta página remete para uma destas referências.
- [01]
Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998 (full enacted text, English) - FAOLEX PDF
Oficialfaolex.fao.orgConsultado em Jun 14 - [02]
Fisheries Proclamation (No. 104/1998) - FAOLEX record
Oficialfao.orgConsultado em Jun 14 - [03]
Draft Fisheries Legislation (FAO model Proclamation and Regulations, 1993; contains draft spear-gun clause Art. 18)
Oficialfao.orgConsultado em Jun 14 - [04]
The Fisheries of Eritrea, Part I: Sector Review (FAO) - traditional skin diving / shell collection, diver training, marine reserves
Oficialfao.orgConsultado em Jun 14 - [05]
The Fisheries Proclamation 104/1998 - Library of Congress catalogue record
Oficialloc.govConsultado em Jun 14 - [06]
Dahlak Marine National Park - Wikipedia (protected-area status, access/permit, diving)
Secundáriaen.wikipedia.orgConsultado em Jun 14 - [07]
Dahlak Archipelago - Wikipedia (location and coordinates)
Secundáriaen.wikipedia.orgConsultado em Jun 14 - [08]
Ministry of Marine Resources Eritrea - OceanExpert institution listing (contact details)
Secundáriaoceanexpert.orgConsultado em Jun 14 - [09]
Fisheries in Eritrea - Eritrean Center for Strategic Studies (legal framework overview)
Secundáriaecss-online.comConsultado em Jun 14 - [10]
Diving in Eritrea - PADI (recreational diving context)
communitypadi.comConsultado em Jun 14
Notas do investigador
PRIMARY SOURCE: The verbatim provisions in law_texts come from the full English text of the enacted Fisheries Proclamation No. 104/1998 (FAOLEX PDF eri17892.pdf), downloaded and parsed directly. KEY CAVEAT: the enacted Proclamation does NOT contain a speargun-specific clause; the only explicit spear-gun rule located is in a separate FAO 1993 DRAFT 'Fisheries Regulations' (Art. 18 of those draft regulations), which could not be confirmed as enacted, so it is recorded as a draft and not relied upon. Spearfishing is therefore governed by the general provisions: definition of fishing as 'by any method' (Art. 3(d)), the Art. 19 power to require a licence for any kind of fishing with or without a vessel, protected-species/coral/shell rules (Art. 12), protected areas including Dahlak Marine National Park (Art. 13), and ministerial management measures incl. closed seasons/areas, prohibited methods and size limits (Art. 9). Numeric bag/size limits and the specific status of spearguns and scuba-assisted spearfishing depend on ministerial regulations that are not publicly available, hence those fields are 'unknown'/null. ARTICLE NUMBERING: the article headings in the source PDF are the operative article numbers and match the Proclamation's internal cross-references. In the enacted text Art 9 = Fisheries Management Measures (closed seasons/areas, prohibited methods/gear, sizes), Art 12 = Protected Species (incl. the coral/shell permission rule), and Art 13 = Protected Areas; the offences clause (Art 35) correctly cross-references 'management measure prescribed under Article 9' and the protected-area restriction 'under Article 13 (2)'. An earlier revision of this record mislabelled management measures as 'Art. 12' and protected species as 'Art. 13'; those labels have been corrected throughout to Art. 9 and Art. 12 respectively. No fixed nationwide closed season for recreational spearfishing is published; closures are set by ministerial regulation under Art. 9(2)(a), so the seasons[] array is empty rather than carrying a date-less entry. Practical access is heavily constrained by Eritrea's internal-travel/coastal permit regime and channelling of dive tourism through state-sanctioned operators, which is why spearfishing_allowed is set to 'restricted' rather than 'yes'. Confidence is 'medium': the primary statute is fully and verbatim sourced, but downstream recreational specifics (licence cost, bag/size limits, speargun/scuba permissibility) are not published.
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