Ethiopia
Africa · Eastern Africa
Ethiopia is landlocked, so there is no marine spearfishing; only inland fresh waters (lakes, rivers, reservoirs) are relevant. There is no spearfishing-specific law. All fishing is governed by the federal Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003, which applies to all water bodies within Ethiopia. Under that law, 'fishing' covers taking fish by ANY method (Art. 2(5)), but 'recreational fishing' is legally defined narrowly as fishing solely for pleasure using a single hook and monofilament nylon line (Art. 2(8)), and 'fishing gear' is defined as net, trap, sieve, monofilament nylon line and hook (Art. 2(14)) - spears and spearguns are not included. Spearfishing is therefore not a recognised recreational method and has no clear legal basis as recreational angling. It is not explicitly named or banned; commercial fishing requires a legal permit (Art. 5(1)), fishing in national parks or protected fishery areas requires a written permit (Art. 5(3)-(4)), and explosives, poisons and electric-current devices are forbidden (Art. 5(7)). In practice, recreational fishing in Ethiopia is rod-and-line angling (fly fishing, spinning, bait, trolling) arranged with a guide and permission from the Ministry of Agriculture or regional/local offices; spearfishing is not offered or mentioned by operators. Status is best described as restricted/legally unrecognised rather than clearly permitted.
Senast uppdaterad juni 14, 2026
Styrande regelverk
- §Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003 (Federal Negarit Gazeta, FDRE)
- Licens krävs
- Krävs
- Utlänningar
- Välkomna
Lagen, ordagrant
Lagtexter
De exakta författnings- och regleringsbestämmelser som styr harpunfiske här, citerade som de publicerats, med en länk till varje officiell källa.
Definition of "Fishing"
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003
"Fishing" means the catching, killing or taking of fish for whatever purpose using any method from any water body;
Definition of "Recreational fishing"
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003
"Recreational fishing" means fishing solely for the purpose of pleasure using single hook and monofilament nylon line;
Definition of "Fishing Gear"
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003
"Fishing Gear" means any net, trap, sieve, monofilament nylon line, hook, and any other similar equipment used for fishing;
Scope of Application (all Ethiopian water bodies)
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003
This proclamation shall be applicable to all water bodies found within the boundary of Ethiopia such as lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, ponds, and marshy areas where fish are bred and where fishing, preparing, activities and marketing takes place.
Capture fisheries - permit requirements and prohibited methods
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003
1) Any person who wishes to undertake commercial fishing from natural and man made water bodies shall do so upon acquisition of a legal fishing permit. ... 3) Any person who undertakes subsistence fishing, commercial fishing or recreational fishing within a national park or a reserved fishery area shall hold a written permit from the authority responsible to administer the parks. 4) Any person who wishes to undertake subsistence fishing, commercial fishing or recreational fishing within a protected fishery area shall obtain a written permit from the Ministry or concerned Regional Authority. ... 7) Fishing using illegal fishing materials, and presence near and on the water bodies holding things such as explosives, ammunition, poisons, fish narcotising plant or any device capable of producing electric current is forbidden except for the purpose of research. 8) Fishing from any water body by way of sifting is prohibited.
Non-national (foreigner) recreational fishing permit
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003
A non-national who wishes to undertake recreational fishing shall do so upon acquisition of a written permit from the Ministry or from the concerned Regional Authority.
Offence and Penalty
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003
Any person who ... commits an offence other than those prescribed in Sub-Article (1) of this Article in contravention to this proclamation as well as regulations and directives issued hereunder shall be punished according to the penal code of Ethiopia.
Forfeiture of unlawful fishing equipment
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003
the forfeiture of any poison, explosives or any other equipment or substance which has been unlawfully used for fishing.
När du får dyka
Säsonger & tidsbegränsningar
Fredningstider, öppna och begränsade perioder över året. Bekräfta alltid artspecifika fredningar lokalt.
Inga säsongsfredningar registrerade — kontrollera lokalt innan du dyker.
Tillstånd att fiska
Licens
Vad du behöver för att få vara i vattnet, vad det kostar och hur du skaffar det.
Apply to the Ministry of Agriculture or the concerned Regional Administration / local fisheries office; in practice tourists arrange permits and a local guide through tour operators.
Skaffa din licensÖppnar den officiella portalen · policyvault.africa
- Typ
- Fishing permit. Commercial fishing requires a legal fishing permit (Art. 5(1)). Non-nationals doing recreational fishing require a written permit (Art. 5(5)). Fishing in national parks / protected fishery areas requires a written permit (Art. 5(3)-(4)). There is no spearfishing-specific licence.
- Kostnad
- unknown
- Giltighet
- unknown
- Hur du skaffar den
- Apply to the Ministry of Agriculture or the concerned Regional Administration / local fisheries office; in practice tourists arrange permits and a local guide through tour operators.
- Myndighet
- Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Administrations
Utrustning & teknik
Utrustningsregler
Vilken utrustning som är tillåten, hur den får användas och vilka villkor som gäller.
Restriktioner
- Recreational fishing is legally defined as using a single hook and monofilament nylon line only (Art. 2(8)); spears/spearguns are not within this definition.
- Legal 'fishing gear' is defined as net, trap, sieve, monofilament nylon line and hook (Art. 2(14)); spearguns are not listed.
- Explosives, ammunition, poisons, fish-narcotising plants and any device capable of producing electric current are forbidden except for research (Art. 5(7)).
- Fishing by way of sifting is prohibited (Art. 5(8)).
The proclamation neither names nor explicitly authorises spears or spearguns. Because recreational fishing is statutorily limited to single hook and line, spearfishing falls outside the recognised recreational category. Whether a speargun is permissible at all is legally unclear; treat as not authorised absent a specific permit. No data found on scuba use for fishing.
Vad du får ta
Fångstbegränsningar & skyddade arter
Dagliga kvoter, minimimått och arter som aldrig får tas.
Daglig gräns
unknown
The proclamation does not set numeric daily or size limits itself; Art. 12 requires that subordinate fisheries laws issued under it stipulate annual fish catch, types/number of fishing gears, fishing seasons, protected fishery areas and prohibited activities. Such detailed limits are set by Council of Ministers regulations and Regional laws, which were not retrievable; no national species-specific catch limits were confirmed from primary sources.
Vem som får fiska
Besökare & bofasta
Hur reglerna skiljer sig för utländska besökare och lokalt bofasta.
Utländska besökare
TillåtetSärskild licens krävs
Krav
- A non-national who wishes to undertake recreational fishing must obtain a written permit from the Ministry of Agriculture or the concerned Regional Authority (Art. 5(5)).
- In practice a local guide and confirmed permission from local authorities and/or the Ministry of Agriculture are expected.
Restriktioner
- Spearfishing is not an offered or recognised method for foreign anglers; recreational fishing for tourists is rod-and-line angling (fly fishing, spinning, bait, trolling).
Permit requirement is for recreational fishing generally (hook and line). No foreigner-specific spearfishing pathway exists.
Bofasta
Permit under Proclamation No. 315/2003 (commercial fishing permit, or written permit for fishing in parks/protected areas).
Krav
- Commercial fishers must hold a legal fishing permit (Art. 5(1)).
- Subsistence/recreational fishing inside national parks or protected fishery areas requires a written permit (Art. 5(3)-(4)).
Subsistence fishing for self/family consumption is recognised (Art. 2(6)); recreational fishing is limited to single hook and monofilament line (Art. 2(8)).
Var på kusten
Tillåtna & förbjudna zoner
Namngivna områden som är öppna för eller stängda för harpunfiske. Se hela bilden på den interaktiva kartan.
Förbjudna områden
- National parks and reserved fishery areasnational park / reserved fishery area
Fishing (subsistence, commercial or recreational) within a national park or a reserved fishery area requires a written permit from the authority that administers the park (Art. 5(3)). Without a permit, fishing in these areas is not allowed.
- Protected fishery areasprotected fishery area / marine-equivalent freshwater reserve
A 'Protected Fishery Area' is a fully or partially demarcated area of any water body where, except for research, fishing is prohibited for the protection of inhabiting fish species or for other purposes (Art. 2(12)). Fishing there otherwise requires a written permit from the Ministry or concerned Regional Authority (Art. 5(4)).
Vem du ska fråga
Myndigheter
De officiella organ som ansvarar för fiske och licensiering.
Ministry of Agriculture (Ethiopia)
fisheries / agriculture ministry
moa.gov.etunknownRegional Administrations (including Addis Ababa City and Dire Dawa Administrations)
regional fisheries authority
Issue regional fisheries laws and permits and appoint Fishery Inspectors under Proclamation No. 315/2003.
Var detta kommer från
Källor
Varje påstående på denna sida går att spåra tillbaka till en av dessa referenser.
- [01]
Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003 - full text PDF (Federal Negarit Gazeta)
Officiellpolicyvault.africaHämtad jun 14 - [02]
PolicyVault.Africa - Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation (record page)
Sekundärpolicyvault.africaHämtad jun 14 - [03]
FAOLEX - Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation (No. 315/2003) record
Officiellfao.orgHämtad jun 14 - [04]
UNODC SHERLOC - Proclamation No. 315/2003 Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation
Officiellsherloc.unodc.orgHämtad jun 14 - [05]
DIY Fishing in Ethiopia - methods and permits (Fishing Ethiopia)
Sekundärfishingethiopia.comHämtad jun 14 - [06]
Harpune.info - Spearfishing rules worldwide (Ethiopia not listed)
communityharpune.infoHämtad jun 14
Forskaranteckningar
Ethiopia is landlocked (no sea coastline); there is no marine spearfishing and no spearfishing-specific legislation. Research therefore focused on inland/freshwater rules. The single governing instrument is the federal Fisheries Development and Utilization Proclamation No. 315/2003, whose full verbatim English text was retrieved (via the scanned official Federal Negarit Gazeta PDF hosted by PolicyVault.Africa; cross-referenced with FAOLEX record LEX-FAOC044402 and UNODC SHERLOC). Key point for spearfishing: recreational fishing is statutorily defined as single hook and monofilament nylon line (Art. 2(8)) and legal 'fishing gear' is limited to nets, traps, sieves, line and hooks (Art. 2(14)); spears/spearguns are neither named nor authorised, so spearfishing has no recognised legal status as recreational angling and is classified here as 'restricted'. It is not explicitly criminalised, but commercial fishing requires a permit, park/protected-area fishing requires written permits, and destructive methods (explosives, poison, electric current, sifting) are banned. Detailed numeric catch/size limits and seasons are delegated to Council of Ministers regulations and Regional laws (Art. 12, 20) that could not be retrieved as primary text; hence seasons[] and catch_limits are left empty/unknown. Confidence is medium: the primary statute is solid and authoritative, but spearfishing is addressed only by implication and subordinate regulations were not obtained.
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