Afghanistan
Asia · Southern Asia
Afghanistan is landlocked, so no marine spearfishing exists. There is no dedicated fisheries or fishing statute and no spearfishing-specific regulation. Inland (freshwater) fishing in rivers, streams and lakes is largely informal and unregulated; the only relevant national legal instrument is the Environment Law (2007), whose Chapter Six (Articles 47-49) regulates the taking of wild species through harvestable/protected species lists and permits. Destructive fishing methods (dynamite/explosives and electrofishing) are illegal in practice and are explicitly banned in Band-e-Amir National Park. No source addresses recreational spearfishing or speargun use, so its legality is genuinely unknown; in practice it is not regulated as a distinct activity.
Last updated June 16, 2026
Governing framework
- §Environment Law of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2007), Chapter Six (Biodiversity and Natural Resource Conservation), Articles 47-49
- §Band-e-Amir National Park designation (Afghanistan's first national park, established 22 May 2009) - protected-area regulations including a ban on grenade/explosive and electric-shock fishing
The law, verbatim
Legal texts
The exact statutory and regulatory provisions that govern spearfishing here, quoted as published, with a link to each official source.
Listing of harvestable and protected species
Environment Law of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2007)
The National Environmental Protection Agency, with the assistance of academic institutions and relevant ministries, shall prepare lists of harvestable and protected species occurring in the country, and update such lists as appropriate.
Taking of harvestable species
Environment Law of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2007)
Taking into account the principles of unit management, rational management and ecological management, the National Environmental Protection Agency shall prepare management plans for harvestable species listed pursuant to Article 47 of this Act, which plans shall include provisions for conservation of the habitats of the species.
Taking of protected species
Environment Law of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2007)
Taking of all species listed as protected as provided in Article 47 of this Act is prohibited, except by prior authorisation in the form of a permit issued by the National Environmental Protection Agency in terms of sub-article 2.
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
No seasonal closures recorded — verify locally before diving.
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
- Authority
- National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA); Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL)
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Dynamite/explosive fishing is illegal (documented as a practice since the 1980s but now unlawful)
- Electric-shock (electrofishing) and grenade/explosive fishing are banned in Band-e-Amir National Park
No rule specifically addresses spearguns, harpoons or recreational spearfishing. Equipment legality for spearfishing is genuinely unknown; the only documented gear prohibitions concern destructive methods (explosives, electrofishing).
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
No fishing-specific catch or size limits were found. Protected-species lists are maintained by NEPA under the Environment Law (2007); taking listed protected species is prohibited except under permit. The first national protected-species list (2009) covered mammals, birds, plants, an amphibian (Paghman salamander) and an insect, but no commercially fished freshwater fish were highlighted in the sources reviewed.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
No rules specific to foreign anglers or spearfishers were found. General security conditions and lack of tourism infrastructure make recreational underwater fishing by foreigners impractical.
Residents
No resident-specific fishing or spearfishing licensing framework was found. Inland subsistence fishing is largely informal and unregulated.
Where on the coast
Allowed & prohibited zones
Named areas that are open to or closed for spearfishing. See the full picture on the interactive map.
Prohibited areas
- Band-e-Amir National Parknational park
Afghanistan's first national park (established 22 May 2009), a series of intensely blue lakes in Bamyan Province. Destructive fishing in the park lakes - using hand grenades/explosives and electric shocking devices - has been banned by the park administration after such methods nearly eliminated fish stocks. No legally authorised recreational fishing or spearfishing regime is documented.
Conditions on the water
Live conditions
Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Afghanistan, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.
Live marine & weather near Band-e-Amir National Park.
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA)
environment authority
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL)
agriculture and fisheries authority
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Environmental Law of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Environment Law 2007) - verbatim Articles 47-49
Secondaryafghan-web.comAccessed Jun 14 - [02]
A Guide to Afghanistan's 2007 Environment Law (UNEP / OHCHR)
Officialohchr.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [03]
No Fishing with Hand Grenades in Afghanistan's New National Park (Band-e-Amir) - National Parks Traveler
Secondarynationalparkstraveler.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [04]
Band-e Amir National Park - Wikipedia (establishment, coordinates, management)
Secondaryen.wikipedia.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [05]
Coldwater Fish and Fisheries in Afghanistan - FAO (limited fishing activity, no catch records)
Officialfao.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [06]
Afghanistan's first-ever list of protected species (NEPA, 2009) - Newswise
Secondarynewswise.comAccessed Jun 14
Researcher notes
Afghanistan is landlocked (no sea coastline), so marine spearfishing does not apply. Research found NO dedicated national fisheries or fishing statute and NO spearfishing-specific regulation. A FAOLEX 'Fisheries Law' record (LEX-FAOC040534) initially surfaced in searches but was verified to be Vietnam's 2003 Fisheries Law, not Afghanistan's - it is deliberately excluded. The only applicable national instrument is the Environment Law (2007), Chapter Six, Articles 47-49, which governs taking of wild species via harvestable/protected lists and permits administered by NEPA. The verbatim_text entries for Articles 47-49 reproduce only the portions presented as quoted statutory text on the cited afghan-web.com page; explanatory prose on that page (e.g. the permits/management-status sentence after Article 48 and the captive-breeding/artificial-propagation/scientific-purposes list after Article 49) is paraphrase, not verbatim law, and is deliberately excluded from the quotes. The verbatim entries are an English-language rendering of the law (originally enacted in Dari/Pashto), hence translated:true. Destructive fishing (dynamite/explosives, electrofishing) is illegal in practice and explicitly banned in Band-e-Amir National Park. No verbatim primary-source text could be retrieved for any fishing-method or spearfishing prohibition specific to inland recreational fishing; FAOLEX and several PDFs returned 403/binary and could not be parsed. data_confidence is set to 'low' and spearfishing_allowed to 'unknown' because no source confirms or denies the legality of recreational spearfishing as a distinct activity. last_updated reflects the research date; the underlying legal framework dates to 2007-2009.
Notify me when Afghanistan's rules change
We'll email you when Afghanistan's seasons or regulations are updated in our dataset.