Algeria
Africa · Northern Africa
Recreational spearfishing ('peche a la nage dite peche sous-marine') is legal in Algeria but tightly regulated. It is classified as a form of recreational fishing ('peche recreative') under Law 01-11 of 3 July 2001 on fishing and aquaculture, and its detailed conditions are set by Executive Decree 03-481 of 13 December 2003 fixing the conditions and modalities for the exercise of fishing. Spearfishing requires a fishing authorisation from the fisheries administration; it is forbidden for persons under 16 years of age; any breathing apparatus (autonomous or not) allowing an immersed person to breathe without returning to the surface is prohibited (i.e. no spearfishing on SCUBA); explosive/compressed-gas propulsion is banned except where compression is produced manually by the user; spearfishing at night (between sunset and sunrise) is prohibited; a marker buoy must be carried; and catch is for self-consumption only and may not be sold. Marine protected areas such as the Habibas Islands Marine Nature Reserve restrict or prohibit fishing. Enforcement is reported to be weak in practice.
Last updated June 14, 2026
Governing framework
- §Loi n° 01-11 du 3 juillet 2001 relative a la peche et a l'aquaculture (Law No. 01-11 of 3 July 2001 on fishing and aquaculture)
- §Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003 fixant les conditions et les modalites d'exercice de la peche (Executive Decree No. 03-481 of 13 December 2003), published in Journal Officiel N° 78 of 14 December 2003
- §Loi n° 15-08 du 2 juillet 2015 modifiant et completant la loi n° 01-11 (Law No. 15-08 of 2 July 2015 amending Law No. 01-11)
- §Decret executif n° 03-147 du 28 mars 2003 portant creation de la Reserve naturelle marine des iles Habibas (Executive Decree No. 03-147 of 28 March 2003 creating the Habibas Islands Marine Nature Reserve)
- License required
- Required
- Speargun
- Allowed
- Scuba
- Prohibited
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.
Definition of recreational fishing including underwater fishing
Loi n° 01-11 relative a la peche et a l'aquaculture
Art. 27. - La peche recreative comprend : - La peche a pied sans but lucratif ; - La peche a bord de navires et bateaux de plaisance ; - La peche a la nage dite peche sous-marine. Les conditions et modalites d'exercice de la peche recreative sont fixees par voie reglementaire.
Professional underwater fishing definition (distinguishes recreational from professional)
Loi n° 01-11 relative a la peche et a l'aquaculture
Art. 28. - La peche sous-marine professionnelle est celle pratiquee avec ou sans appareils permettant de respirer sous l'eau. Les conditions et modalites d'exercice de la plongee sous-marine professionnelle a des fins d'exploitation des ressources biologiques marines sont fixees par voie reglementaire.
Authorisation required for recreational and diving fishing
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 13. - Est soumis a l'obtention d'une autorisation de peche, l'exercice : - de la peche commerciale maritime et continentale ; - de la peche a pied, recreative et en plongee.
Recreational fishing is non-lucrative; catch for self-consumption only
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 61. - La peche recreative est pratiquee sans but lucratif a des fins sportives ou de loisir. Art. 62. - Le produit de la peche recreative est destine a l'autoconsommation. Le produit de la peche recreative ne peut etre colporte, expose a la vente, vendu sous quelque forme que se soit, echange ou achete en connaissance de cause.
Definition of underwater fishing (spearfishing)
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 65. - L'exercice de la peche a la nage dite peche sous-marine est celle qui permet la capture des animaux marins et autres produits halieutiques par une personne en action de nage ou de plongee.
Minimum age 16; medical fitness and liability insurance required
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 66. - L'exercice de la peche sous-marine est interdit aux personnes agees de moins de seize (16) ans. Le dossier pour l'etablissement de l'autorisation prevue par l'article 13 du present decret devra comprendre : - un certificat attestant de son aptitude physique a effectuer la plongee sous-marine ; - un contrat d'assurance en responsabilite civile pour la pratique de la peche sous-marine.
Prohibition of breathing apparatus (no spearfishing on SCUBA / surface-supplied air)
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 67. - L'usage, pour la peche recreative a la nage dite peche sous-marine de tout equipement respiratoire, qu'il soit autonome ou non, permettant a une personne immergee de respirer sans revenir a la surface est interdit.
Prohibition of explosive / compressed-gas powered gear (speargun power limitation)
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 68. - Sont interdits les engins de la peche recreative a la nage dite peche sous-marine dont la force propulsive developpee est empruntee au pouvoir detonant d'un melange chimique ou a la detente d'un gaz comprime, sauf si la compression de ce dernier est obtenue par l'action d'un mecanisme manoeuvre par le seul utilisateur.
Spearfishing prohibitions: night fishing, proximity, lights, crustacean methods
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 69. - Il est interdit aux pecheurs pratiquant la peche sous-marine : - d'exercer la peche sous-marine entre le coucher et le lever du soleil ; - de s'approcher a moins de 150 metres d'une prise d'eau d'installation industrielle, des etablissements de culture marine, des navires ou embarcations en peche ainsi que des engins de peche signales par un balisage apparent ; - de capturer les animaux marins pris dans les engins ou filets places par d'autres pecheurs ; - de faire usage, pour la peche sous-marine, d'un foyer lumineux ; - d'utiliser, pour la capture des crustaces, une foene ou appareil special pour la peche sous-marine ; - de capturer des crustaces autrement qu'a la main.
Mandatory marker buoy
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 70. - Tout pecheur pratiquant la peche sous-marine doit signaler sa presence au moyen d'une bouee permettant de reperer sa position et dont les caracteristiques sont fixees par voie reglementaire.
Prohibition of habitat-disturbing tools (crowbars, picks) during spearfishing
Decret executif n° 03-481 du 13 decembre 2003
Art. 71. - Sans prejudice des dispositions de l'article 38 ci-dessus et notamment pour l'exercice de la peche sous-marine, l'utilisation de barres a mine, de pioche ou de tous autres outils ou engins de peche susceptibles de bouleverser l'habitat des especes est prohibee.
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
- ClosedUnderwater fishing (spearfishing) - daily night closuresunset – sunrise
Spearfishing is prohibited at night, i.e. between sunset and sunrise (Article 69, first indent, of Executive Decree 03-481). This is a permanent daily closure rather than a calendar season.
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
Apply to the local fisheries administration (Direction de la peche et des ressources halieutiques of the coastal wilaya). The application file must include a medical certificate attesting physical fitness to dive and a civil-liability insurance contract for underwater fishing (Article 66, Decree 03-481).
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · natlex.ilo.org
- Type
- Fishing authorisation for recreational/diving fishing ('autorisation de peche') from the fisheries administration, per Article 13 of Executive Decree 03-481. File must include a medical certificate of physical fitness to dive and a civil-liability insurance contract (Article 66).
- Cost
- unknown
- Validity
- unknown
- How to obtain
- Apply to the local fisheries administration (Direction de la peche et des ressources halieutiques of the coastal wilaya). The application file must include a medical certificate attesting physical fitness to dive and a civil-liability insurance contract for underwater fishing (Article 66, Decree 03-481).
- Authority
- Ministere de l'Agriculture, du Developpement rural et de la Peche (MADRP) / Directions de la peche et des ressources halieutiques (wilaya level)
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Any breathing apparatus (autonomous or not) allowing an immersed person to breathe without returning to the surface is prohibited - i.e. no spearfishing while on SCUBA or surface-supplied air (Article 67).
- Gear powered by the detonating force of a chemical mixture or by the release of compressed gas is prohibited, except where the compression is produced by a mechanism operated manually by the user alone (Article 68) - effectively permitting band-powered and manually-pumped pneumatic spearguns.
- Use of a light source (foyer lumineux) for underwater fishing is prohibited (Article 69).
- Crustaceans may only be captured by hand; use of a foene/special apparatus to take crustaceans is prohibited (Article 69).
- Use of crowbars, picks or any tools/gear liable to disturb species' habitat is prohibited during underwater fishing (Article 71).
- A marker buoy indicating the diver's position must be carried (Article 70).
Spearguns are permitted provided they are not explosive-powered and not powered by compressed gas other than gas compressed manually by the user; band/sling (Hawaiian) spearguns and hand-pumped pneumatic spearguns are therefore allowed. Spearfishing on compressed-air breathing apparatus (SCUBA) is banned; only breath-hold (apnea) spearfishing is lawful.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
unknown
Executive Decree 03-481 and Law 01-11 do not set a specific recreational daily bag limit or species size limits for spearfishing in the consulted text; recreational catch is restricted to self-consumption and may not be sold, traded or exposed for sale (Article 62). General minimum-size and protected-species rules under Algerian fisheries regulation and CITES/Barcelona Convention obligations apply but a verified Algeria-specific list for recreational spearfishing was not retrieved; left empty to avoid fabrication.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
The consulted legal texts (Law 01-11, Decree 03-481) do not contain provisions specific to foreign recreational spearfishers. The general recreational-fishing authorisation requirement (Article 13) and underwater-fishing conditions (Articles 65-71) apply to all practitioners. No verified rule distinguishing foreigners was found; status left unknown to avoid fabrication.
Residents
Recreational/diving fishing authorisation ('autorisation de peche') issued by the wilaya-level fisheries administration
Requirements
- Be at least 16 years old (Article 66, Decree 03-481)
- Provide a medical certificate of physical fitness to dive (Article 66)
- Hold a civil-liability insurance contract for underwater fishing (Article 66)
- Obtain the fishing authorisation under Article 13 of Decree 03-481
Requirements are derived directly from Executive Decree 03-481. The same conditions apply to residents practising recreational underwater fishing.
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
- Reserve naturelle marine des iles Habibas (Habibas Islands Marine Nature Reserve)marine nature reserve (SPAMI)
Marine nature reserve off the coast of Oran created by Executive Decree No. 03-147 of 28 March 2003. Approximately 40 ha of emergent land and about 2,684 ha of protected marine area, managed by the Commissariat national du littoral (CNL). Fishing activities are regulated/restricted within the reserve; it is also a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI).
- Parc national d'El Kala (El Kala National Park)national park / biosphere reserve
National park created in 1983 in El Tarf province (north-east Algeria), about 76,438 ha including coastal/marine and wetland ecosystems; a UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve. Protected-area status restricts extractive activities including fishing.
- Parc national de Taza (Taza National Park, marine extension)national park (proposed marine protected area)
National park in Jijel province on the eastern Algerian coast; subject of an ongoing project to establish a formal marine protected area, proposed by Taza National Park staff. Protected-area restrictions apply.
Conditions on the water
Live conditions
Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Algeria, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.
Live marine & weather near Reserve naturelle marine des iles Habibas (Habibas Islands Marine Nature Reserve).
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
Ministere de l'Agriculture, du Developpement rural et de la Peche (Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries)
fisheries authority / ministry
madr.gov.dzunknownDirections de la peche et des ressources halieutiques (wilaya-level fisheries directorates)
regional fisheries authority
Coastal wilaya fisheries directorates issue recreational/underwater fishing authorisationsCommissariat national du littoral (CNL)
coastal/marine protected area authority
Manager of the Habibas Islands Marine Nature Reserve and coastal protected areasService national des garde-cotes (National Coast Guard)
maritime enforcement authority
Enforcement of maritime and fishing regulations at sea (per Ordonnance 73-12)
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Loi n° 01-11 du 3 juillet 2001 relative a la peche et a l'aquaculture (full text PDF)
Officialfaolex.fao.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [02]
Journal Officiel de la Republique Algerienne N° 78 (14 December 2003) - Decret executif n° 03-481 fixant les conditions et modalites d'exercice de la peche (full text PDF)
Officialnatlex.ilo.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [03]
Recreational fisheries economics between illusion and reality: The case of Algeria (PLOS ONE, 2018)
Secondaryjournals.plos.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [04]
Iles Habibas (Wikipedia FR) - Reserve naturelle marine, Decret 03-147, coordinates and area
Secondaryfr.wikipedia.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [05]
El Kala National Park (Wikipedia EN)
Secondaryen.wikipedia.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [06]
Marine protected areas in Algeria: Future marine protected area of Taza (SW Mediterranean) - HAL open archive
Secondaryhal.scienceAccessed Jun 14
Researcher notes
Core legal data is taken verbatim from two official primary sources: Law 01-11 of 3 July 2001 (FAOLEX full-text PDF) and Executive Decree 03-481 of 13 December 2003 (Algerian Official Journal N° 78, ILO NATLEX full-text PDF). Decree 03-481 is the operative regulation for recreational underwater fishing (spearfishing), Articles 65-71, and is fully quoted in law_texts. Law 15-08 of 2 July 2015 amended Law 01-11 but the specific recreational-spearfishing articles were defined by Decree 03-481 and remained in force per the consulted sources. Key practical takeaways: spearfishing is legal but requires an authorisation, minimum age 16, breath-hold only (no SCUBA), no explosive/gas-detonation guns, no night fishing, mandatory marker buoy, catch for personal consumption only. Daily bag/size limits and a recreational protected-species list were not found in the retrieved official texts and were deliberately left empty rather than fabricated. Marine protected areas (Habibas Islands Marine Nature Reserve, El Kala and Taza national parks) restrict or prohibit fishing; Habibas coordinates and decree (03-147) are from a secondary source (Wikipedia) and should be re-verified against the Official Journal for production use. The PLOS ONE study notes that enforcement of these rules in practice is weak and unlicensed spearfishing is common. data_confidence is 'high' for the national legal framework (primary verbatim sources) but individual MPA boundary/coordinate details rest on secondary sources.
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