Equatorial Guinea
Africa · Middle Africa
Equatorial Guinea has no spearfishing-specific statute, but recreational/sport fishing ('pesca deportiva') is a defined, licensed category under national fisheries law. The governing law (Ley Nº 10/2003, Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera) and its implementing regulation (Decreto Nº 130/2004) require any sport fishing — whatever the vessel or gear — to hold a fishing licence/permit issued by the Ministry of Fisheries. The 2004 regulation explicitly recognises and charges an annual registration fee for 'underwater fishing equipment' (equipos de pesca submarina, 5,000 FCFA/year), which is the closest direct legal reference to spearfishing gear. Practically, spearfishing is therefore permitted only with the proper licence and gear registration. Note: secondary sources report a newer fisheries law, Ley Nº 11/2017 (Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera y Acuícola), which may supersede the 2003 law, but its verbatim text could not be retrieved, so the cited provisions are from the 2003/2004 instruments. A new protected-areas law (Ley Nº 6/2025) restricts activities inside the national protected-area system, which includes ~730 km² of marine areas. No data was found on closed seasons, catch limits, scuba restrictions, or species-specific rules applicable to recreational spearfishing.
Last updated June 14, 2026
Governing framework
- §Ley Nº 10/2003, de 17 de noviembre, Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera en la República de Guinea Ecuatorial
- §Decreto Nº 130/2004, de 14 de septiembre, por el que se aprueba el Reglamento de Aplicación de la Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera
- §Ley Nº 2/1987, de 16 de febrero, de Pesca de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial (predecessor law)
- §Ley Nº 11/2017, Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera y Acuícola (reported by secondary sources; text not retrieved/unverified)
- §Ley Nº 6/2025, de Áreas Protegidas (protected-areas framework; marine areas included)
- License required
- Required
- Speargun
- Allowed
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 sport fishing (pesca deportiva)
Ley Nº 10/2003, Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera en la República de Guinea Ecuatorial
8. Pesca Deportiva: Es la pesca practicada con fines de esparcimiento y sin animo de lucro.
Sport fishing requires a fishing licence regardless of vessel or gear
Ley Nº 10/2003, Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera en la República de Guinea Ecuatorial
Articulo 9.- La Pesca de investigaci6n y la pesca deportiva, sea cual fuera la clase de embarcaci6n y el tipo de artes a emplear, solo podra ser practicada por las personas y embarcaciones dotadas de la correspondiente licencia de pesca expedida por el Ministerio de Pesca y Medio Ambiente, conforme a las disposiciones legales en vigor.
Sport-fishing permits and reference to underwater fishing equipment registration
Decreto Nº 130/2004, Reglamento de Aplicación de la Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera
CAPITULO X - PERMISOS DE PESCA DEPORTIVA Y DE INVESTIGACION. Articulo 43.- Para la expedici6n de los permisos de pesca deportiva y de investigaci6n se atendra a lo dispuesto en el articulo 9 de la Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera, y se emplearan los mismos formularios indicados para la pesca industrial en el presente Reglamento. [Anexo de tasas, A.2 Registro de aparejos:] Registro equipos pesca submarina ... 5.000 FCFA/ANO.
Definition of sport fishing (predecessor law)
Ley Nº 2/1987, de 16 de febrero, de Pesca de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial
1.4.- PESCA DEPORTIVA.- Es la practicada por aficionados con fines de esparcimiento y sin fines de lucro.
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.
Apply to the Ministry of Fisheries (Ministerio de Pesca) per Art. 9 of Ley 10/2003 and Art. 43 of Decreto 130/2004, using the prescribed forms; gear must be registered.
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · faolex.fao.org
- Type
- Fishing licence / sport-fishing permit (licencia de pesca / permiso de pesca deportiva)
- Cost
- Underwater fishing equipment registration: 5,000 FCFA per year (Decreto 130/2004 fee schedule). General sport-fishing permit fees not separately published in retrieved sources.
- Validity
- unknown
- How to obtain
- Apply to the Ministry of Fisheries (Ministerio de Pesca) per Art. 9 of Ley 10/2003 and Art. 43 of Decreto 130/2004, using the prescribed forms; gear must be registered.
- Authority
- Ministerio de Pesca y Medio Ambiente (Ministry of Fisheries and Environment) / Ministerio de Pesca y Recursos Hídricos
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Underwater fishing equipment (equipos de pesca submarina) must be registered with the authorities (Decreto 130/2004, annual fee 5,000 FCFA).
National fisheries regulation explicitly lists 'equipos pesca submarina' in its gear/aparejos registration schedule, indicating underwater (spear) fishing gear is legally recognised and registrable. No specific bans on spearguns, scuba-assisted spearfishing, or spear numbers were found in retrieved sources.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
unknown
No recreational/spearfishing-specific daily limits, minimum sizes, or protected-species lists were found in the retrieved national legal texts. Species protections likely exist via CITES and the protected-areas framework (Ley 6/2025) but were not located in spearfishing-applicable detail.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
No spearfishing-specific rules for foreigners were found. General fishing licensing under Ley 10/2003 / Decreto 130/2004 applies; the 2004 fee schedule distinguishes foreign vs national vessels for permits (foreign sport/research vessels charged 20,000 FCFA/TRB/vessel/year; national vessels 40% of the foreign rate), implying foreigners may participate under permit. Entry/visa and general fisheries authorisation requirements apply. Verify with the Ministry of Fisheries before travel.
Residents
Fishing licence / sport-fishing permit (same regime as above)
Benefits
- National vessels pay reduced permit fees (40% of the foreign-vessel rate) under the Decreto 130/2004 fee schedule.
No separate resident-specific recreational spearfishing regime was found beyond the general national fishing-licence requirement.
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
- Reserva Natural de las Islas Corisco, Elobeyes y Mbañémarine and coastal natural reserve
Natural reserve of about 480 km2 (over 400 km2 marine) covering the islands of Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico and Mbañé, off the Río Muni estuary. Part of the National System of Protected Areas; extractive activities are restricted under the protected-areas framework. Coordinates approximate to Corisco island.
- Reserva Natural de Annobónisland natural reserve
Volcanic island reserve (~30 km2); the entire island of Annobón in the Gulf of Guinea is protected. Surrounded by rich waters; activities restricted under the protected-areas framework. Coordinates approximate to Annobón island.
- Reserva Natural del Estuario del Río Municoastal/estuarine natural reserve
Coastal/estuarine reserve of about 600 km2 including mangroves and river mouths; habitat for manatees. Extractive activities restricted under the protected-areas framework.
- Reserva Natural de Río Campocoastal natural reserve
Coastal reserve (~330 km2) at the Río Campo estuary on the Litoral province border with Cameroon; mangroves and rainforest.
- Reserva Natural de Punta Ilendecoastal natural reserve
Coastal reserve (~55 km2) on the southern coast in the Mbini/Río Muni area.
Conditions on the water
Live conditions
Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Equatorial Guinea, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.
Live marine & weather near Reserva Natural de las Islas Corisco, Elobeyes y Mbañé.
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
Ministerio de Pesca y Recursos Hídricos (Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources)
fisheries authority
guineaecuatorialpress.comunknownINDEFOR-AP (Instituto Nacional de Desarrollo Forestal y Gestión del Sistema de Áreas Protegidas)
protected areas / environment authority
indefor-ap.comunknown
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Ley Nº 10/2003 Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera y su Reglamento de Aplicación (Boletín Oficial del Estado, via FAOLEX)
Officialfaolex.fao.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [02]
Decreto Nº 130/2004, Reglamento de Aplicación de la Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera (via FAOLEX)
Officialfaolex.fao.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [03]
Ley Nº 2/1987 de Pesca de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial (via FAOLEX)
Officialfaolex.fao.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [04]
FAOLEX Country Profile - Equatorial Guinea (fisheries legislation index)
Officialfao.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [05]
Guinea Ecuatorial promulga una nueva Ley de Áreas Protegidas (Ley 6/2025) - Real Equatorial Guinea
Secondaryrealequatorialguinea.comAccessed Jun 14 - [06]
Áreas protegidas de Guinea Ecuatorial - Wikipedia (ES)
Secondaryes.wikipedia.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [07]
Corisco, Equatorial Guinea - Wikipedia (coordinates of marine reserve)
Secondaryen.wikipedia.orgAccessed Jun 14
Researcher notes
Spearfishing is not separately regulated in Equatorial Guinea, but recreational/sport fishing ('pesca deportiva') is a defined and licensed category, and the implementing regulation explicitly recognises and charges for the registration of 'underwater fishing equipment' (equipos de pesca submarina). Verbatim provisions cited here are from Ley 10/2003 and Decreto 130/2004, both retrieved as official texts via the FAO FAOLEX repository (originally published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado). A newer law, Ley Nº 11/2017 (Reguladora de la Actividad Pesquera y Acuícola), is reported by secondary sources (FAO/AI-search summaries) to govern fisheries and may have superseded the 2003 law, but its full text could not be retrieved and is NOT cited verbatim — the legal framework list flags it as unverified. Confidence is LOW because: (1) the currently-in-force primary statute (likely the 2017 law) was not obtained; (2) no closed seasons, catch limits, size limits, scuba rules, or foreigner-specific spearfishing rules were located; (3) protected-area boundaries and coordinates are approximate. Marine/coastal protected areas (Corisco-Elobeyes-Mbañé, Annobón, Río Muni estuary, Río Campo, Punta Ilende) are listed as prohibited/restricted zones under the protected-areas framework (most recently Ley 6/2025); their exact extraction-restriction rules for spearfishing were not retrieved. Anyone intending to spearfish should obtain a sport-fishing licence and register gear with the Ministry of Fisheries and confirm current rules and protected-area boundaries directly with INDEFOR-AP and the Ministry.
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