SpearfishingMap

Hong Kong

Asia · Eastern Asia

Spearfishing occupies a legally precarious position in Hong Kong. There is no fisheries licence regime or closed season for recreational sea fishing generally (rod-and-line sea fishing is unlicensed and unrestricted in quantity). However, the speargun itself is the problem: under the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (Cap. 238), the statutory definition of 'arms' expressly includes 'any harpoon or spear gun, however powered'. Possessing a speargun without a licence for possession granted by the Hong Kong Police Force is therefore a serious offence (section 13: fine at level 6 and imprisonment for 14 years). Separately, all fishing, hunting, injuring or removing of marine life by any means is prohibited in Hong Kong's marine parks and marine reserve under the Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A), and a 'spear gun' is one of the fishing/hunting devices that may not even be possessed inside those protected areas (Schedule 3). In practice spearfishing is not actively offered or promoted, the legal status of the speargun makes lawful recreational spearfishing effectively dependent on obtaining a police arms licence, and it is outright banned in all marine protected areas. Treat as restricted/effectively prohibited without a police arms permit.

Restricted
Data confidenceHigh confidence

Last updated June 15, 2026

Governing framework

  • §Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (Cap. 238)
  • §Marine Parks Ordinance (Cap. 476, 1995)
  • §Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A, 1996)
  • §Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap. 171)
License required
Required
Speargun
Allowed
Foreigners
Welcome

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.

01Section 2, definition of 'arms', paragraph (f)Hong Kong SAR · national

Definition of 'arms' includes harpoon or spear gun

Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (Cap. 238)

ENOriginal

arms (槍械) means— (a) any firearm; (b) an air rifle, air gun or air pistol from which any shot, bullet or missile can be discharged with a muzzle energy greater than 2 joules; (c) any portable device which is designed or adapted to stun or disable a person by means of an electric shock applied either with or without direct contact with that person; (d) any gun, pistol or other propelling or releasing instrument from or by which a projectile containing any gas or chemical could be discharged; (e) any weapon for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas, powder or other similar thing (including an aerosol containing any noxious liquid, gas, powder or other similar thing which is not in general trade or domestic use in aerosol form); (f) any harpoon or spear gun, however powered; (g) any other thing declared by the Chief Executive in Council in regulations made under section 52 to be within the definition of arms for the purpose of this Ordinance; (h) a component part used or intended to be used for the discharge of a missile from any of the arms coming within the foregoing paragraphs, and any accessory to such arms designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash caused by firing the same

02Section 13Hong Kong SAR · national

Possession of arms without licence is an offence

Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (Cap. 238)

ENOriginal

13. Possession of arms or ammunition without licence (1) No person shall have in his possession any arms or ammunition unless— (a) he holds a licence for possession of such arms or ammunition or a dealer's licence therefor; or (b) (Repealed 14 of 2000 s. 10) (2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on conviction upon indictment to a fine at level 6 and to imprisonment for 14 years.

03Section 2 (interpretation)Hong Kong SAR · national

Definition of 'fishing or hunting device' includes spear gun

Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A)

ENOriginal

fishing or hunting device (釣魚、捕魚或獵捕器具) means any tool, equipment or appliance designed or used for the purpose of fishing or hunting animals and includes any net, line, trap, chemical, electric charge, explosive or spear gun; hunt (獵捕) includes any act immediately directed at the killing or capture of any animal or the taking of any nest, egg or young of any animal; fish (釣魚、捕魚、魚類)— (a) when used as a verb, means to kill or capture fish; and (b) when used as a noun, means any fish, crustacean, echinoderm or mollusc;

04Section 3Hong Kong SAR · national

Prohibition of fishing, hunting and collecting in marine parks and marine reserve

Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A)

ENOriginal

3. Prohibition of fishing, hunting and collecting animals and plants, etc. (1) Subject to subsection (1A), no person shall fish or hunt, injure, remove or take away any animal or plant by any means in or from a marine park or marine reserve. (1A) Subsection (1) does not prohibit a person from fishing if the person is permitted to— (a) fish in or from a marine park under and in accordance with a permit granted under section 17(3); or (b) fish in or from a special zone specified in column 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 1, subject to compliance with the conditions specified, opposite to the special zone, in column 3 of that Part. (2) No person shall take, remove, injure, destroy or wilfully disturb a nest, egg, young, or nesting ground of any protected marine and coastal species in a marine park or marine reserve. (3) A person within a marine park or marine reserve, who is in possession of a fishing or hunting device, plant, fish or animal, in circumstances that give rise to a reasonable suspicion that an offence under subsection (1) or (2) has been committed, will be presumed to have committed the offence in the absence of evidence to the contrary.

05Section 4 and Schedule 3Hong Kong SAR · national

Prohibition of possession of certain fishing or hunting devices; spear gun listed

Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A)

ENOriginal

4. Prohibition of possession of certain fishing or hunting devices (1) No person shall have in his possession any fishing or hunting device specified in Schedule 3 in a marine park or marine reserve. (2) In any proceedings against a person for an offence under this section, it shall be a defence for that person to show that the fishing or hunting device is not intended to be used inside a marine park or marine reserve. ... Schedule 3 [s. 4] Fishing or Hunting Devices 1. Any trawl net including stern trawl, pair trawl or shrimp trawl net 2. Any spear gun 3. Any fishing device using high voltage electric charge for the purpose of stunning fish or animals 4. Cha Tsai Peng (oil processing residue from tea-seeds), rotenone, phenthoate, permethrin or cyanide 5. Dynamite or other explosives

06Section 6Hong Kong SAR · national

Prohibition of swimming, diving or boating in a marine reserve

Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A)

ENOriginal

6. Prohibition of boating, etc. in marine reserves No person shall within a marine reserve swim, dive or carry out any boating.

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.

License requiredvia Hong Kong Police Force (Arms Licensing Section)

Apply to the Arms Licensing Section of the Hong Kong Police Force for a licence for possession of arms. Recreational sea fishing itself needs no fishing licence; freshwater reservoir fishing (not spearfishing) is licensed separately by the Water Supplies Department.

Get your license

Opens the official portal · police.gov.hk

License required
Type
Police 'licence for possession' of arms (covers the speargun as 'arms' under Cap. 238). There is no separate fishing licence for recreational sea fishing.
Cost
unknown
Validity
unknown
How to obtain
Apply to the Arms Licensing Section of the Hong Kong Police Force for a licence for possession of arms. Recreational sea fishing itself needs no fishing licence; freshwater reservoir fishing (not spearfishing) is licensed separately by the Water Supplies Department.
Authority
Hong Kong Police Force (Arms Licensing Section)

Gear & technique

Equipment rules

What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.

SpeargunAllowed

Restrictions

  • A speargun (and any harpoon) is statutorily 'arms' under the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (Cap. 238) s.2(f); possession without a police licence for possession is an offence under s.13 (fine at level 6 and imprisonment for 14 years).
  • Spear guns are listed in Schedule 3 of the Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A): possession of a spear gun is prohibited inside any marine park or marine reserve.
  • Explosives, toxic substances and electricity for fishing are prohibited generally under the Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap. 171).

speargun_allowed=true is conditional: lawful possession requires a Hong Kong Police Force arms licence. Without that licence the speargun is illegal to possess. Travellers transiting Hong Kong with spearguns in checked baggage have been stopped and required to obtain a permit.

What you may take

Catch limits & protected species

Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.

Daily limit

No quantity restriction for non-commercial sea fishing in open Hong Kong waters; not applicable inside marine parks/reserve where all fishing is prohibited.

Protected marine and coastal species (nests, eggs, young and nesting grounds) are protected inside marine parks and the marine reserve under Cap. 476A s.3(2). No general recreational size or bag limits were located in fetched official sources.

Who may fish

Visitors & residents

How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.

Foreign visitors

Allowed

Special license required

Requirements

  • Same arms-licensing position applies: a foreigner possessing a speargun in Hong Kong must hold a police licence/permit for possession (Cap. 238).
  • Transit/transport of a speargun through Hong Kong (including in checked baggage) can trigger arms-control enforcement; obtain a permit in advance.

Restrictions

  • No spearfishing in any marine park or marine reserve.
  • Speargun possession without a police arms licence is a serious indictable offence.

Documented case of a traveller transiting Hong Kong airport with a speargun in checked baggage being detained until a temporary permit was issued; some spearos avoid Hong Kong (and mainland China) transit for this reason.

Residents

Police 'licence for possession' of arms (Cap. 238) for the speargun. No fisheries licence for recreational sea fishing.

Requirements

  • Hold a Hong Kong Police Force licence for possession of arms to lawfully possess a speargun.
  • Do not carry/use a speargun inside any marine park or marine reserve.

Persons who ordinarily reside near a (non-specified) marine park may apply for a marine park fishing permit under Cap. 476A s.17(3)(b), but such a permit does not authorise spear guns, which remain banned inside marine parks under Schedule 3.

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.

Allowed areas

  • Recreational sea fishing in open Hong Kong waters is not licensed and has no quantity restriction. Lawful spearfishing here still requires the diver to hold a Hong Kong Police Force licence for possession of the speargun, since a speargun is statutorily classified as 'arms' under Cap. 238. Destructive methods (explosives, toxic substances, electricity) remain prohibited under the Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap. 171).

    Speargun is 'arms' under Cap. 238; possession requires a police licence for possession (s.13). No explosives/poison/electricity (Cap. 171).

  • A special zone within Tung Ping Chau Marine Park where fishing is permitted under Schedule 1 Part 1 of Cap. 476A, comprising (a) the tidal water between Chau Pui and Lan Kwo Shui; and (b) the tidal water between the northern end of Cham Keng Chau and Chau Mei Kok. Note: this exemption permits fishing subject to conditions, but possession of a spear gun remains prohibited inside the marine park under Schedule 3, so it does not authorise spearfishing.

    Recreational rod/line fishing under specified conditions only; spear gun possession remains banned (Schedule 3). Not a spearfishing zone.

Prohibited areas

Conditions on the water

Live conditions

Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Hong Kong, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.

Live marine & weather near Tung Ping Chau Marine Park Recreational Fishing Zone (special zone).

Conditions

Who to ask

Authorities

The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.

  • Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD)

    fisheries and conservation authority

    afcd.gov.hkhttps://www.afcd.gov.hk
  • Hong Kong Police Force - Arms Licensing Section

    arms licensing authority

    police.gov.hkHong Kong Police Force, Arms Licensing Section
  • Water Supplies Department (freshwater reservoir fishing licences)

    water authority

    wsd.gov.hkhttps://www.wsd.gov.hk

Where this comes from

Sources

Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.

  1. [01]

    Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (Cap. 238) - Hong Kong e-Legislation (verified copy, version 25/07/2025)

    Official
    elegislation.gov.hkAccessed Jun 15
  2. [02]

    Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A) - Hong Kong e-Legislation

    Official
    elegislation.gov.hkAccessed Jun 15
  3. [03]

    AFCD - Marine Park Permit / fisheries management in marine parks

    Official
    afcd.gov.hkAccessed Jun 15
  4. [04]

    AFCD - The Facts: Marine Parks and Marine Reserve

    Official
    afcd.gov.hkAccessed Jun 15
  5. [05]

    AFCD - Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap. 171)

    Official
    afcd.gov.hkAccessed Jun 15
  6. [06]

    Hong Kong Police Force - Arms Licensing

    Official
    police.gov.hkAccessed Jun 15
  7. [07]

    Wikipedia - Marine parks in Hong Kong

    Secondary
    en.wikipedia.orgAccessed Jun 15
  8. [08]

    Wikipedia - Cape D'Aguilar Marine Reserve

    Secondary
    en.wikipedia.orgAccessed Jun 15
  9. [09]

    Angloinfo - Fishing and Angling in Hong Kong (no licence for recreational sea fishing)

    Secondary
    angloinfo.comAccessed Jun 15
  10. [10]

    Spearfishing World forum - Hong Kong warning (speargun treated as firearm, traveller detained)

    community
    spearfishing.worldAccessed Jun 15

Researcher notes

Key legal point: in Hong Kong the constraint on spearfishing is the SPEARGUN, not a fishing regime. A speargun (and any harpoon, 'however powered') is statutorily 'arms' under Cap. 238 s.2(f), so possessing one without a Hong Kong Police Force licence for possession is a serious indictable offence (s.13: fine at level 6, up to 14 years' imprisonment). Recreational rod-and-line sea fishing itself is unlicensed and unrestricted in quantity. Independently, all fishing/hunting/removal of marine life and the possession of a spear gun are banned inside Hong Kong's marine protected areas under Cap. 476A (s.3, s.4, Schedule 3 item 2). As of June 2026 there are 9 marine parks (Hoi Ha Wan, Yan Chau Tong, Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau, Tung Ping Chau, The Brothers, Southwest Lantau, South Lantau, North Lantau) plus the Cape D'Aguilar Marine Reserve where even swimming/diving is banned. The Tung Ping Chau Recreational Fishing Zone permits rod/line fishing but NOT spearguns. Verbatim primary texts for Cap. 238 (definition of arms; s.13) and Cap. 476A (s.3, s.4, s.6, Schedule 3, special zone) were retrieved directly from the official Hong Kong e-Legislation portal via a rendered browser session. Marine park coordinates for Yan Chau Tong, Sha Chau/Lung Kwu Chau, The Brothers and the Lantau parks were not captured with point coordinates and are left without coordinates rather than guessed. Specific arms-licence fees/validity for spearguns were not located and are marked unknown.

Stay currentEarly access

Notify me when Hong Kong's rules change

We'll email you when Hong Kong's seasons or regulations are updated in our dataset.

Notify me about

No spam — only change alerts. Unsubscribe anytime. We never sell your email.