Uruguay
Americas · South America
Spearfishing (pesca submarina) is legal in Uruguay as a form of recreational/sport fishing (pesca deportiva). Under Article 44 of the Responsible Fishing Law (Ley N° 19.175 of 2013), sport fishing 'may be exercised freely' except where particular zones, species, periods or fishing gear require a prior fishing permit, as regulated by the Executive Power on the proposal of DINARA. There is no general national spearfishing-specific statute; the activity is governed by the general recreational-fishing framework plus species-specific closures (notably the recurring annual precautionary closure on corvina negra, Pogonias chromis) and minimum landing sizes. Uruguay has an active CMAS-affiliated underwater federation (FUAS) that organises spearfishing competitions and hosted the 2021 World Spearfishing Championship. No retrievable source confirms a national statutory ban on scuba/autonomous breathing apparatus for spearfishing specifically; the FUAS page describes pneumatic spearguns, lights and night spearfishing as prohibited 'in many countries' generically rather than citing a Uruguayan prohibition, so these points are marked unknown rather than asserted.
Last updated October 17, 2025
Governing framework
- §Ley N° 13.833 (Riquezas del Mar) of 29 December 1969 - foundational law on fishing and aquatic hunting
- §Ley N° 19.175 (Pesca Responsable y Fomento de la Acuicultura) of 20 December 2013 - current framework law; Art. 7(C) defines sport fishing, Art. 44 establishes free exercise subject to permits
- §Decreto N° 115/018 - regulation of Ley N° 19.175; Art. 18 reiterates free exercise of sport fishing
- §Decreto N° 149/997 - sets minimum landing sizes (tallas mínimas) and prohibited fishing methods
- §DINARA Resolution N° 306/2025 - latest precautionary closure (veda) on corvina negra
- License required
- Not 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.
Definition of sport fishing
Ley N° 19.175 (Pesca Responsable y Fomento de la Acuicultura)
Pesca deportiva, cuando se realice por deporte, turismo, placer o recreación.
Free exercise of sport fishing subject to permits
Ley N° 19.175 (Pesca Responsable y Fomento de la Acuicultura)
La pesca deportiva podrá ejercerse libremente con excepción de aquellos casos en los que, en función de las zonas, especies, períodos y artes empleadas requieran previamente la obtención de permiso de pesca, lo que será reglamentado por el Poder Ejecutivo de conformidad con lo propuesto por la Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos.
Sport fishing exercised freely absent prohibitions (regulation)
Decreto N° 115/018 (reglamentario de la Ley N° 19.175)
La pesca deportiva podrá ejercerse libremente, siempre que no haya prohibiciones al respecto, conforme lo establece el artículo 44 de la Ley que se reglamenta.
Minimum landing sizes (tallas mínimas de desembarque)
Decreto N° 149/997
Merluza (Merluccius hubbsi): 35 cm. de longitud total. Corvina (Micropogonias furnieri): 32 cm. de longitud total. Pescadilla (Cynoscion striatus): 27 cm. de longitud total. Pez Espada (Xiphias gladius): 25 kilogramos por unidad.
Prohibited fishing methods
Decreto N° 149/997
Quedan prohibidos para los buques de bandera nacional: el empleo de redes de deriva; el uso de explosivos; sustancias tóxicas; trasmallos (redes de enmalle de dos o tres paños superpuestos); y el sistema de apaleo para incrementar las capturas con redes de enmalle.
Precautionary closure on corvina negra (2025-2026)
Resolución DINARA N° 306/2025
Se prohíbe la extracción de corvina negra (Pogonias cromis) bajo cualquier modalidad en todos los ríos y arroyos que desembocan en el Río de la Plata y en el Océano Atlántico, así como en las desembocaduras de las lagunas costeras, desde la fecha de la resolución hasta el 15 de enero de 2026.
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
- ClosedCorvina negra (Pogonias chromis / Pogonias cromis)Oct 17 – Jan 15
Recurring annual precautionary closure (veda precautoria) declared each spring by DINARA. The 2025-2026 closure (Resolución N° 306/2025, issued 17 October 2025) prohibits extraction of corvina negra by any method until 15 January 2026, in all rivers and streams flowing into the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean and at the mouths of coastal lagoons. Prior versions: Res. 327/2024 (31 Oct 2024 to 15 Jan 2025) and Res. 242/2020 (12 Nov 2020 to 31 Dec 2020). Dates of start vary slightly year to year. Violations sanctioned under Ley N° 19.175.
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
- Type
- No general recreational fishing licence required for sport/underwater fishing
- Cost
- unknown
- Validity
- unknown
- How to obtain
- Per Art. 44 of Ley N° 19.175 and Art. 18 of Decreto 115/018, sport fishing (which includes spearfishing) may be exercised freely; a fishing permit (permiso de pesca) is only required where specific zones, species, periods or gear are subject to restriction by DINARA. Recreational/shore fishers and artisanal fishers are exempt from the project-permit requirements. Researchers report no general recreational licence registry exists.
- Authority
- Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos (DINARA), Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca (MGAP)
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Explosives and toxic/anaesthetic substances are prohibited in all fishing (Ley N° 13.833 Art. 13; Decreto 149/997 Art. 45)
- Standard spearfishing gear is used and recognised by the national federation FUAS: rubber-powered speargun (fusil de gomas), spear/harpoon (arpón), pole spear (fisga), mask, fins, wetsuit, weights, knife and dive flag
No retrievable Uruguayan statute specifically permits or bans scuba/autonomous breathing apparatus (escafandra autónoma / equipo autónomo) for spearfishing; scuba_allowed left null pending an authoritative national source. The FUAS page notes that pneumatic spearguns, underwater lights and night spearfishing are prohibited 'in many countries' but does not cite a Uruguayan prohibition, so those are not asserted here.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
unknown
Minimum sizes
- Corvina (Micropogonias furnieri)min 32 cm
- Merluza (Merluccius hubbsi)min 35 cm
- Pescadilla (Cynoscion striatus)min 27 cm
Protected species — do not take
- ProtectedCorvina negra (Pogonias chromis) - extraction prohibited by any method under the recurring DINARA precautionary closure
- ProtectedMarine mammals (sea lions / lobos marinos) - protected; exploitation only as historically regulated
Minimum landing sizes from Decreto 149/997 Art. 49 are framed for fisheries generally; recreational/spearfishers are expected to respect them. Pez espada (Xiphias gladius) carries a minimum landing weight of 25 kg per unit. No retrievable per-day catch quota specific to recreational spearfishing was found.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
AllowedNo source indicates a nationality-based prohibition on recreational/sport fishing. Sport fishing may be exercised freely subject to the same species/zone/season restrictions that apply to everyone. No specific foreigner-only licensing requirement was found in retrievable sources.
Residents
No resident-specific recreational fishing licence regime was identified; sport fishing is generally free to exercise for residents and non-residents alike, subject to species/zone/season restrictions set by DINARA.
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
- Rivers, streams and coastal lagoon mouths (corvina negra closure)species closure area (veda precautoria)
During the annual corvina negra precautionary closure, extraction of corvina negra by any method is prohibited in all rivers and streams flowing into the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean, and at the mouths of coastal lagoons on the Atlantic. This is a species-specific area closure rather than a blanket spearfishing ban.
- Zona de Exclusión de Pesca Deportiva (Zona B1)fishing exclusion zone
A sport-fishing exclusion zone (Zona B1) established by DINARA to protect artisanal fishing. Exact coordinates not retrieved.
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos (DINARA)
fisheries authority
gub.uyTel: (+598) 2413 8030Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca (MGAP)
agriculture and fisheries ministry
Federación Uruguaya de Actividades Subacuáticas (FUAS)
national underwater activities federation (CMAS-affiliated)
fuas.uyEmail: fuasuruguay@gmail.com; Tel: +(598) 9449 0818; Verdi 4405 C.P. 11400, MontevideoPrefectura Nacional Naval (Armada Nacional)
maritime authority
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Ley N° 19.175 - Pesca Responsable y Fomento de la Acuicultura (IMPO)
Officialimpo.com.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [02]
Ley N° 13.833 - Riquezas del Mar (IMPO)
Officialimpo.com.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [03]
Decreto N° 115/018 (IMPO)
Officialimpo.com.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [04]
Decreto N° 149/997 - tallas mínimas y métodos prohibidos (Aduanas Uruguay)
Officialaduanas.gub.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [05]
Pesca recreativa - Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca (MGAP)
Officialgub.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [06]
Áreas vedadas para la pesca de corvina negra (MGAP/DINARA) - Resolución N° 306/2025
Officialgub.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [07]
Resolución N° 327/024 Veda precautoria de Corvina Negra (MGAP)
Officialgub.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [08]
DINARA impone veda precautoria sobre corvina negra (MGAP)
Officialgub.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [09]
Pesca Submarina - Federación Uruguaya de Actividades Subacuáticas (FUAS)
Secondaryfuas.uyAccessed Jun 15 - [10]
Ordenación Pesquera - Asociación Oceanográfica Uruguaya
Secondaryasociacionoceanograficauruguaya.wordpress.comAccessed Jun 15 - [11]
El motivo por el cual Dinara prohibió la pesca de corvina negra (El Observador)
Secondaryelobservador.com.uyAccessed Jun 15
Researcher notes
Spearfishing in Uruguay is legal as a category of recreational/sport fishing (pesca deportiva), exercised freely under Art. 44 of Ley N° 19.175 and Art. 18 of Decreto 115/018 except where DINARA imposes zone/species/season/gear restrictions. There is no retrievable Uruguay-specific statute that singles out spearfishing gear (e.g. a national scuba ban or pneumatic-speargun ban); such points are deliberately left null/unknown rather than guessed. The most consequential live restriction for divers is the recurring annual precautionary closure on corvina negra (Pogonias chromis), which bans its extraction by any method in rivers, streams and coastal-lagoon mouths roughly October to mid-January each year. Minimum landing sizes (Decreto 149/997) and prohibited destructive methods (explosives/toxics) apply generally. Daily bag limits and a precise national list of recreational size limits were not retrievable, so they are marked unknown. Confidence is medium: the legal framework, the corvina negra closure and minimum sizes are confirmed verbatim from official IMPO/MGAP sources, but spearfishing-specific operational rules (scuba use, night diving, gear caps) are not codified in any source retrieved and would benefit from direct confirmation with DINARA or FUAS.
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