Rules

Recreational fishing rules in Asturias

Principality of Asturias · Sea Fisheries Directorate

Summary for guidance, checked on 23 October 2026. The official rules are what count: when in doubt, check the source.

Today in Asturias

  • No closed seasons for fish in force for recreational fishing.

Licences

  • ShoreShore

    Fishing on foot. Valid for 5 years.

  • BoatBoat

    From 6th or 7th list boats. Valid for 5 years (7th list) or 1 year (6th list).

  • SpearfishingSpearfishing

    Free-diving. Requires an official medical certificate and accident and liability insurance. Valid for 2 years.

Age and requirements: Under-18s need consent from their parents or guardians.

Get the licence

Bag limits

  • 5 kg of fish and cephalopods per licence per day, not counting the excess of the largest fish.
  • Within that limit, up to 2 octopus of at least 1 kg each.ShoreBoat
  • From a boat with more than 5 licence holders: 25 kg per boat per day.Boat
  • Spearfishing: fish only (5 kg).Spearfishing
  • With a shore licence, also 5 kg of limpets and winkles (sea urchin is currently fully closed). Glass eels are banned.Shore

Closed seasons

No closed seasons for fish specific to recreational fishing in the rules we checked.

Hours · Distances

  • From boats and spearfishing: sunrise to sunset.BoatSpearfishing
  • More than 5 m between anglers on foot.Shore
  • Rod fishing: more than 250 m from bathing areas in season and more than 100 m from a marked diver.Shore
  • Boats: 200 m from professional fishing boats and over 100 m from divers and fishing gear. No fishing in ports, river mouths (rías excepted) or within 250 m of bathing areas.Boat
  • Spearfishing: more than 100 m from gear, rods and fishing boats and more than 500 m from bathing areas.Spearfishing

No-fishing zones or zones with their own rules

  • Spearfishing is banned in ports, river mouths (rías excepted), aquaculture areas and prohibited, reserved or restricted zones.Spearfishing
  • The regional government may close, reserve or restrict areas, seasons and days (art. 16).

Tackle · Bait

  • 2 rods or handlines with at most 6 hooks (lures count), 2 squid jigs per licence, landing net, scraper, gaff (gamu), trident, baited stick and a hand net as an aid.ShoreBoat
  • Octopus: baited stick only; hooking them out of holes is banned.ShoreBoat
  • Spearfishing: hand or mechanical speargun, no breathing equipment.Spearfishing
  • Attracting fish by artificial means (except groundbait) and especially with lights is banned.
  • For bait: 250 g in total of worms (xorras) and shrimp, 2 kg of sand hoppers and 25 crabs (green shore and marbled crab) per licence per day.ShoreBoat

Also

  • Spearfishing: red, orange or yellow buoy, and the speargun unloaded when entering and leaving the water.Spearfishing
  • Octopus and shellfish have their own closed seasons: check the Principality's current closures.ShoreBoat
  • Licences from the State and other regions are valid in Asturias, following its rules.

All along the coast

  • Sea bass, pollack, sole, hake and albacore, among others: log every catch in the PescaREC app within 24 hours, including those you release.
  • Selling or trading your catch is banned.
  • If a fish is under the minimum size, return it alive.

Minimum sizes

Common species in Asturias. Fish are measured from the snout to the tip of the tail; squid and cuttlefish by the mantle.

European seabassPescaRECMin. 42 cmWhite seabreamMin. 22 cmPoutingMin. 15 cmEuropean squidMin. 8 cmBallan wrasseMin. 20 cmGilthead seabreamMin. 20 cmThicklip grey mulletMin. 20 cmAtlantic horse mackerelMin. 15 cmCommon solePescaRECMin. 24 cmPollackPescaRECMin. 30 cmEuropean hakePescaRECMin. 27 cmCommon octopusMin. 1 kgEuropean congerMin. 58 cmBlack seabreamMin. 23 cmStriped red mulletMin. 15 cmComberMin. 15 cmBogueMin. 11 cmAtlantic mackerelMin. 20 cmGarfishMin. 25 cmCommon cuttlefishNo size limitAlbacorePescaRECNo size limitSalemaMin. 15 cmGreater weeverNo size limit
See the species guide

Offshore: national rules

Beyond the baselines (the straight line joining the headlands) the waters are outer waters, ruled by Royal Decree 347/2011.

  • Licences are still issued by a region; from shore you follow the rules of the region whose coast you fish.
  • Sea bass: 42 cm in the Cantabrian Sea and Northwest.
  • From boats: handline, rod, trolling line, volantín and squid jig; at most 2 electric reels per boat.Boat
  • 300 m from professional fishing boats (500 m from pole-and-line tuna fishing), 148 m from their gear and 200 m from aquaculture sites.BoatSpearfishing
  • Attracting fish is banned, especially with lights, except chumming with small pelagics.BoatSpearfishing
  • Spearfishing: free-diving by day only, buoy within 25 m, speargun unloaded out of the water and no diving gear on board; lights (except a hand torch) and scooters banned.Spearfishing
  • Species under special protection (annex II): the boat needs an authorisation from the General Secretariat for Fisheries.Boat
Official sources:Real Decreto 347/2011 (aguas exteriores) Real Decreto 2510/1977 (líneas de base rectas)

Recent changes

The latest changes to recreational fishing rules on the coast.

  1. 20 March 2026 · Spain

    PescaREC becomes mandatory: sea bass, pollack, sole, hake and albacore must be logged within 24 hours, even when released.

    Real Decreto 214/2026 (PescaREC)

  2. 28 July 2020 · Spain

    Sea bass: 42 cm minimum size for recreational fishing in the Cantabrian Sea and Northwest.

    Real Decreto 347/2011 (aguas exteriores)

Every morning we check the Spanish Official Gazette and the official bulletins of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and the Balearic Islands for changes; the other regions' rules are reviewed by hand periodically.

Rules: Decree 25/2006 on recreational sea fishing

Official sources:Decreto 25/2006 (BOPA 07/04/2006) Principado de Asturias · Vedas en vigor Principado de Asturias · Tallas mínimas Principado de Asturias · Licencias Real Decreto 214/2026 (PescaREC)