Recreational fishing rules in Balearic Islands

Balearic Government · Fisheries Directorate and island councils

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

Today in Balearic Islands

No closed seasons for fish in force for recreational fishing.

Licences

IndividualShoreBoat
From shore or floating devices (kayak, canoe, pedal boat), from age 14. Valid 3 years.
BoatBoat
For 6th and 7th list boats. Valid 3 years.
SpearfishingSpearfishing
From age 16, with a federation licence (or medical certificate and insurance); a federation licence is needed to use a speargun. Valid 1 year.
CharterBoat
For boats that take anglers out commercially.

Age and requirements: Under-14s fish from shore without a licence. Over-65s or retirees pay no fee.

In person at the Fisheries Directorate (Palma), regional offices or island councils; the individual licence also online.

Bag limits

5 kg plus one fish per licence per day; from boats, up to 25 kg in total with 5 or more anglers.
Per-species quotas: 1 sea bass, 2 gilthead bream, 2 dentex, 1 grouper and 1 comb grouper per licence per day; 50 pearly razorfish (300 per boat) and 5 dolphinfish.
Worms, snails, limpets, bivalves and crustaceans may not be taken, not even for bait.ShoreBoat

Closed seasons

Pearly razorfish1 April to 31 AugustGovern de les Illes Balears · Cuaderno de pesca recreativa 2026
Octopus (Menorca)1 May to 30 JuneGovern de les Illes Balears · Cuaderno de pesca recreativa 2026
Octopus (Mallorca)1 June to 31 JulyGovern de les Illes Balears · Cuaderno de pesca recreativa 2026
Octopus (Ibiza and Formentera)15 July to 15 OctoberGovern de les Illes Balears · Cuaderno de pesca recreativa 2026

Hours · Distances

From 1 May to 30 September, no fishing on beaches from 7 am to 10 pm.Shore
Spearfishing: only from sunrise to sunset.Spearfishing
More than 100 m from bathers and 250 m from any professional fishing gear (including dolphinfish aggregating devices).
Spearfishing: orange, red or yellow buoy within 25 m; never towed by a boat.Spearfishing

No-fishing zones or zones with their own rules

Banned in harbour channels and inside ports, in special protection and closed zones of marine reserves, in Cabrera National Park, on sa Dragonera and along the Mondragó coast.
Spearfishing in the Bay of Palma and Migjorn de Mallorca reserves: a prior yearly permit.Spearfishing
Es Trenc–Salobrar de Campos: spearfishing banned.Spearfishing

Tackle

From shore: 2 rods or lines per angler, one lure per rod; handline of up to 6 hooks.Shore
From boats: 2 rods or lines per angler and up to 2 squid jigs; electric reels are not allowed in inner waters.Boat
Attracting fish with light is banned (groundbait is allowed).

Also

Amberjack, John Dory, dentex, scorpionfish, grouper, brown meagre and shi drum must be marked with a cut in the tail.

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 Balearic Islands. Fish are measured from the snout to the tip of the tail; squid and cuttlefish by the mantle.

European seabassPescaRECMin. 25 cm White seabreamMin. 23 cm GarfishMin. 25 cm European squidNo size limit Sharpsnout seabreamMin. 18 cm BluefishNo size limit Gilthead seabreamMin. 20 cm Thicklip grey mulletMin. 16 cm Atlantic mackerelMin. 18 cm Atlantic horse mackerelMin. 15 cm Striped red mulletMin. 11 cm Common solePescaRECMin. 20 cm ComberNo size limit Saddled seabreamNo size limit Common two-banded seabreamMin. 18 cm Little tunnyNo size limit Common octopusMin. 1 kg Red porgyMin. 18 cm Common pandoraMin. 15 cm BogueMin. 11 cm SalemaMin. 15 cm Common dentexMin. 35 cm Mahi-mahiNo size limit Pearly razorfishNo size limit Painted comberNo size limit ForkbeardNo size limit Shi drumNo size limit European congerNo size limit European barracudaNo size limit Black seabreamNo size limit Common cuttlefishNo size limit European hakePescaRECMin. 20 cm Sand steenbrasMin. 20 cm Annular seabreamMin. 12 cm PompanoNo size limit Greater amberjackMin. 35 cm Spotted seabassNo size limit Bastard gruntNo size limit Zebra seabreamMin. 15 cm LeerfishNo size limit Greater weeverNo size limit Red scorpionfishMin. 30 cm MeagreNo size limit Redbanded seabreamNo size limit Grey triggerfishNo 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.

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)
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 34/2014 (annex III, sizes) and quota Resolution of 5 February 2025

Official sources:Govern de les Illes Balears · Cuaderno de pesca recreativa 2026 Resolución de cuotas de 2025 (BOIB 18/2025) Real Decreto 214/2026 (PescaREC)