Recreational fishing rules in Canary Islands

Canary Islands Government · Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty

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

Today in Canary Islands

No closed seasons for fish in force for recreational fishing.

Licences

3rd classShoreBoat
Surface fishing, from shore or from a boat without trolling. Valid 3 years.
1st classBoat
From boats with surface trolling (offshore fishing); a group version for 6th list boats. Valid 3 years.
2nd classSpearfishing
Spearfishing. Valid 3 years.

Age and requirements: All licences are valid for 3 years and must be carried with your ID.

Get the licence

Bag limits

5 kg per person per day (or a single fish if heavier).
At most 10 kg may be carried between islands.

Closed seasons

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

Hours · Distances

Spearfishing: from sunrise to sunset.Spearfishing
Surface fishing: more than 150 m from bathing areas and marked divers.Shore
Boats: banned in ports and within 250 m of bathing areas; in inner waters, half a mile from working professional boats and 70 m from set gear.Boat
Spearfishing: more than 150 m from anglers, beaches and bathing areas; red or orange buoy.Spearfishing

No-fishing zones or zones with their own rules

Spearfishing only in the designated zones (Order of 29 October 2007 in inner waters and Order of 22 February 1988 in outer waters).Spearfishing
La Graciosa, La Palma and La Restinga (El Hierro) marine reserves: their own rules.

Tackle

From shore: 2 rods or handlines per licence with up to 3 hooks each, within 3 m of each other.Shore
From boats: one squid jig per boat, for squid only.Boat
Spearfishing: speargun (compressed air allowed), knife and hand spear; scuba gear and propulsion devices are banned.Spearfishing
Chumming with blood or toxic products and using lights to attract fish are banned.

Also

Licences from the State and other regions are valid in the Canary Islands, following their 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 Canary Islands. Fish are measured from the snout to the tip of the tail; squid and cuttlefish by the mantle.

Atlantic mackerelMin. 18 cm Atlantic horse mackerelMin. 12 cm White seabreamMin. 22 cm Black seabreamMin. 23 cm Thicklip grey mulletMin. 14 cm ComberMin. 19 cm Saddled seabreamNo size limit Common two-banded seabreamMin. 22 cm Greater amberjackNo size limit Common octopusMin. 1 kg Red porgyMin. 28 cm Common pandoraMin. 22 cm BogueMin. 11 cm SalemaMin. 24 cm ParrotfishMin. 22 cm Pink dentexMin. 35 cm Island grouperMin. 35 cm Bastard gruntNo size limit Zebra seabreamNo size limit ForkbeardNo size limit European barracudaNo size limit BluefishNo size limit Gilthead seabreamMin. 19 cm Striped red mulletMin. 15 cm GarfishMin. 25 cm European squidNo size limit Common cuttlefishNo size limit Sand steenbrasNo size limit Sharpsnout seabreamNo size limit PompanoNo size limit Little tunnyNo size limit Mahi-mahiNo size limit Pearly razorfishNo size limit Redbanded seabreamNo size limit European congerNo size limit Greater weeverNo size limit Red scorpionfishNo 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 182/2004 (Canary Islands Fisheries Act regulation) and Royal Decree 560/1995, annex III (sizes)

Official sources:Gobierno de Canarias · Pesca marítima de recreo Real Decreto 560/1995 (tallas mínimas por caladero) Real Decreto 214/2026 (PescaREC)