Recreational fishing rules in Murcia
Region of Murcia · Fisheries Directorate
Summary for guidance, checked on 23 October 2026. The official rules are what count: when in doubt, check the source.
Today in Murcia
- No closed seasons for fish in force for recreational fishing.
Licences
ShoreShore
From age 14 (with consent if under 18). Valid 3 years; indefinite from age 65.
BoatBoat
Requested by the boat owner (7th list); it covers everyone fishing on board.
SpearfishingSpearfishing
Adults only, with a medical certificate and accident and liability insurance. Valid 1 year.
GroupBoat
For 6th list boats run by activity-tourism companies. Valid 1 year.
Age and requirements: Shore from age 14; under-14s fish with a licensed adult. Spearfishing, adults only.
Apply to the Region of Murcia's sea fisheries directorate.
Bag limits
- 5 kg per licence per day (or a single fish if heavier), under national rules.
- More than 5 licences on board: 25 kg per boat per day.Boat
- Only authorised fish and cephalopods: crustaceans, molluscs (other than cephalopods) and other invertebrates are banned.
Closed seasons
No closed seasons for fish specific to recreational fishing in the rules we checked.
Hours · Distances
- Spearfishing: banned at night, from sunset to sunrise.Spearfishing
- Spearfishing: more than 250 m from beaches with bathers, with a buoy and Alpha flag within 25 m.Spearfishing
No-fishing zones or zones with their own rules
- Cabo de Palos – Islas Hormigas marine reserve has its own rules.
Tackle
- From shore: 2 rods or handlines, each with 3 hooks or one squid jig.Shore
- From boats: 2 rigs per person with 3 hooks or one squid jig each; at most 2 electric reels per boat.Boat
- Spearfishing: hand or mechanical speargun; scuba gear, lights (except a hand torch) and scooters are banned.Spearfishing
Also
- Licences from other regions are valid in Murcia, 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 Murcia. Fish are measured from the snout to the tip of the tail; squid and cuttlefish by the mantle.
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
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 72/2016 (species, sizes and limits: national and EU rules)