Recreational fishing rules in Valencia region

Valencian Government · Fisheries Department

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

Today in Valencia region

No closed seasons for fish in force for recreational fishing.

Licences

ShoreShore
1, 2 or 5 years, as you choose; indefinite from age 60. Minors fishing with their guardian are covered by the guardian's licence.
BoatBoat
Requested by the boat owner (6th or 7th list); it covers everyone fishing on board.
SpearfishingSpearfishing
From age 16, with a medical certificate.

Age and requirements: Spearfishing from age 16; minors need parental consent.

Apply at the fisheries department's regional offices or online.

Bag limits

5 kg per licence per day (or a single fish if heavier), under national rules.
Eels 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
More than 100 m from places with bathers.
Boats: 300 m from professional fishing boats (500 m from pole-and-line tuna fishing) and 148 m from their gear.Boat
Spearfishing: buoy within 25 m; banned on artificial reefs and within 300 m of them.Spearfishing

No-fishing zones or zones with their own rules

No fishing in harbour waters (unless each port allows it) or in restricted or reserved areas.
Tabarca and Columbretes Islands marine reserves: their own rules.

Tackle

From shore: 2 rods per licence within 3 m of each other (and 10 m from other anglers), or one handline; hooks at least 12 × 5 mm.Shore
From boats: 2 lines per person with at most 6 hooks or 2 squid jigs.Boat

Also

Valencian licences are also valid outside inner waters, in Spanish waters.

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 Valencia region. 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 dentexNo 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 amberjackNo size limit Spotted seabassNo size limit Bastard gruntNo size limit Mahi-mahiNo size limit Zebra seabreamMin. 15 cm LeerfishNo size limit Greater weeverNo size limit Red scorpionfishNo size limit 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 41/2013 and Act 5/2017 (sizes and limits: national and EU rules)

Official sources:Decreto 41/2013 (DOGV 26/03/2013) Real Decreto 560/1995 (tallas mínimas por caladero) Reglamento (UE) 2019/1241 (tallas de referencia) Orden de 26 de febrero de 1999 (cupos estatales) Real Decreto 214/2026 (PescaREC)