Fishing in Spain
Minimum fish sizes
Identify fish, check minimum sizes and follow the rules for your fishing area.
Minimum sizes vary by region and waters. Here is the Canary Islands overview and a separate table for Mallorca and the Balearic Islands.
Mallorca & Balearics: minimum sizes by species ↗Canary Islands: minimum sizes by species
This overview concerns the Canary Islands. Additional local rules may apply in internal waters (aguas interiores) and protected areas.
National rules for Canary Islands external waters
| Fish species | Scientific name | Minimum size / weight |
|---|---|---|
| Garfish | Belone belone | 25 cm |
| Axillary seabream | Pagellus acarne | 20 cm * |
| Atlantic bluefin tuna | Thunnus thynnus | 30 kg / 115 cm ** |
| Bogue | Boops boops | 11 cm |
| European anchovy | Engraulis encrasicolus | 9 cm *** |
| Comber | Serranus cabrilla | 19 cm * |
| Large-eye dentex | Dentex macrophtalmus | 22 cm * |
| Black seabream | Spondyliosoma cantharus | 23 cm * |
| Gilthead seabream | Sparus auratus | 19 cm |
| Atlantic chub mackerel | Scomber colias | 20 cm **** |
| Island grouper | Mycteroperca fusca | 35 cm |
| Atlantic horse mackerel | Trachurus trachurus | 15 cm **** |
| Golden grey mullet | Mugil auratus | 14 cm |
| Mediterranean parrotfish | Sparisoma cretense | 22 cm * |
| European seabass | Dicentrarchus labrax | 36 cm **** |
| Dusky grouper | Epinephelus marginatus | 45 cm |
| Two-banded seabream | Diplodus vulgaris | 22 cm |
| Common pandora | Pagellus erytrinus | 22 cm |
| Atlantic pomfret | Brama brama | 16 cm |
| Red porgy | Pagrus pagrus | 28 cm * |
| Bigeye tuna | Thunnus obesus | 3.2 kg |
| Yellowfin tuna | Thunnus albacares | 3.2 kg |
| Salema | Sarpa salpa | 24 cm |
| Red mullets | Mullus spp. | 15 cm |
| Pink dentex | Dentex gibosus | 35 cm |
| European pilchard | Sardina pilchardus | 11 cm |
| White seabream | Diplodus sargus | 22 cm |
| Blacktail comber | Serranus atricauda | 20 cm * |
| Black moray | Muraena augusti | 56 cm |
| Brown moray | Gymnothorax unicolor | 57 cm |
Other species under EU rules
| Fish species | Scientific name | Minimum size / weight |
|---|---|---|
| European hake | Merlucius merlucius | 27 cm |
| Blackspot seabream | Pagellus bogaraveo | 33 cm |
| Swordfish | Xiphias gladius | 25 kg or 125 cm |
No results. Try another term.
A minimum size alone is not permission to catch a fish. Closed seasons, protected species, additional permits and the rules for the specific waters still apply. Asterisks refer to the legal sources in the linked official overview.
Identify fish: illustrated guides
