Seychelles Fishing Regulations: Permits & Rules

Seychelles Fishing Regulations Are Stricter Than You've Been Told

Most visiting anglers arrive in the Seychelles with a vague understanding that some rules exist. They leave — if they're lucky — with nothing worse than a warning and a significantly lighter wallet. The Seychelles fishing regulations are not a formality. They are a functioning, enforced, multi-layered legal framework that governs everything from the gear in your rod bag to the species you're allowed to target, the zone you're fishing in, and the season you've chosen to arrive. Getting this wrong costs money. In some cases, it costs your vessel.

I spent a decade working as a guide in the Seychelles before I started moving through the wider Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. I've navigated the permit systems in the Maldives, sat through the marine park briefings in Western Australia's Kimberley coast, and dealt with the gear restrictions in Indonesian waters where the rules change by island group and nobody has a printed copy. The Seychelles system is more coherent than most — but coherent doesn't mean simple. And it is absolutely not self-explanatory.

The framework sits across several pieces of legislation: the Fisheries Act No. 20 of 2014, the older Fisheries Regulations 1987 which still governs specific gear and species provisions, the Control of Foreign Fishing Vessels Decree 1979 for any vessel not flagged in Seychelles, and the newly enacted Seychelles Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025, which updates several provisions that visiting operators haven't caught up with yet. The Seychelles Fisheries Authority administers all of it. They are not a rubber-stamp office.

What follows is a practical breakdown of what you need, what it costs, where you cannot fish, what you cannot take, and what happens if you get it wrong.

Do You Need a Seychelles Recreational Fishing Permit?

The short answer is yes — and the longer answer depends on whether you're a foreign visitor, a resident, or arriving on a foreign-flagged vessel. The Seychelles Fisheries Authority distinguishes between these categories clearly, and the permit requirements are not interchangeable. Assuming your charter operator's licence covers your personal rod is one of the most common and most expensive mistakes I've seen made on these waters.

Recreational fishing in the Seychelles without the correct fishing license is an offence under the Fisheries Act No. 20 of 2014. That applies whether you're fishing from a resort jetty on Mahé, trolling from a chartered vessel off Praslin, or wading the flats on a remote atoll. The water doesn't care how far from the main island you are. Neither does the patrol boat.

Permit Requirements for Foreign Visitors vs Residents

Foreign visitors fishing recreationally in Seychelles waters require a recreational fishing permit — this is separate from any commercial or charter licensing held by the vessel operator. Seychelles residents operate under different conditions and can apply for resident recreational permits at lower cost and with less documentation, but the permit requirement itself applies to both.

For foreign visitors, the permit is issued per person and covers a defined period. Day permits and multi-day permits are available. If you're on a liveaboard or multi-day charter, you need a permit that covers the full duration of your trip — not just the days you actively fish. The Seychelles Fisheries Authority does not accept the argument that you only fished on three of the seven days.

What I'd flag here — and this catches people who've fished in the Maldives without issue — is that the Maldives' resort-based fishing model often bundles guest permits into the package invisibly. You never see the paperwork. In the Seychelles, that bundling is less consistent. Some operators handle it; many don't. I've been on charter boats out of Victoria where two of the six clients had no individual permits and the skipper assumed it was someone else's problem. It wasn't.

Children under 16 are generally exempt from the recreational permit requirement for basic rod-and-line fishing, but this does not extend to spearfishing or any form of gear-assisted fishing. Spearfishing has its own permit category — and its own list of restricted zones where it's prohibited entirely regardless of permit status.

How to Apply Through the Seychelles Fisheries Authority

The Seychelles Fisheries Authority is based in Victoria, Mahé, and handles all recreational and commercial permit applications. For visiting anglers, the most reliable approach is to apply before arrival — the Authority accepts applications by email and in person, and processing times for recreational permits are typically 2–3 working days if documentation is complete.

You'll need: a copy of your passport, details of the vessel you'll be fishing from (including the vessel's own licence or registration), the intended fishing dates, and a description of the methods you plan to use. If you're planning to spearfish, declare it upfront — the permit category is different and the restricted zone list you'll receive is more detailed.

Fees as of the most recent published schedule: recreational fishing permits for foreign visitors run approximately 500 SCR per person for a short-stay permit, though the Seychelles Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025 has introduced revised fee structures that may not yet be reflected on all third-party booking platforms. Verify directly with the Authority before paying anything through an intermediary.

The Authority's contact details are publicly listed on the official Government of Seychelles portal. Do not rely on your resort or charter operator to have done this for you. Ask for written confirmation of your permit before you board.

Seychelles Fishing Rules: Recreational vs Commercial Licensing

The distinction between recreational and commercial fishing in Seychelles is not just administrative — it determines what gear you can use, what you can do with your catch, and which zones you're permitted to access. Selling any portion of a recreational catch is illegal. Full stop. I've seen this misunderstood by visiting anglers who assumed a small transaction with a local restaurant was informal enough to be overlooked. It isn't, and the Fisheries Act No. 20 of 2014 is explicit on this point.

Licensing Costs and Conditions Side by Side

Recreational permits are personal, non-transferable, and cover rod-and-line fishing, handline fishing, and — under a separate endorsement — spearfishing. They do not authorise the use of nets, traps, longlines, or any form of commercial gear. The permit is tied to the individual, not the vessel.

Commercial fishing licences are issued to vessels and operators, not individuals, and carry significantly higher fees, mandatory reporting requirements, and observer provisions under the updated Seychelles Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025. A commercial licence does not automatically cover all species — tuna, billfish, and demersal species each fall under different quota and reporting frameworks.

The cost differential is substantial. A commercial inshore fishing licence runs into the tens of thousands of SCR annually, with foreign-owned operations paying at a higher rate. Recreational permits are comparatively modest — but the gap in what each licence permits is enormous. Using commercial gear on a recreational permit is not a grey area. It's a violation with a specific penalty schedule.

What I find genuinely well-designed about the Seychelles system — compared to, say, the patchwork licensing structure I encountered across the outer Indonesian islands — is that the categories are clearly defined and the Authority publishes them. The problem isn't the rules. It's that visiting anglers don't read them before they arrive.

Foreign Vessel Authorisation Under the 1979 Decree

The Control of Foreign Fishing Vessels Decree 1979 remains in force and applies to any vessel not registered in Seychelles that intends to fish in Seychelles waters. This includes private yachts on passage that want to fish recreationally — the "we're just passing through" argument does not exempt a foreign-flagged vessel from the authorisation requirement.

Foreign vessels must obtain prior authorisation from the Seychelles Fisheries Authority before fishing commences. This is a vessel-level authorisation, separate from individual recreational permits. The application requires vessel registration documents, intended fishing areas, gear description, and the names of all persons who will be fishing.

If you're arriving by private yacht — as I have, twice, on passages through the outer islands — build at least five working days into your pre-arrival timeline for this process. The Authority is responsive, but the documentation requirements are specific and incomplete applications get returned, not fast-tracked. I've watched a well-equipped bluewater yacht sit idle for four days in the anchorage off Silhouette because the skipper submitted the vessel authorisation without the gear schedule attached.

Seychelles Protected Marine Zones and Where You Cannot Fish

The Seychelles archipelago contains some of the most carefully managed marine protected areas in the Indian Ocean — and some of the most actively patrolled. This is not marketing copy. I've seen the patrol vessels, I've watched the intercepts, and I've spoken to operators who've had licences suspended for zone violations. The protected zone framework under Seychelles fishing regulations is the part most visiting anglers underestimate most severely.

St. Anne Marine National Park Restrictions

St. Anne Marine National Park, located just off Victoria on Mahé's northeast coast, is the most visited and most strictly enforced marine protected area in the Seychelles. Fishing of any kind — recreational or commercial — is prohibited within the park boundaries. This includes trolling while transiting, handlining from an anchored vessel, and spearfishing. The prohibition is total.

The park covers approximately 1,500 hectares and encompasses six islands: St. Anne, Cerf, Round, Long, Cachée, and Moyenne. The boundaries are marked on official nautical charts and are available from the Seychelles Maritime Safety Administration. "I didn't know where the boundary was" is not a defence that has worked in enforcement proceedings.

What makes St. Anne particularly high-risk for visiting anglers is its proximity to the main charter departure points in Victoria. Boats heading out toward the deeper banks east of Mahé pass close to the park boundary. Trolling lines that are out before you've cleared the zone — which I've seen happen on a charter I was aboard in 2019, when the skipper misjudged the eastern boundary by roughly 400 metres — create a violation even if the intent was to fish outside the park. Pull your lines before you enter the transit corridor. Put them out after you've cleared it.

Penalties for fishing inside St. Anne Marine National Park are among the highest in the Seychelles protected zone framework. Expect fines starting at 50,000 SCR for a first offence, with vessel seizure possible for repeat violations or commercial gear use.

Shell Reserves and Restricted Fishing Zones

Beyond the marine national parks, the Seychelles maintains a network of Shell Reserves and Restricted Fishing Zones under the Fisheries Regulations 1987. Shell Reserves prohibit the collection of any shells, corals, or marine invertebrates — including live and dead shells — within designated areas. These zones exist around several of the inner and outer islands and are not always intuitively located relative to the main tourism areas.

Restricted Fishing Zones impose additional constraints on gear type, species targeting, or total exclusion of fishing activity in specific areas. The boundaries of these zones are published by the Seychelles Fisheries Authority and should be obtained before departure from Victoria, not after. Relying on a charter operator's verbal description of where you can and cannot fish is insufficient — I'd want the official zone map on the vessel.

The outer Amirantes group, the Alphonse group, and the Farquhar group all have zone-specific restrictions that differ from the inner island framework. If you're targeting giant trevally on the outer atolls — which is genuinely world-class fishing when conditions align — the zone rules for those specific atolls need to be verified individually.

Seychelles Fishing Rules on Catch Limits, Gear, and Closures

The gear rules under Seychelles fishing regulations are where I see the most violations from visiting anglers — not because people are deliberately cheating, but because gear that's legal in other Indian Ocean jurisdictions is prohibited here, and nobody told them before they packed. The Maldives, for comparison, has relatively permissive recreational gear rules for resort guests. The Seychelles does not extend that same latitude.

Gear Permitted and What Is Banned Outright

Permitted recreational gear includes rod and reel, handlines, and spearfishing equipment under the appropriate permit endorsement. That's a shorter list than most visiting anglers expect.

Banned outright for recreational fishing: gill nets, seine nets, cast nets, fish traps (locally called "casiers"), longlines, and any form of electrical or chemical fishing. Spearguns with compressed gas or pneumatic mechanisms require specific authorisation — a standard spearfishing permit does not automatically cover pneumatic spearguns. If you're bringing your own gear from abroad, check the specific mechanism type against the Authority's published equipment list.

Barbed hooks are restricted in certain zones. Treble hooks are prohibited in some protected area buffer zones even where fishing is otherwise permitted. These details matter and they are not prominently displayed anywhere except the official regulations document.

And if you're thinking about bringing a cast net because you've used one freely in Thailand or Vietnam — don't. Southeast Asian coastal fishing culture operates under entirely different frameworks, and what's a normal piece of kit in the Mekong Delta is a prosecutable piece of gear in Seychelles waters.

Seasonal Closure Calendar and Species-Specific Limits

Seasonal closures in the Seychelles operate on a species-specific basis rather than a blanket calendar shutdown. The most significant for visiting anglers are the closures affecting reef fish aggregation sites — particularly around spawning periods — and the restrictions on targeting certain demersal species during recovery periods.

Sailfish and marlin are subject to catch-and-release requirements under current guidelines, with retention of billfish for recreational purposes restricted to specific conditions. Yellowfin tuna has no recreational bag limit as such, but commercial quota frameworks affect what chartered vessels can land. Grouper and snapper species have size limits — minimum retention sizes vary by species but generally sit between 25–35cm fork length for the most commonly targeted reef species.

The inter-monsoon windows — April to May and October to November — are when conditions on the outer banks are most fishable, and also when the Authority tends to increase patrol frequency on the outer atolls. This is not a coincidence. Plan accordingly.

Lobster Fishing Season Seychelles: Dates, Sizes, and Limits

The lobster fishery is one of the most tightly regulated components of Seychelles fishing regulations — and one of the most frequently violated by visiting anglers who assume that catching a lobster for dinner is a casual activity. It is not. The lobster season in Seychelles is defined, enforced, and carries penalties that will ruin a holiday faster than a missed transfer.

Lobster Season Dates and Size Limits Explained

The lobster fishing season in Seychelles runs from October 1 to February 28 — outside of these dates, taking lobster of any species is prohibited. This applies to both spiny lobster (Panulirus spp.) and slipper lobster. The closed season from March through September is a hard prohibition, not a guideline.

Within the open season, size limits apply: lobsters must meet a minimum carapace length of 9cm to be legally retained. Egg-bearing females — identifiable by the orange or dark egg mass visible under the tail — are prohibited from retention at any time, including during the open season. Taking a berried female is a separate and additional offence under the Fisheries Regulations 1987.

Bag limits for recreational fishing are set at a maximum of five lobsters per person per day during the open season. This is not five per boat — it's five per permitted individual. Exceeding this limit, even by one, constitutes a violation.

Shell collection — meaning the collection of any mollusc shells, whether live or dead, whole or fragment — is prohibited in Shell Reserves and restricted in most marine park areas. Outside designated reserves, collection of dead shells for personal non-commercial use is technically permitted in limited quantities, but the practical advice is this: don't collect shells anywhere near a protected area boundary unless you have confirmed in writing with the Authority that the specific location is unrestricted. The boundary ambiguity is not worth the fine.

Penalties for Breaking Seychelles Fishing Regulations

The Seychelles Fisheries Authority operates patrol vessels across the inner and outer island groups. This is not a desk-based enforcement operation. I've watched a patrol intercept a recreational boat within 20 minutes of it entering a restricted zone off the northeast coast of Mahé — the response time suggested active monitoring, not reactive patrol. If you're fishing in Seychelles waters, assume you can be observed.

Fines Under the Fisheries Act No. 20 of 2014

The Fisheries Act No. 20 of 2014 sets out a penalty framework that most visiting anglers have never looked at — and should. Fines are not nominal. For fishing without a valid permit, the penalty for an individual is up to 100,000 SCR on first conviction. For fishing in a prohibited zone, fines begin at 50,000 SCR and scale with the severity of the violation and whether commercial gear was involved.

Use of prohibited gear — nets, traps, longlines in recreational contexts — carries fines of up to 500,000 SCR and potential vessel seizure. Vessel seizure is not a theoretical outcome. Foreign-flagged vessels have been seized in Seychelles waters for serious gear violations, and the process for recovering a seized vessel involves the courts, not just the Authority.

Taking protected species or exceeding catch limits carries fines of up to 200,000 SCR per offence. Violations involving egg-bearing lobster or species taken during a closed season are treated as aggravated offences under the Act.

The Seychelles Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025 has introduced updated penalty provisions that increase several of these thresholds — the 2014 Act figures represent the floor, not the ceiling, for current enforcement. Get the current schedule from the Authority directly.

Compare this to Western Australia's marine park enforcement framework, which I navigated extensively on the Kimberley coast — the WA system has comparable patrol intensity but a more graduated fine structure for first-time recreational violations. The Seychelles system is less forgiving of ignorance. Not knowing the rules is not mitigation here.

Season, Field Hacks, and the One Thing I'd Tell You Not to Do

Season and Conditions: The Southeast Monsoon — running roughly May through September — pushes consistent swells from the south and southwest across the inner islands. This is nothing like the monsoon behaviour I've tracked in Phuket, where the weather is loud and theatrical but the swell direction is predictable within about 15 degrees. In the Seychelles, the Southeast Monsoon creates confused sea states around the granite island groups because the swell refracts off the headlands in ways that make the outer banks genuinely uncomfortable and sometimes inaccessible to smaller charter vessels. The inter-monsoon windows in April–May and October–November are the legitimate fishing windows. If someone is selling you a bluewater charter during peak Southeast Monsoon and promising calm conditions, they're either lying or they haven't been out there recently.

Field Hack: If you're arranging a multi-day outer island fishing charter — particularly to the Alphonse or Farquhar groups — book through Mason's Travel in Victoria. They've been coordinating outer island logistics for decades and have established relationships with the Seychelles Fisheries Authority that mean permit applications submitted through their network move faster and arrive complete. I've used them twice for outer atoll access and both times the paperwork was clean before I boarded. Independent arrangements through resort concierges are slower and more likely to arrive with something missing.

Honest Warning: The "catch and cook" experiences marketed by several inner island resorts — where you fish from the resort jetty or a small boat and the kitchen prepares your catch that evening — are almost universally overpriced relative to what you're actually fishing. You're paying a premium for proximity and presentation, not for quality fishing. The reef around the inner island resort areas is heavily fished and the catch rates for anything worth eating are poor. If you want to actually fish in the Seychelles, you need to be on a proper offshore charter to the outer banks or the deeper bluewater grounds. The jetty experience is tourism theatre, not fishing.

Cross-Destination Comparison: The Seychelles recreational fishing permit system is more complex than the Maldives' resort-bundled model but significantly more transparent than the outer Indonesian island framework, where regulations vary by regency and enforcement is inconsistent enough to be meaningless in some areas and aggressive in others. What the Seychelles has that neither destination matches is genuine on-water enforcement presence across a wide geographic area. The Maldives enforces heavily around resort house reefs and almost nowhere else. The Seychelles patrols the outer atolls. That changes the risk calculation entirely — and it should change how seriously you treat the permit process before you arrive.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a fishing permit in Seychelles as a tourist?

Yes. Foreign visitors fishing recreationally in Seychelles waters require a valid recreational fishing permit issued by the Seychelles Fisheries Authority — this applies regardless of whether you're fishing from a resort, a chartered vessel, or a private yacht. The permit is personal and non-transferable, meaning your charter operator's vessel licence does not cover you individually. Applications can be submitted to the Seychelles Fisheries Authority by email or in person in Victoria, Mahé, and typically take 2–3 working days to process when documentation is complete. You'll need your passport details, the vessel information, your intended fishing dates, and a description of your methods. Permit fees for foreign visitors run approximately 500 SCR for a short-stay recreational permit, though the Seychelles Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025 has revised some fee structures — verify current rates directly with the Authority before paying through any intermediary. Do not assume your resort or charter operator has handled this for you. Ask for written confirmation before you fish.

What are the fishing rules inside Seychelles marine national parks?

Fishing of any kind is prohibited inside Seychelles marine national parks, including St. Anne Marine National Park off Victoria. This prohibition covers rod-and-line fishing, handlining, spearfishing, and trolling — even while transiting through park waters. The boundaries are marked on official nautical charts available from the Seychelles Maritime Safety Administration. Violations carry fines starting at 50,000 SCR for a first offence, with vessel seizure possible for serious or repeat violations. The most common mistake I've seen is trolling lines left in the water while transiting close to a park boundary — the line being in the water constitutes fishing regardless of intent. Pull your lines before you approach any marine park boundary and put them out only after you've confirmed you've cleared it. The park boundaries around the inner islands are tighter than they look on a resort map.

When is lobster fishing season in Seychelles?

The lobster fishing season in Seychelles runs from October 1 to February 28. Outside these dates, taking lobster of any species — including spiny lobster and slipper lobster — is a criminal offence under Seychelles fishing regulations. Within the open season, a minimum carapace length of 9cm applies, and egg-bearing females are prohibited from retention at any time, even during the open season. The recreational bag limit is five lobsters per permitted individual per day — not per boat. Taking lobster during the closed season or retaining undersized or berried females are treated as aggravated offences under the Fisheries Act No. 20 of 2014 and carry fines that can reach 200,000 SCR. If you're planning a trip specifically around lobster fishing, target the October–November inter-monsoon window — the season has just opened, sea conditions are at their most manageable, and you'll have access to the outer island grounds where lobster populations are healthier than in the heavily fished inner island areas.

What fishing gear is prohibited in Seychelles?

The list of prohibited gear for recreational fishing in Seychelles is longer than most visiting anglers expect. Banned outright are gill nets, seine nets, cast nets, fish traps, longlines, and any electrical or chemical fishing methods. Pneumatic spearguns require specific authorisation beyond the standard spearfishing permit endorsement. Barbed hooks are restricted in certain zones, and treble hooks are prohibited in some protected area buffer zones even where fishing is otherwise permitted. The practical implication: if you're travelling from Southeast Asia where cast nets and small traps are standard recreational kit, leave them behind. Using prohibited gear in Seychelles waters carries fines of up to 500,000 SCR and potential vessel seizure under the Fisheries Act No. 20 of 2014. If you're unsure whether a specific piece of gear is permitted, contact the Seychelles Fisheries Authority before you travel — not after you've packed it.

What fines apply for breaking Seychelles fishing regulations?

Fines under the Fisheries Act No. 20 of 2014 are substantial and actively enforced. Fishing without a valid permit: up to 100,000 SCR on first conviction. Fishing in a prohibited or protected zone: fines starting at 50,000 SCR, scaling with severity. Use of prohibited gear such as nets, traps, or longlines: up to 500,000 SCR plus potential vessel seizure. Taking protected species or exceeding catch limits: up to 200,000 SCR per offence. Violations involving egg-bearing lobster or species taken during a closed season are treated as aggravated offences with higher penalty exposure. The Seychelles Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025 has introduced updated penalty provisions that increase several of these thresholds — treat the 2014 Act figures as a floor. Vessel seizure for serious violations is not a theoretical outcome; foreign-flagged vessels have been seized in Seychelles waters. Recovering a seized vessel requires court proceedings, not just a conversation with the Authority.