Benin Territorial Sea

To ensure the protection and management of the marine environment of Benin.

Species of Concern: multiple

Restrictions

Fishing restrictions, such as bag limits, seasons, and size restrictions apply. The following restrictions apply:
1. It's forbidden:
a) to use, in the exercise of inland or sea fishing, fishing gear or methods incompatible with the sustainable management of fish stocks, in particular:
- any fish park, whatever its shape or size, built using branches fixed to the bottom of rivers, lakes or lagoons, or any other place serving as refuge, reproduction and development of fish , and being able to increase the natural productivity of water bodies ( acadja , ... etc);
- any fishing gear of conical shape and provided in the background with a pocket, posed and wedged countercurrently across watercourses, and used during high water periods to fish for fish and shellfish (dogbo , ... etc);
- any fishing gear with several pockets, having a frustoconical shape, made from a very fine mesh net and supported by hoops, used for catching shrimps, crabs and fish fry (gbagbaloulou, etc.);
- any fishing gear made from sheets of nets with very narrow meshes and consisting of a long rectangular arm and pockets at each end in which are arranged collecting traps whose arm carries floats to the top rope and weights the lower bolt rope and serves as a guide for fish and shellfish to one of the pocket entrances (médokpokonou or tokpokonou or tokpiékonou, etc.);
- any trap dam built with branches, wood, poles, bamboo and / or other plant materials placed through the passage of aquatic fauna, thus constituting a right trap for fish and shellfish ( vvan or xha or adjakpa , etc).
b) to use, in the exercise of inland or sea fishing, explosives, firearms or toxic substances or bait;
c) to keep on board a vessel or fishing craft explosive materials or toxic substances or bait;
d) to place nets, dams, devices or other processes the object or effect of which is to block the course of rivers or streams or to obstruct the entrance to lagoons, estuaries or river mouths for fishing purposes;
e) to use the ox trawl in industrial or artisanal maritime fishing.
2. The manufacture, possession and use of nets, instruments or fishing gear that does not comply with the specifications set by the administration in charge of fishing are prohibited.
3. The fishing, holding and marketing of any species of aquatic mammals or marine turtles are prohibited in the Republic of Benin.
4. it is forbidden to fish, keep on board, transport to buy or sell fish, crustaceans, molluscs, shellfish or any other species of aquatic organisms that do not reach the sizes or weight determined by order of the Minister in charge of fisheries.
Please consult the local fishing laws, some of which are referenced on this page, for more information.

Allowed

Please consult local laws for information on allowed activities.