Fishing on a charter yacht in the Balearics: boat licence, limits and marine reserves

• Licence needed: Yes, a boat licence covers the people aboard.

• Issued by: Dirección General de Pesca, Govern de les Illes Balears (CAIB) (Govern de les Illes Balears (CAIB)).

• Cost: Boat licence: €47.21 up to 6 m; €77.80 over 6 m. Individual (shore): €26.21. Spearfishing: €28.92. Online renewals €10 less (individual) or €15 less (boat).

• Valid for: Individual and boat licences: 3 years; spearfishing: 1 year

• Five licence types.

• The boat licence covers boats on list 6ª/7ª or with an EU flag.

• A 'Chárter' licence lets operators take people fishing commercially.

• [Not confirmed in the official text] A first boat licence must be issued in person; only renewals can be done online (search summary).

• Big-game fishing (tunas, albacore, marlins etc.) needs a special state authorisation on board.

• Source document: Cuaderno de Pesca Recreativa, Dec 2025 edition (filename '2026').

• Catches are reported via Spain's national app (EU RecFishing framework).

This is a fishing licence. To skipper the yacht yourself you need a sailing licence or résumé, which is a different document: sailing licence requirements in the Balearics.

• Boat: up to 5 kg per angler, max 25 kg per boat per day (5+ anglers), plus one extra piece
• Shore: 5 kg plus one piece per licence per day
• No taking coral, worms, limpets, bivalves or crustaceans (lobsters, crabs, etc.), even for bait
• [Secondary source] Recreational dolphinfish (llampuga) season 15 Aug–31 Dec (secondary source; not checked in the cuaderno)
• Marine reserves: special minimum sizes and daily quotas (see the cuaderno tables, e.g. grouper 50 cm and sea bass 43 cm in reserves); spearfishing generally banned in reserves except Palma Bay and Migjorn (with authorisation)

• South of Mallorca / Cabrera channel: albacore and tuna in summer. Source: secondary: easyboat.life.
• Freus of Ibiza and Formentera (outside reserve zones): pelagics. Source: secondary.
• North Menorca (outside reserve): albacore late Jul–Aug. Source: secondary.

Spots are suggestions from fishing guides and operators unless an official text is named. Check protected areas before you anchor to fish.

• Reserva Marina de la Bahía de Palma
• Reserva Marina del Migjorn de Mallorca (Cabo Salinas)
• Reserva Marina del Freu de sa Dragonera (Zona de Alta Protección dels Calafats)
• Reserva Marina del Norte de Menorca
• Reserva Marina de la Illa de l'Aire (Menorca)
• Reserva Marina dels Freus d'Eivissa i Formentera
• Reserva Marina de Llevant de Mallorca and others shown on the cuaderno map
• [Not verified] Cabrera National Park (not detailed)

• Spearfishing: €28.92.
• Spearfishing needs a federation licence or a medical certificate plus insurance; a speargun needs the federation licence.
• Spearfishing in the Palma Bay and Migjorn reserves needs an annual permit.
• Marine reserves: special minimum sizes and daily quotas (see the cuaderno tables, e.g. grouper 50 cm and sea bass 43 cm in reserves); spearfishing generally banned in reserves except Palma Bay and Migjorn (with authorisation)

The boat needs a boat licence (list 6ª/7ª or EU flag), which covers the people aboard within the per-boat limits. Ask the charter company whether the yacht's licence is current. Big-game fishing needs the state authorisation.

Planning the trip around the fish? See the best time to charter in the Balearics, month by month, and the Balearic Islands charter overview.

See catamarans for rent in Mallorca on SamBoat

Fishing rules apply whoever you book with; listings and prices on SamBoat are SamBoat's own. We may earn a commission if you book through our links, at no extra cost to you (disclosure).

• Cabrera National Park (not detailed)
• Best months for Pearly razorfish (raor), Dusky grouper (anfós)

• [Secondary source]: From a non-government source (guide, club, operator or news); not official.
• [Not confirmed in the official text]: An official rule we could only read in a search summary, because we could not open the official text.
• [Not verified]: We could not confirm it.
• No label: Read in an official source (government, statutory body or the legal text).

Best months come from fishing guides and charter operators (secondary sources), not from regulators: treat them as a guide. IUCN status is the species' global Red List category as FishBase shows it (Red List 2025-2), not a local fishing rule. "Endemic" means FishBase gives a range limited to one sea; "No" means FishBase shows a wide distribution.

• Govern de les Illes Balears (CAIB): CAIB Cuaderno de Pesca Recreativa (Dec 2025) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• Govern de les Illes Balears (CAIB): CAIB trámite licencia (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• Govern de les Illes Balears (CAIB): CAIB trámite (licencia embarcación) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• Spanish Government (administracion.gob.es): administracion.gob.es – big-game authorisation (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• Easyboat (boat rental): Easyboat Ibiza fishing (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• Mallorca Guide: Page cited for best months by species (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• FishBase species summaries (reference database, IUCN status as shown, Red List 2025-2), checked 28 Oct 2026: Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus alalunga, Coryphaena hippurus, Seriola dumerili, Dentex dentex, Xyrichtys novacula, Epinephelus marginatus.

Method: methodology. Data: JSON.

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