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Dominican Republic · DO
Dominican Republic
CODOPESCA — Dominican Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Rules change by area and can change mid-season. We explain what the rules mean and always link you to the official source — we never copy a limit table and call it current.
Licences — what you need
- • Sport fishing requires a licence administered through CODOPESCA; the Punta Cana and Cap Cana charter fleets arrange them for clients as part of a booking.
- • The offshore FAD (fish aggregating device) fishery for white marlin and mahi fishes under the same national licence, with billfish released by fleet practice.
How the rules are organized
- • One national council covers both the Atlantic north coast and the Caribbean south coast; marine protected areas (such as the Silver Bank sanctuary) close specific zones entirely.
- • The Silver Bank is a humpback whale sanctuary where fishing is excluded in season — an offshore closure visiting anglers rarely expect.
Good to know — common mistakes
- • Most visiting anglers only ever interact with the system through their charter operator; independent shore fishing is lightly regulated but also lightly practised.
- • Snapper and grouper on the reefs are under growing management attention — expect lodge and fleet rules on keeping fish to be stricter than the written minimum.
Official links
Fishing locations covered in this guide
This page is a plain-language summary, not the law. Regulations change — including in-season by official notice — and if anything here disagrees with the official source, the official source governs.
AnglerPlan is an information service, not a regulator. If anything here disagrees with an official source, the official source wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.