Fishing Spot Japan

Fishing rules in Shizuoka

What Shizuoka adds on top of national law, and what we still do not hold for it. Rules stack downwards: the prefecture may restrict more than the nation, and a cooperative more than the prefecture. None may permit what a layer above forbids.

Legal gear

These are the gear a non-professional may use in Shizuoka’s sea areas. The list is exhaustive: anything not shown here may not be used at all, which catches out visitors who assume a speargun or diving apparatus is merely restricted rather than banned.

Shizuoka 10

●Landing net34●Scoop net34△Cast net●Fishing spear (excluding harpoons)1234○Hand line & rod fishing11○Trolling7○Rake / clam tool13○Hand gathering
○ Permitted● Permitted, but lights / fish-attracting lamps are prohibited△ Permitted, but not from a vessel※ Permitted, but chumming is prohibited▲ Permitted, but chumming from a vessel is prohibited× Prohibited

Footnotes that apply in Shizuoka

These are the prefecture’s own qualifications on the marks above, quoted from the source table in Japanese.

  1. 7
  2. 10
  3. 11
  4. 12
  5. 13
  6. 34
Source: https://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/yugyo/y_kisei/kisoku/todo_huken/index.htmlAs of 2026-03-31✓ checked 2026-08-25

If you are not a Japanese national

Under the Act on the Regulation of Fishing Operations by Foreign Nationals (Act No. 60 of 1967), recreational fishing by foreign nationals in Japanese waters is limited to 'gathering or catching of aquatic animals or plants on a minor scale'. What you may use depends on the size of the boat you are on.

Method / gearShore (no vessel)Vessel under 3 GTVessel 3 GT or more
Rod fishing, handlineyesyesguide-only
Landing net, scoop net, fishing spear, clam rake or knifeyesyesguide-only
Cast netyesnono
Trollingn/ayesguide-only

On a vessel of 3 gross tons or more, a foreign national may fish ONLY when the trip is run by a Japanese vessel under the control of a Japanese fisher — that is, a registered charter (yugyosen) or fishing boat. Most serious offshore boats are over 3 GT, so for offshore fishing a licensed Japanese guide is not a convenience. It is the law.

Up to 3 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to ¥30,000,000, or both — for breaching the gear and method rules that apply specifically to foreign nationals.

This is national law and applies in Shizuoka exactly as everywhere else. It sits on top of the prefecture’s gear list above — you need to clear both.

Size limits and closed seasons

Shizuoka SOURCED

Set by the Shizuoka Fisheries Adjustment Rules (arts. 35, 36, 39, 43).

Applies to: Sea. This table comes from the prefecture's sea-fishing guidance. Rivers and lakes are governed separately — check the local cooperative.

Closed seasons

AbaloneAll yearRecreational anglers may not take abalone at all.
Spiny lobster15 May – 15 Sep
Tengusa seaweed1 Nov – 31 Mar
Whitebait15 Jan – 20 Mar
Sakura shrimp11 Jun – 30 Sep
Grey mullet (young of the year)1 Jan – 31 Jul
Ayu (sweetfish)1 Oct – 31 MayOn Lake Hamana, 1 Oct – 31 Mar.

May not be taken at or under this size

Spiny lobster13 cm or under, measured from the eye socket to the tail tip
Tokobushi abalone5 cm shell length or under
Horned turban3 cm operculum diameter or under
Japanese eel13 cm total length or under
Pearl oyster6 cm shell length or under
Hard clam3 cm shell length or under
Manila clam2 cm shell length or under
Amberjack (buri)15 cm total length or under

Prohibited methods

  • Sea — Diving apparatus of any kind, including aqualungs and simple rigs (Rules art. 37)
  • Sea — Spear or gaff used with a diving mask; gaff used with light
  • Sea — Explosives and toxic substances (Fisheries Resource Protection Act arts. 5, 6)
  • Protected waters — Taking anything inside designated protected waters (Rules art. 34)

Permitted: landing and scoop nets; spear (not with a diving mask); gaff (not with light or a diving mask); rake up to 15 cm wide; cast net (not from a boat); rod and handline (no snagging); hand gathering; and trolling. A rake wider than 15 cm is out.

Local committee instructions

  • Trolling requires approval from the Shizuoka Sea-area Fisheries Adjustment Commission. Approval is given for events that support regional development; trolling outside that is prohibited. If you are planning a trolling trip in Shizuoka, confirm the boat holds approval.
  • Using light with a landing net, scoop net or spear also requires commission approval.
  • Chumming from a boat with rod or handline is limited to one chum basket per rig, no larger than 5 cm across and 15 cm long.
  • Common Fishery Rights cover the whole coast except part of the Enshu-nada. Each cooperative's right names its own species — abalone, tokobushi, turban shell, octopus, sea cucumber, urchin and a long list of seaweeds are typical.
Source: Shizuoka Prefecture — rules for recreational fishing at sea (updated 2026-06-22). The tables arrived de-structured, so the pairing of species to dates below is our reading and should be checked against the page. https://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/sangyoshigoto/suisan/suisanshigen/1047550/1028113.html✓ checked 2026-08-26

Cooperatives that sell a permit online

14 in Shizuoka. Buying before you travel matters: on many rivers the price doubles if you buy it on the bank.

Ikawa Fishery Cooperative

Buy permit →

Itoshimatsukawa Fishery Cooperative

Lure OKWinter
Buy permit →

Haranoyagawa

Catch & releaseWinter
Buy permit →

Oigawahishusshi Fishery Cooperative

Buy permit →

Tenryugawa Fishery Cooperative

Lure OKWinter
Buy permit →

Otagawagyokyoshizuoka

Catch & release
Buy permit →

Abewarashina Fishery Cooperative

Buy permit →

Shinoigawa Fishery Cooperative

Buy permit →

Ketagawa Fishery Cooperative

Buy permit →

Kawazugawahishusshi Fishery Cooperative

Lure OK
Buy permit →

Kanogawa Fishery Cooperative

Lure OKCatch & releaseWinter
Buy permit →

Shibakawa

Lure OKCatch & releaseWinter
Buy permit →

Atagogawa Fishery Cooperative

Buy permit →

Ayuzawagawa Fishery Cooperative

Catch & releaseWinter
Buy permit →

Places we list here

What we do not hold, and who to ask

Being explicit about the gap is the point of this page. What is missing:

  • Sea-area and inland committee directives, which close specific waters or periods. We hold these for a few prefectures only.
  • Port and municipal rules. Posted on signs at the water, in Japanese, and published nowhere centrally.

Shizuoka Inland Fisheries Federation
054-252-2727

National rules apply on top of everything here — see Before you fish. How every figure is graded is set out in Data & sources.