Fishing rules in Wakayama

What Wakayama 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 Wakayama’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.

Wakayama 和歌山県

×Fishing spear (excluding harpoons)○▲Hand line & rod fishing⁴⁷△Cast net○Trolling⁷²⁹○Landing net○Scoop net○Rake / clam tool○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 Wakayama

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

7 海区漁業調整委員会の承認を受けた場合に限り使用可能。
29 西牟婁郡白浜町市江埼灯台中心点から南西の線以北の和歌山県地先海面においてするものを除く。
47 和歌山海区漁業調整委員会指示で定められた海域に限り、船舶を使用してのまき餌釣は禁止。

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 / gear	Shore (no vessel)	Vessel under 3 GT	Vessel 3 GT or more
Rod fishing, handline	yes	yes	guide-only
Landing net, scoop net, fishing spear, clam rake or knife	yes	yes	guide-only
Cast net	yes	no	no
Trolling	n/a	yes	guide-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 Wakayama 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

Wakayama 和歌山県 VERIFIED

Set by the Wakayama Fisheries Adjustment Rules.

Applies to: Sea and inland. The source regulation covers both sea and inland waters. Cooperatives add further rules on rivers and lakes.

Closed seasons

Abalone incl. tokobushiあわび（とこぶし含む）	1 Sep – end of Feb	Off Kada the window is 1 Oct – 30 Nov instead. Abalone is also nationally protected.
Hen clamばかがい	1 Jun – 30 Sep
Spiny lobsterいせえび	1 May – 15 Sep
Sea cucumberなまこ	1 Apr – 31 Jul	Also nationally protected.
Tengusa seaweedてんぐさ	1 Oct – 31 Mar
Funori seaweedふのり	1 Aug – end of Feb
Ayu — seaあゆ（海面）	1 Jan – 25 May
Coral — red, pink and whiteさんご（あか・ももいろ・しろ）	All year
Rainbow trout, iwana char, amago — inlandにじます、いわな、あまご（内水面）	1 Oct – end of Feb	For rainbow trout this applies to the Kumano River system only.
Ayu — inlandあゆ（内水面）	1 Jan – 30 Apr	On most of the Kumano River system the window runs to 25 May.
Japanese dace — inlandうぐい（内水面）	1 Mar – 31 May	Kumano River system only.

May not be taken at or under this size

Abalone — seaあわび（海面）	10 cm shell length or under
Tokobushi abalone — seaとこぶし（海面）	4.5 cm shell length or under
Spiny lobster — seaいせえび（海面）	15 cm body length or under
Japanese eel — seaうなぎ（海面）	30 cm total length or under
Amberjack, juvenile — seaぶり（もじゃこ・海面）	15 cm total length or under
Rainbow trout, iwana, amago — inlandにじます、いわな、あまご（内水面）	10 cm total length or under
Japanese eel — inlandうなぎ（内水面）	30 cm total length or under

Prohibited methods

Wakayama sets a 30 cm minimum on eel — more than twice the national glass-eel threshold and higher than neighbouring prefectures. The inland trout closure runs October to the end of February, so the Kii Peninsula streams are a spring and summer fishery.

Source: Wakayama Prefecture Resource Management Division — restrictions on taking aquatic life. Covers sea and inland water separately. https://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/071500/saihoseigen/_baks/index.html✓ checked 2026-08-26

Cooperatives that sell a permit online

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

Todagawa

富田川漁業協同組合show this at the shop

Lure OK

Buy permit →

Hikigawa

日置川漁業協同組合show this at the shop

Buy permit →

Tamagawa Fishery Cooperative

玉川漁業協同組合show this at the shop

Catch & release

Buy permit →

Kishigawa Fishery Cooperative

貴志川漁業協同組合show this at the shop

Lure OKCatch & release

Buy permit →

Places we list here

Kushimoto & southern KiiSaltwater · Kansai · 3 h 30 from Osaka by limited express

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.

Wakayama Inland Fisheries Federation 和歌山県内水面漁連
0736-66-0477
649-6112 紀の川市桃山町調月32-3 水産試験場内水面試験地内

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