Dogtooth Tuna fishing in Tokara Islands

May, June, July, August and September are the prime months. No permit is required for recreational sea fishing.

When

Season grading is our editorial judgement, not a sourced figure. It says when the fish is catchable, not when the water is legally open — for that, read the closed seasons below.

Do you need a permit?

No permit is required for recreational sea fishing. Access is by a ferry that runs roughly twice a week. Trips are typically liveaboard.

Water: Saltwater
Prefecture: Kagoshima
Region: Kyushu
Getting there: 11–13 h ferry from Kagoshima

How far our answer goes here

✓National lawApplies everywhere. Foreign-national gear limits, protected species, bluefin controls.
✓PrefectureMinimum sizes, closed seasons and legal gear. This is a floor — local rules add to it, never subtract.
~Sea-area / inland committeeDirectives that close specific waters or periods. We hold these for a few prefectures only.
—Cooperative permitSea fishing needs no cooperative permit. A Common Fishery Right still covers the shore — see the rule above.

Rules stack. Everything above the line we hold; everything below it you still need to confirm on the ground. That gap is exactly what a local guide is for.

Legal gear in Kagoshima

○Hand line & rod fishing×Trolling○Landing net○Scoop net△Cast net○Fishing spear (excluding harpoons)○Rake / clam tool○Hand gathering

Sea areas only, as of 2026-03-31. Anything not listed — diving apparatus, spearguns — may not be used at all. Full table & footnotes

Size limits and closed seasons

Kagoshima 鹿児島県 VERIFIED

Up to 6 months' imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥100,000 (Rules art. 59).

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アワビ	1 Nov – 31 Dec	Also a nationally protected species — see the rules above.
Tokobushi abaloneトコブシ	1 Oct – 30 Apr
Spanner crabアサヒガニ	1 Jun – 31 Jul
Spiny lobsterイセエビ類	1 May – 20 Aug
Ayu (sweetfish)アユ	1 Jan – 31 May
Yamame (cherry salmon)ヤマメ	1 Oct – 31 Dec
Ryukyu ayuリュウキュウアユ	1 Nov – 31 May

May not be taken at or under this size

Japanese eelウナギ	21 cm total length or under
Amberjack (juvenile, mojako)ブリ（モジャコ）	15 cm body length or under
Common carpコイ	20 cm total length or under
Crucian carpフナ	10 cm total length or under
Spiny lobsterイセエビ類	13 cm body length or under
Abaloneアワビ	10 cm shell length or under
Tokobushi abaloneトコブシ	5 cm shell length or under
Hen clamバカガイ	5 cm shell length or under
Satsuma ark shellサツマアカガイ	3 cm shell length or under
Moon scallopツキヒガイ	8 cm shell length or under
Japanese baking scallopイタヤガイ	8 cm shell length or under
Black-lip pearl oysterクロチョウガイ	9 cm shell length or under
Winged pearl oysterマベ	12 cm shell length or under

Prohibited methods

Sea and inland — Passing an electric current through the water
Inland — Draining a stretch of river to strand fish (sehoshi)
Inland — Upstream weir traps
Inland — Underwater guns

Permitted for non-professionals: rod and handline (not trolling or longline), landing and scoop nets, cast net (not from a boat), spears and gaffs, and hand gathering without diving apparatus. Spearguns, spears that leave the hand, and detachable-head spears are all excluded. Diving apparatus, including aqualungs, may not be used to take anything.

The prefecture publishes a handbook for people using its seas and rivers.

Source: Kagoshima Prefecture — regulations under the Fisheries Adjustment Rules (updated 2026-02-20) http://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/af05/suisan/gyochou/kisoku.html✓ checked 2026-08-26

About Dogtooth Tuna

Reef-associated and famously hard to stop. Southern islands only.

Japanese: イソマグロ · isomaguro
Scientific name: Gymnosarda unicolor
Typical size: 80–160 cm (31–63 in)

How it is fished here

Jigging, Shore & popper casting