Yellowfin Tuna fishing in Kumejima

Yellowfin are around almost all year. November to March the north wind keeps boats in port on many days, so April to June is the window, then September to October.

April, May, June, September and October 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. No permit is required to fish at sea. What is unusual here is the payao — anchored fish-aggregating buoys. Kumejima was the first place in Okinawa to open them to recreational anglers, and it is the only place that opens all of them. Hours of use are set for recreational fishing, so the boat will work to them. Boats are charter only; there are no shared-boat trips.

Water: Saltwater
Prefecture: Okinawa
Region: Okinawa
Getting there: 35 min by air from Naha, 6–7 flights a day. Ferry from Naha takes 3 h direct.

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 area. Fifth-class common fishery rights cover inland waters, so no cooperative permit applies. The payao are managed locally and their hours of use are set — the boat handles that.

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 Okinawa

●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

Okinawa 沖縄県 VERIFIED

Breaching the size limits or closed seasons — and possessing or selling anything taken in breach of them — carries up to 6 months' imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥100,000. Commission instructions carry up to 1 year or ¥500,000.

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

Closed seasons

Sea turtles (hawksbill, loggerhead, green)うみがめ類	1 Jun – 31 Jul	Taking sea turtles is prohibited outright by commission instruction — up to 1 year or ¥500,000. Their eggs are protected too.
Giant clams (all species)しゃこがい類	1 Jun – 31 Aug
Spiny lobsters (all species)いせえび類	1 Apr – 31 Jul
Slipper lobstersせみえび類	1 Apr – 31 Jul	Egg-bearing individuals are protected all year.

May not be taken at or under this size

Hawksbill turtleタイマイ	25 cm plastron length or under	Taking sea turtles is prohibited outright in any case.
Japanese eelうなぎ	13 cm total length or under	Glass eel is also nationally protected.
Erabu sea kraitえらぶうなぎ	60 cm total length or under
Spiny and slipper lobstersいせえび類・せみえび類	20 cm body length or under
Black-lip pearl oysterクロチョウガイ	10 cm shell height or under
Winged pearl oysterマベガイ	10 cm shell height or under
Green turbanヤコウガイ	13 cm shell height or under
Korean turbanチョウセンサザエ	6 cm shell height or under
Trochus (sarasabatei, gintakahama)サラサバテイ・ギンタカハマ	6 cm shell minor diameter or under
Crocus giant clamヒメジャコ	8 cm shell length or under
Bear paw, small and elongate giant clamsシャゴウ・シラナミ・トガリシラナミ	15 cm shell length or under
Fluted giant clamヒレジャコ	20 cm shell length or under
Southern giant clamヒレナシジャコ	30 cm shell length or under

Prohibited methods

Sea — Taking reef-building coral of any kind (Rules art. 34) — up to 6 months or ¥100,000
Sea — Taking sea turtles or their eggs — up to 1 year or ¥500,000
Sea — Taking sea cucumber (all species) and glass eel — nationally protected, up to 3 years or ¥30,000,000
Sea — Breaking reef rock, or taking sand, live rock or coral rubble from the water (Rules art. 39)
Kabira protected water, Ishigaki — Everything except fin fish, octopus, squid and hitoegusa seaweed
Nagura protected water, Ishigaki — Everything
Six passages in the Yaeyamas — All aquatic life, during the third and fourth lunar months — a spawning closure for grouper and emperor, in force since April 2021. Up to 1 year or ¥500,000

Gear for non-professionals is set by Rules art. 37; anything outside that list is an offence. A spear must have a fixed head — a rubber-powered one is only allowed if the shaft stays in your hand. Common Fishery Rights here cover giant clam, green turban, horned turban, top shell, strawberry conch, three species of octopus, collector urchin, spiny lobster, sea cucumber, mozuku, hijiki and aosa.

Local committee instructions

Coral trout (sujiara) under 40 cm and blackspot tuskfish (shirokurabera) under 35 cm are size-restricted around Okinawa Island. Note this instruction binds commercial fishers; the prefecture says applying it to recreational anglers is under consideration. Treat the sizes as the standard to follow regardless.
Deep-water snapper grounds are closed to everything except trolling, in defined areas and periods — up to 1 year or ¥500,000.
Taking sand, live rock or coral rubble from the shore is also restricted, under the coastal authority rather than fisheries rules.

Source: Okinawa Prefecture Fisheries Division — rules on taking aquatic life (revised July 2022). The size chart is illustrated; figures were read from the rendered page rather than extracted as text. https://www.pref.okinawa.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/011/225/20220712saihorule.pdf✓ checked 2026-08-28

About Yellowfin Tuna

Summer and autumn, often on casting tackle over bait schools.

Japanese: キハダ · kihada
Scientific name: Thunnus albacares
Typical size: 60–150 cm (24–59 in)

How it is fished here

Shore & popper casting, Jigging, Trolling