Red Seabream fishing in Seto Inland Sea

April, May and June 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.

Water: Saltwater
Prefecture: Hiroshima / Ehime
Region: Chugoku
Getting there: Shinkansen to Hiroshima or Okayama

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 Hiroshima / Ehime

●▲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

Hiroshima 広島県 VERIFIED

Set by the Hiroshima Fisheries Adjustment Rules. These apply to everyone, not only to commercial fishers.

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

Closed seasons

Razor clamまてがい	1 May – 31 Jul	Any size.
Sea cucumberなまこ	1 Apr – 31 Oct	Any size. Also nationally protected.
Ajimo seagrassあじも	1 Sep – 31 Jul	Any size.
Sargassum seaweedほんだわら（がらも）	16 Mar – 14 Feb	Any size.
Ayu (sweetfish)あゆ	1 Jan – 19 May	Any size.

May not be taken at or under this size

Flathead grey mulletぼら	15 cm body length or under — closed 1 Feb – 31 Jul
Redlip mulletめなだ（しくち）	15 cm body length or under — closed 1 Apr – 31 Oct
Japanese sea bassすずき	10 cm body length or under — closed 1 Mar – 31 Jul
Rockfish (mebaru)めばる	3 cm body length or under — closed 1 Mar – 30 Sep
Japanese halfbeakさより	7 cm body length or under — closed 1 Mar – 30 Sep
Konoshiro gizzard shadこのしろ	7 cm body length or under — closed 1 May – 30 Sep
Hard clamはまぐり	3 cm shell length or under — all year
Japanese eelうなぎ	30 cm total length or under — all year

Prohibited methods

Ikuno-jima SW waters, Osakikamijima — Taking any aquatic life at all (protected water, Rules art. 34)
Kuroshima E waters, Kurahashi, Kure — Taking any aquatic life at all (protected water, Rules art. 34)

Hiroshima pairs each size limit with a season rather than banning the size outright: undersized mullet, sea bass, rockfish, halfbeak and gizzard shad are protected only during the listed months. Hard clam and eel are the exceptions — those size limits run all year. The Seto Inland Sea Regulations apply on top, including the summer closure on small red seabream.

Source: Hiroshima Prefecture Fisheries Division — size limits and closed seasons at sea, under the Seto Inland Sea Fisheries Control Regulations and the Hiroshima Fisheries Adjustment Rules (arts. 34, 35, 36, 40). https://www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp/soshiki/88/1170384237453.html✓ checked 2026-08-27

About Red Seabream

Culturally the most auspicious fish in Japan, and the reason tairaba exists.

Japanese: マダイ · madai
Scientific name: Pagrus major
Typical size: 30–80 cm (12–31 in)

How it is fished here

Tairaba

Tairaba — A skirted, rubber-tentacled sinker jig developed in Japan for red seabream. Fished on a slow, steady retrieve — no jerking.