Rockfish fishing in Seto Inland Sea

January, February and December 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 Rockfish

Light-tackle night fishing around structure in the cold months.

Japanese: メバル · mebaru
Scientific name: Sebastes inermis
Typical size: 15–30 cm (6–12 in)

How it is fished here

Lure casting