Sea & Freshwater Fishing in the Algarve & Portugal

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Sea & Freshwater Fishing in the Algarve & Portugal

A wide variety of fish can be found in the rivers and lakes of Portugal as well as in the onshore coastal waters and deep sea, where big-fish angling is possible. There are competitions for men, women, juniors and disabled and several major fishing festivals through the year.

The Portuguese Sport Fishing Federation (Federação Portuguesa de Pesca Desportiva) has information and resources for anglers.

• Federação Portuguesa de Pesca Desportiva
  At: Rua Eça de Queirós Nº3-1º, 1050-095 Lisbon
  Tel: 213 140 177
  Fax: 213 563 147
  Website (in Portuguese)

Fishing Permits

A licence (licença) is needed to fish in Portugal. Children under the age of 14 are exempt if accompanied by a parent who holds a valid licence.

A Sports Fishing Licence (Licença de Pesca Desportiva) is needed for sea fishing, and a Licence for Fishing in Inland Waters (Licença de Pesca Desportiva em Águas Interiores) is required for fishing in rivers and lakes. There are a number of different types of general licence:

• National Licence (Licença Nacional): allows the holder to fish all over the country where fishing is not restricted, including the offshore islands
• Regional Licence (Licença Regional): allows the holder to fish either in the north, south or centre of the country
• Local Licence (Licença de Conselho): allows fishing only in the rivers and lakes in a given local authority district

Special licences are also available:

• Special Licence for Restricted Areas (Licença para Zona de Pesca Reservada): is required for fishing in protected or reserved zones at certain times of the year (a general licence is required in addition to this special licence)
• Special Licence (Licença Especial): for some visiting anglers without a Portuguese Residency Permit (Cartão de Residencia)

Getting a fishing licence

All fishing permits are issued by the  Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (Ministério da Agricultura, do Desenvolvimento Rural e das Pescas - MADRP); though inland fishing permits are managed by the National Forest Authority, which is a department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Fishing licences may be purchased through a Multibanco machine, the Regional Association of Sports Fishing (Associação Regional Centro de Pesca Desportiva) or through the local and municipal authorities (Câmaras Municipais) where the fishing is to take place.

• Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (Ministério da Agricultura, do Desenvolvimento Rural e das Pescas - MADRP)
  At: Av. João Crisóstomo 28, 1069-040 Lisbon
  Tel: 213 124 800 / 213 124 932
  Fax: 213 124 988
  e-mail
  Website
  For information about fishing licences: Click here (in Portuguese)
  For contact information for regional offices: Click here
• Regional Association of Sports Fishing (Associação Regional Centro de Pesca Desportiva - ARCPD)
  At: Rua Sociedade Farmacêutica Nº 56-2º, 1150-095 Lisbon
  Tel: 213 152 593
  Website

Note: Foreigners without a Portuguese Bilhete de Identidade (BI) or Número de Contribuinte (NIF) can only buy their licence through a Multibanco machine. Or, if fishing in a stocked and supervised pond, a daily licence can be purchased on site.

• For licence fees: Click here (in Portuguese)

How to purchase a fishing permit through a Multibanco machine

When purchasing a licence from a Multibanco machine, a passport number and a Número de Indentificação Fiscal (NIF) is required; foreign visitors can bypass this requirement by entering the passport number twice, instead of the NIF. 

After inserting a bank/ATM card and entering the personal identification number, select:

• "Pagamentos e Outros Serviços", then
• "Estado e Sector Público", then
• "Licenciamento de Pesca Lúdica", then
• Select the type of licence
  • Freshwater: "Pesca Aguas Doces"
  • Sea/marsh: "Pesca Aguas Maritimas e Salobras"
• Select the area in which the fishing will take place
  • National: "Nacional"
  • North (in and north of the Douro river): "Norte"
  • Centre (in and between the Douro and Tejo rivers): "Centro"
  • South (in and south of the Tejo river): "Sul"
• Enter a passport number
• Enter the passport number again
• Confirm the information
  • if correct, select "Confirmar"
  • if not correct, select "Cancelar"

A printed receipt will be issued; this can be photocopied but should not be laminated, and must be carried with photo identification when fishing. If additional copies are required, they can be printed from any Multibanco machine within 60 days.

Fishing tackle and terms

All types of rod, reel, tackle and bite alarms for carp fishing are permitted.

English	Portuguese
Floating tackle	Flutuador (Boía)
Spinning	Lançado
Cast fishing	Lançamento
Free fishing	Livre
Bait fishing	Engodos
Hook fishing	Isco
Line and hook fishing	Pesqueiro
Rod fishing	Pescar à linha/à cana
Deep sea fishing/trawling	Ao Fundo

Freshwater Fishing

An angler is allowed a maximum of two rods per licence. Anglers may have more than one licence at a time, allowing them to have four rods. Freshwater fishing areas include:

• River Tejo tributaries
• Ocreza River near Pracana
• Ponsul River near Marachal Carmona
• Nisa River near Povoa
• Sor River near Montargil
• Seda River near Maranchão
• River Sado tributaries
• Alcacovas River
• Alqueva Dam, two hours from Lisbon on one of the largest reservoirs in Europe
• Chaparro Lakes, 200 acres of water near Salazar
• Xarrama River, near Trigo de Morais
• Campilhas River, near Campilhas
• River Douro at Bemposta, Picote, Miranda do Douro, and the Douro's tributary river, the River Távora
• Zêzere River, the reservoirs at Castelo do Bode, Bouca, Cabril and Santa Luzia
• River Cavado at Peniche, Canicada, Salamonde, Venda Nova, Parudela and Alto do Rabagão

Carp are reportedly quite strong fighters in most fishing waters in Portugal. It is suggested to use strong tackle.

Freshwater Fishing Seasons

The open season for all fresh water fishing in Portugal runs from 14 May to 14 March the following year with two months closure to allow for spawning. There are places where fishing can continue at this time, to find out about these contact the local Policia Maritima or department of fisheries. Fishing is not allowed between sunset and sunrise.

Note: In places where salmon breed, no fishing of any kind is allowed except during the salmon season.

Sea Fishing

Because of Portugal's location on the Continental Shelf – an underwater land platform which extends to between 80 and 160 Km out to the Atlantic Ocean - there is a wide variety of fish. The large predatory fish such as shark and tuna come in to feed on the smaller fish that live in the shallower coastal waters. This means there are hundreds of types of marine fish including sardines, bream, bass, mackerel, blue fish, shark, tuna, sword fish, salmon bass and plaice.

Types of fishing

There are essentially five types of fishing carried out in coastal waters and these are:

• Beach Casting for bass, sea mullet, sole, bream, mackerel, red mullet, conger eel, shad, blue fish, porgie, glaucus, golden bream
• Areas include: Alentejo coast, Peniche, Povoa de Varzim, Sesimbra, Sagres, Lagos, Faro, Albufeira, Quarteira, Portimão, Vila Real de Santo António
• Role Fishing for whiting, mackerel, squalus, grey mullet, bream, bass
• Areas include: Algarve coast, Sagres, Cape St.Vincent, Ericeira
• Deep Sea Fishing for shark, tuna, blue fish, swordfish, conger eel, ray, salmon bass, scabbard, marlin, broadbill
• Areas include: off Sesimbra, Sines, Peniche and Nazaré
• Inshore Fishing along the entire coast
• Underwater Fishing in the rocks around Berlenga Islands, Algarve, Sesimbra, Praia do Furadouro, Aveiro, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde, Tavira, Sines and Sagres

Algarve Angling Clubs

• Club Amadoras de Pesca de Faro
  At: Rua José de Matos 15-A, 8000 Faro
  Tel: 936 260 231
• Clube Náutico e de Pesca Desportiva de Quartiera
  At: Rua S. Gonçalo de Lagos n° 30, 8125 Quartiera
  Tel: 966 344 626
• Clube de Pesca e Náutica Desportiva de Albufeira
  At: Estrada do Farol 800H Sítio da Orada, 8200-371 Albufeira
  Tel: 916 304 513

Useful Vocabulary

 Further Information

• Portuguese Directorate-General of Agriculture and Fisheries
• O Sítio do Pescador (fishing enthusiast site)
• Planet Pesca (fishing enthusiast site)
• Carpas Nacionais (carp fishing)
• Portugal Fly Fishing
• Angling Holidays in Portugal (practical information on the fish to be found and regulations concerning catches
• Coarse Fishing in Spain (links to fishing and angling clubs on the Algarve)

Contributions from Shane Allen of East Algarve Carp Fishing 

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