Sea & Freshwater Fishing in Portugal

Information on fishing, angling and the permits required for the fresh water rivers, lakes and dams of Lisbon, Estoril and Cascais, as well as sea fishing off the Portuguese coast. Information includes contacts for local fishing associations.

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

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

Freshwater fishing seasons

Generally the freshwater fishing season runs between April and November. 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.

Fish	Season	Best Area
Trout	1 March to 31 July	Alge River in the north, sandy streams in the north, Minho and Lima River. Lakes and streams in Serra da Estrella mountains such as Lagoa Comprida
Largemouth Bass	1 July to 14 March	Agueda River region, Pateira de Fermentelos, Meranhão Reservoir, Mora e Coruche regions, Bonavente and Salvaterra de Magios, Valle de Gaio Reservoir, River Sado, Elvas region, Beja, Algarve dams
Barbel	1 July to 14 March	All rivers and streams
Carp	1 July to 14 March	Rivers and streams in the central and south
Shad	1 February to 14 July	Rivers in Portugal during the spring. In other seasons only at sea
Salmon	1 March to 31 July	In the Lima and Minho rivers
Sturgeon	16 January to 14 July	All rivers

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

Lisbon Angling Clubs

Clube Desportivo de Amadores de Pesca da Costa (Sea fishing)
At: Rua das Fontainhas, Lote 8 c/v Esq, 2750 Cascais
Tel: 214 841 691
Clube dos Amadores de Pesca de Lisboa (Sea fishing)
At: Travessa do Adro 12-1º, 1150-001 Lisbon
Tel: 218 853 385
Centro Português de Actividades Subaquáticas (organises various underwater fishing trips throughout the year)
At: Rua Alto do Duque 45, 1400-009 Lisbon
Tel: 213 016 961
Website

Useful Vocabulary

Portuguese	English
Achigã	black bass
Atum	tuna
Barbo	barbel
Boga	boce
Carpa	carp
Cavala	mackerel
Caboz	chub
Escalo	ciprinidae
Espardarte	swordfish
Lúcio	pike
Marlonga	whiting
Mugem	mullet
Peixe-agulha	needle fish
Robalo	rock bass
Salamão	salmon
Sável	shad
Sargo	bream
Solha	sole/plaice
Tainha	grey mullet
Tenca	tench