Sport Fishing Permit Fees to Stay in Quintana Roo Under New Agreement

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Sport fishing permit fees issued by the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (Conapesca) in Quintana Roo will now remain in the state, thanks to a coordination agreement with the state government, according to Mario Javier Martín Castillo, the agency’s representative for the northern zone.

Martín Castillo explained that under the agreement between the federal and state governments, permits are issued jointly. “We are issuing the sport fishing permits together and giving priority to the state government because an agreement was signed so that the resources from sport fishing permits stay here in the state,” he said.

The official noted significant participation in upcoming sport fishing tournaments, with registered boats from Isla Mujeres, Puerto Aventuras, and Cozumel, as well as foreign competitors, mainly from the United States.

In Playa del Carmen, only six commercial fishing permits exist for catching species, while sport fishing permits are personal and non-transferable. Conapesca no longer tracks these statistics as they are part of a national database.

Tour operators offering sport fishing must obtain a permit for each passenger, whether by day, week, month, or year, and must have at least four permits aboard each vessel to operate legally.

Regarding current sea conditions, Martín Castillo acknowledged that sargassum has forced boats farther from shore. “Fish are seeking deeper waters, but fortunately there is good fishing right now; dorado and billfish are abundant,” he said.

He added that there is currently no ban on sport fishing species, though seasonal bans on conch and octopus remain in effect in the area.