Fishing guides › Guadeloupe & Dominica
FISHING GUIDE · GUADELOUPE & DOMINICA
Guadeloupe and Dominica Fishing Guide
Both islands have deep blue water close to shore, and boats troll for mahi, wahoo, tuna and marlin, often around FADs. Guadeloupe has strict recreational rules, including minimum sizes, daily limits, banned species and national park core zones. Dominica's Soufrière/Scotts Head Marine Reserve has its own rules and fees, and most billfish caught by charters are released.
📍 Guadeloupe (French) and Dominica sit next to each other in the Lesser Antilles. Guadeloupe boats fish the Caribbean (leeward) coast around Bouillante and Deshaies, and the Atlantic side from Saint-François and Le Moule; Les Saintes and Marie-Galante lie to the south. Dominica charters leave from Roseau, Castle Comfort and Portsmouth on the leeward coast.
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Guadeloupe & Dominica map →
Quick facts
- Guadeloupe's Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin reserve was set up in 1987 and is now in the national park's marine core; with the park core it was named a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1992.
- The Îlets Pigeon marine core (off Bouillante) covers about 981 hectares between Pointe Mahault and Pointe-à-Lézard; boats may only stop on the park's moorings.
- In Guadeloupe, recreational fishers may not keep sharks or billfish (marlin, sailfish, swordfish), and must clip the tip of the tail of fish they keep.
- Dominica's Soufrière/Scotts Head Marine Reserve dates from 1998; spearguns are banned inside it.
- Dominica's leeward coast drops into deep water close to shore, so offshore grounds are often reached in under an hour.
What you can catch
- Mahi-mahi (dorado, coryphène)
Caught year-round in Dominica; Guadeloupe pelagic season runs about Jul-Feb. Guadeloupe minimum size 60 cm. - Wahoo
Dominica's best wahoo months are about Dec-Apr. - Yellowfin tuna
Caught year-round in Dominica. Guadeloupe: over 105 cm only, 1 per boat per day. - Blue marlin
Dominica peak May-Oct; catch-and-release. Billfish may not be kept by recreational fishers in Guadeloupe. - White marlin and sailfish
Dominica; white marlin peaks in spring and fall. Release them. - Skipjack and blackfin tuna
Common at Dominica FADs. Guadeloupe skipjack minimum 40 cm. - Jacks (carangue)
Guadeloupe, year-round, best at dawn and dusk. - Tarpon and snook
Guadeloupe mangroves and harbours; tarpon about Jun-Nov, snook about Apr-Sep.
Month by month
| January | Dominica wahoo season; calmer dry-season seas. Guadeloupe pelagics (mahi, tuna, wahoo) still around. |
|---|---|
| February | Dominica wahoo; end of Guadeloupe's main pelagic season. |
| March | Dominica wahoo and tuna; calmer seas. |
| April | Dominica wahoo season ends. Guadeloupe snook season starts. |
| May | Dominica blue marlin season starts. Guadeloupe crab closure from May 16. |
| June | Guadeloupe lobster closed Jun 1-Sep 30. Tarpon in Guadeloupe mangroves. Atlantic hurricane season starts. |
| July | Dominica blue marlin; Guadeloupe pelagic season starts. |
| August | Dominica blue marlin and yellowfin; Guadeloupe pelagics. |
| September | Guadeloupe pelagic peak (Sep-Dec). Lobster and crab reopen after Sep 30. Hurricane peak. |
| October | Dominica blue marlin season ends; Guadeloupe pelagic peak. |
| November | Guadeloupe pelagic peak; tarpon ends. Hurricane season ends Nov 30. |
| December | Dominica wahoo season starts; Guadeloupe pelagic peak. |
Tips
- In Guadeloupe, release all billfish and sharks, clip the tail tip of any fish you keep, and never sell your catch.
- Guadeloupe spearfishing: age 16 and up, use a buoy with the Alpha flag, no scuba, no lights, no night fishing, and not within 200 m of beaches.
- At Îlets Pigeon (Réserve Cousteau) use only the park moorings; never anchor in seagrass anywhere in Guadeloupe.
- Some Guadeloupe coastal waters are closed to fishing because of chlordecone pollution; check the maps before fishing inshore.
- In Dominica's Soufrière/Scotts Head reserve, no spearguns, no jet skis, and snorkel/dive only with a permit; pay the reserve fee.
Rules and license
Guadeloupe: Direction de la Mer / OFB and Parc national de la Guadeloupe; Dominica: Fisheries Division (Chief Fisheries Officer) and the Soufrière/Scotts Head Local Area Management Authority · Official rules page ↗
- Guadeloupe: recreational rules set by prefectoral order no. 971-2019-08-20-003; default minimum size 20 cm for allowed species.
- Guadeloupe minimum sizes include mahi 60 cm, skipjack 40 cm, yellowfin 105 cm (1 per boat per day), royal spiny lobster 21 cm.
- Guadeloupe banned species include all sharks, billfish, goliath grouper, pufferfish, rainbow parrotfish and amberjacks; sale of recreational catch is banned.
- Guadeloupe closed seasons: lobster Jun 1-Sep 30; crabs May 16-Sep 30.
- Guadeloupe chlordecone zones: total fishing ban in about 37 km2 (Pointe la Rose to Pointe Violon) and bans on certain species in other zones.
- Guadeloupe National Park marine cores (Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin, Îlets Pigeon) have their own rules; check the park's rules before fishing there.
- Dominica Soufrière/Scotts Head Marine Reserve: no spearguns, jet skis or water skis; anchoring/mooring needs permission; snorkel and dive fees apply.
- Dominica fishing licenses, size limits and closed seasons: not confirmed; check current rules with the Fisheries Division.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 8 boat ramps and 33 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Anse Deshaies
- Bas-Du-Fort
- Boat ramp near Anse Dupuy
- Boat ramp near Anse Turlet
- Boat ramp near Lagon Bleu
- Boat ramp near Petite Anse
- Ferry
- Marigot Port and Fisheries Complex
- Marina de Baie-Mahault
- Marina de Bas-du-Fort
- Marina de Grand Bourg
- Marina de Port-Louis
- Marina de Rivière Sens
- Marina de Saint-François
- Mouillage du Fond Curé
- Port Autonome de Folle Anse
- Port Autonome de Pointe-à-Pitre
- Port de Bananier
- Port de Basse-Terre
- Port de Beauséjour
- Port de Blachon
- Port de Goyave
- Port de L'Anse des Muries
- Port de Morne-à-l'Eau
- Port de Petit-Bourg
- Port de Péche Baillargent
- Port de Pêche de Bergevin
- Port de Pêche de Saint Felix
- Port de Pêche de Saint-François
- Port de Pêche de Sainte-Anne
- Port de Sainte-Rose
- Port de pêche d'Anse-Bertrand
- Port de pêche de Petit-Canal
- Port de pêche de Trois-Rivières
- Port de pêche de Vieux-Bourg
- Port de pêche du Moule
- Port du Fond Curé
- South Mooring area - Fisheries Division
Sources
- https://www.dm.guadeloupe.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/plaquette-2024_guadeloupe_stmartin_peche_.pdf
- https://www.dm.guadeloupe.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/plaquette_peche_2014.pdf
- https://www.dm.guadeloupe.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/livret-espaces-maritimes.pdf
- https://guadeloupe-parcnational.fr/sites/guadeloupe-parcnational.fr/files/atoms/files/depliant_ilets-pigeon_6_volets_png.pdf
- https://guadeloupe-parcnational.fr/sites/guadeloupe-parcnational.fr/files/2024-05/20240524%20CP_Activite%CC%81s%20commerciales%20en%20coeur%20de%20parc%20marin_f.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadeloupe_National_Park
- https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parc_national_de_la_Guadeloupe
- https://rci.fm/guadeloupe/infos/Environnement/Preserver-ce-quil-reste-le-Parc-National-ferme-lacces-aux-ilets-du-Grand-Cul-de
- https://www.bouger-voyager.com/sejour-peche-guadeloupe-spots-saisons-regles-conseils/
- https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/dmi111822.pdf
- https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/dmi87092.pdf
- https://enezgreen.com/en/?p=1609
- https://www.nature-island.com/things-to-do/sport-fishing/
- https://discoverdominica.com/en/lists/30/fishing
- https://www.fao.org/4/y4260e/y4260e07.htm
- https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.