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FISHING GUIDE · PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Punta Cana & Cap Cana Fishing Guide
Punta Cana and Cap Cana are the Dominican Republic's busiest billfish area. White marlin come in spring and blue marlin peak in summer, while mahi are around all year. Billfish here are catch and release only.
📍 East coast of the Dominican Republic: Cap Cana Marina (about 20 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport) and the Punta Cana area. Casa de Campo (La Romana) is to the southwest.
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Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
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Quick facts
- Cap Cana Marina can host up to 150 boats and is about 20 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport.
- Charter boats fish FADs roughly 27 miles from shore.
- Cap Cana Marina is strictly catch and release for billfish.
- Cap Cana boats released 2,823 billfish in 2016, including a then-Atlantic record of 23 releases in one day (reported 2017).
- A Dominican Environment Ministry resolution (24-2009) bans catching, boating, killing or selling billfish on the east coast.
What you can catch
- Blue marlin
May to October, peak June to September. - White marlin
March to June, peak April and May. - Sailfish
Fall and early winter. - Wahoo
Fall and early winter. - Tuna
Fall and early winter. - Mahi-mahi (dorado)
Year-round.
Month by month
| January | Mahi; sailfish, wahoo and tuna from the fall-winter run. |
|---|---|
| February | Mahi. (Casa de Campo to the southwest has an early blue marlin bite starting in February.) |
| March | White marlin arrive. |
| April | Peak white marlin. |
| May | Peak white marlin; blue marlin start. |
| June | Blue marlin peak begins; last of the white marlin. |
| July | Peak blue marlin. |
| August | Peak blue marlin. |
| September | Peak blue marlin. |
| October | Blue marlin tapering; sailfish, wahoo and tuna start coming through. |
| November | Sailfish, wahoo and tuna; mahi. |
| December | Sailfish, wahoo and tuna; mahi. |
Tips
- Release all billfish quickly and unharmed; Cap Cana asks boats that break this rule to leave.
- Do not keep parrotfish: Dominican law (Decree 326-21) bans catching them.
- Ask your charter captain about any license needs; we could not confirm a visitor license rule from an official source.
- Book ahead for summer marlin season, when the marina is busiest.
Rules and license
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Dominican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources) · Official rules page ↗
- Resolution 24-2009 (Ministry of Environment) prohibits catching, boating, displaying, killing and selling billfish on the east coast.
- Cap Cana Marina is strictly catch and release for billfish.
- Decree 326-21 (May 2021) bans catching parrotfish (Scarus and Sparisoma species), sea cucumbers and American eel nationwide.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 0 boat ramps and 1 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Marina Cap Cana
Sources
- https://www.marlinmag.com/travel/explore-dominican-republic-fishery-culture/
- https://acento.com.do/ecologia/destacan-cap-cana-por-compromiso-con-la-preservacion-de-marlin-azul-marlin-blanco-y-del-pez-vela-8489161.html
- https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/decreto-gobierno-prohibe-captura-de-13-peces-en-todo-el-territorio-nacional-JF26328562
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.