Bluefin Tuna Fishing Charters in Spain

Bluefin in Spain: what is allowed

Atlantic bluefin tuna, atún rojo in Spanish, move between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean through the Strait, so the boats of Málaga, Marbella and Cádiz sit on one of the great tuna highways of Europe. That is the good news. The part most visitors do not expect is how tightly Spain manages them.

Recreational bluefin fishing in Spain is catch and release only: there is no season in which a guest on a charter can keep a bluefin. A boat that wants to target them needs a specific state authorisation on top of its licence, requested through PescaREC, Spain's official recreational fishing app, and it may only fish inside the window the Secretaría General de Pesca sets each year. For 2026 that window was 16 June to 14 October. A small recreational quota exists to account for fish that die during release, and once it is used up the fishery closes for everyone.

That is what happened in 2026. The quota went in the first days of the season, and the closure took effect from 24 June. Since then, targeting bluefin, releasing them, keeping them aboard and landing them have all been prohibited for recreational boats in Spanish waters for the rest of the year. Our guide to fishing licences in Spain and PescaREC covers the rules in full.

What that means for your booking

The three boats below list bluefin among their species because the fish pass through their water, not because every trip can target them. If tuna are the reason you are travelling, ask the captain three things before you book: does the boat hold the bluefin authorisation, is the fishery open on your dates, and is the trip a release trip. A boat advertising a Spanish bluefin trip in the autumn of 2026 is either fishing for something else or fishing from the other side of the border.

The other side of the border is Gibraltar, which runs its own bluefin season under its own quota and allows a fish to be kept. For 2026 it opened on 16 June, with a first period to 25 July and a second from 6 August to 14 October, as long as the quota lasted. The boat needs a Class K licence, the limit is one fish per day per licence holder and vessel, the minimum size is 30 kg and 130 cm fork length, and every fish is weighed at the landing station on the North Mole. If you are staying on the Costa del Sol and a tuna is the dream, the fishing charters in Gibraltar and our Gibraltar boat fishing by season guide are the place to start.

The boats that list bluefin in Spain

• La Faeton Blue Marlin fishes the Málaga and Marbella coast with Daniel, a captain with more than 20 years in the Marbella area. It is a cabin cruiser with a flybridge for up to 12 guests, on full day trips that mix trolling, drift fishing and jigging offshore and on the reefs. Catch and release is welcome, children are welcome, and pickup and drop off are included.
• La Starfisher se llama Calamardo is Daniel's smaller boat, for up to 8, on 10 hour light tackle days. Its species list is the Costa del Sol mix: bonito, dentex, mahi mahi, gilt-head seabream, conger and albacore as well as bluefin. The fishing licence is included and the crew cleans and fillets the catch.
• Pesca a fondo is Nicolas's private boat from Chiclana de la Frontera, on the Atlantic side in Cádiz, for groups of up to 6 on 4 hour trips. It fishes inshore and offshore, bottom fishing, trolling, jigging and live baiting, and its list runs from seabream and seabass to amberjack, little tunny, mahi mahi and bluefin. It is aimed at families and first timers as much as experienced anglers.

When the fishing is open

The tuna pass through the Strait from late spring into summer, which is why the Spanish window starts in mid June. In a year when the quota lasts, June and July are the months to ask about. When the fishery is closed, as it is for the rest of 2026, the same boats fish for the species that are open. On the Costa del Sol, September to November is the best all round season: dorado, lampuga locally, arrive on the troll, bonito and little tunny run, and the reef fish feed before winter. Our guide to what you can catch fishing in Málaga, month by month has the detail, and the mahi mahi charters in Spain page lists the boats for it.

The rules are set again every year, including the window and the size of the recreational quota, so treat 2026 as a guide rather than a promise for next season. A captain who fishes the Strait every week will know within days whether the fishery is open.

Before you book

• You do not need your own licence on a licensed charter. On the Costa del Sol and in Cádiz the boat's collective recreational licence covers everyone aboard, and the operator handles the PescaREC declaration.
• Ask about the authorisation, not the licence. For bluefin the question is whether the boat holds the specific authorisation and whether the fishery is open that day.
• Agree the catch. Bluefin always go back in Spain. For the other fish, some crews keep the catch and some let guests take theirs, so ask before you leave.
• Plan around the wind. The levante and the poniente decide where a Strait boat can fish, so keep a spare day if a tuna trip matters to you. All boats in Spain are on one page.