Palapas Ventana

Mexican Fishing Take Limits

How Mexico’s points-based catch rules apply to Palapas Ventana boat days and week-long liveaboards on the Sea of Cortez.

A points system, not a free-for-all

Mexico uses a points-based take limit. Each angler gets 10 points per fishing day. Species are worth different points. Most fish are one point each. Billfish, shark, and giant seabass are five points each, with a one-fish daily cap for those.

10Points per angler, per fishing day

5One-species caps still apply inside the daily bag

1Most finfish are one point each

5Billfish, shark, and giant seabass are five points each

These rules apply whether you are on a Palapas Ventana panga day from the resort or fishing across a liveaboard week.

Bag and possession limits

In practice, the points system lines up with Mexico’s daily bag limits.

Up to 10 fish per angler per dayNo more than 5 fish of any one species.
Billfish count as 5 of your 10No more than one billfish (marlin, sailfish, or swordfish) per angler per day.
Dorado, roosterfish, and tarpon count as 5 of your 10No more than two of each per day, and each fish counts as five toward the ten-fish daily bag.
Shark and giant seabass are also 5 points eachOnly one shark and only one giant seabass per angler per day.
Most other finfish are 1 point eachTuna, wahoo, yellowtail, grouper, rockfish, triggerfish, and similar species. Still no more than 5 of any one species.

Marlin catch on a Palapas Ventana fishing day

Boat days from Palapas Ventana

On a resort fishing day, limits reset with the calendar day for each licensed angler on the boat.

If you book a panga day for rod and reel, fly, or a mixed ocean day, plan your take around the 10-point daily cap. One marlin uses your full special-limit weight for that day. A couple of dorado or roosterfish can do the same. One-point fish like yellowtail, tuna, or wahoo leave more room in the daily bag, but the five-of-one-species ceiling still applies.

Our captains help guests fish smart: keep what fits the day’s limits, release the rest, and keep the cooler honest. Meet them on our Captains profiles page.

Week-long liveaboards

On a seven-day liveaboard, the same daily points apply each fishing day of the trip.

Think in days, not in one giant weekly quota. Each angler still gets up to 10 points for every day they fish. A full fishing week can mean several legal daily bags over the voyage, but you never stack multiple days of limits into a single calendar day.

That matters on spearfishing, scuba, and mixed liveaboards leaving from Palapas Ventana: the cooler fills across the week, while each day stays inside Mexican take rules. Your crew will help track species and keep the trip aligned with current regulations.

Underwater fishing limits

If you are spearfishing or otherwise fishing underwater, the maximum daily bag is five fish.

That underwater cap is tighter than the general 10-fish framework. On Palapas Ventana spearfishing liveaboards and spear-friendly boat days, plan for quality over volume and follow your captain’s guidance on species and size.

Protected and prohibited take

Mexican law prohibits taking these species and shellfish. Leave them in the water.

Abalone
Lobster
Shrimp
Pismo clams
Cabrilla
Totuava
Oysters
Sea turtles

Fishing rules can be updated by Mexican authorities. Palapas Ventana runs boat days and liveaboards to current local practice. When in doubt, ask your captain before anything hits the ice.

Fishing with Palapas Ventana

Ready for a resort boat day or a week on a Sea of Cortez liveaboard? We will help match the trip to your style and keep the catch inside Mexican limits.