Romania
Europe · Eastern Europe
Recreational spearfishing is effectively prohibited in Romania. The national fisheries law (OUG 23/2008) legally defines recreational/sport fishing as fishing carried out only with a rod (undița) or a casting rod (lanseta), which excludes spearguns and harpoons. In addition, Art. 64 lit. l) of OUG 23/2008 explicitly criminalises fishing with the ostie, suliță, țepoaică and any other piercing or hooking tools, and fishing by raking (greblare) or harpooning (harponare), punishable by a fine of 6,000-10,000 lei and a 1-3 year fishing ban. There is no recreational permit category for underwater/spear fishing in Romanian Black Sea or inland waters. Historically (1960s) crossbow fishing in the Black Sea was tolerated, but this is no longer the case under current law.
Dernière mise à jour juin 15, 2026
Cadre réglementaire
- §Ordonanța de urgență a Guvernului nr. 23/2008 privind pescuitul și acvacultura (OUG 23/2008), as amended
- §Ordinul ANPA nr. 60/2017 privind accesul la resursele acvatice vii pentru pescuit recreativ, as modified by Ordinul nr. 252/2019
- §Ordin comun MADR/MMAP nr. 23/297/2025 (prohibition periods / closed seasons for 2025-2026)
- Licence requise
- Requise
- Fusil harpon
- Interdit
- Étrangers
- Non autorisé
La loi, verbatim
Textes juridiques
Les dispositions législatives et réglementaires exactes qui régissent la chasse sous-marine ici, citées telles que publiées, avec un lien vers chaque source officielle.
Definition of recreational/sport fishing (permitted gear: rod or casting rod only)
Ordonanța de urgență a Guvernului nr. 23/2008 privind pescuitul și acvacultura
Prin pescuit recreativ/sportiv se înțelege pescuitul efectuat cu undița sau cu lanseta, în scop de agrement/performanță, pe baza unui permis nominal emis de către administratorul resurselor acvatice vii.
Prohibition of harpooning and piercing/spearing tools (criminal offence)
Ordonanța de urgență a Guvernului nr. 23/2008 privind pescuitul și acvacultura
Următoarele fapte constituie infracțiuni și se sancționează cu amendă de la 6.000 lei la 10.000 lei și interzicerea dreptului de a pescui pe o perioadă cuprinsă între 1 și 3 ani: [...] l) pescuitul cu ostia, sulița, țepoaica și cu orice alte unelte înțepătoare sau agățătoare, prin greblare sau harponare;
General prohibition of fishing tools/methods other than those established by law
Ordonanța de urgență a Guvernului nr. 23/2008 privind pescuitul și acvacultura
Folosirea altor unelte, echipamente sau metode de pescuit în afara celor stabilite este interzisă.
Quand vous pouvez plonger
Saisons et restrictions temporelles
Périodes de fermeture, d'ouverture et de restriction tout au long de l'année. Confirmez toujours localement les fermetures propres à chaque espèce.
- FerméeCalcan / Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) - Black Seaavr. 15 – juin 15
Closed season (prohibition) for turbot fishing in the Black Sea, 15 April - 15 June, per the annual common ministerial order on prohibition periods (Ordin comun MADR/MMAP nr. 23/297/2025).
- FerméeGobiide / Black Sea gobies (guvizi)avr. 15 – mai 15
Closed season for Black Sea gobies, 15 April - 15 May.
- FerméeScrumbie de Dunăre / Pontic shad (Alosa) - Black Sea to Ceatal Chilia (Mm 43)mars 31 – avr. 9
Closed season for shad on the Black Sea - Ceatal Chilia (Mm 43) sector, 31 March - 9 April (staggered upstream geographically).
- FerméeSturioni / Sturgeons (all species)janv. 1 – déc. 31
Capture/retention of sturgeons is prohibited year-round (tot timpul anului), except for scientific purposes. Sturgeons are protected species.
Autorisation de pêcher
Licence
Ce dont vous avez besoin pour être autorisé dans l'eau, ce que cela coûte et comment l'obtenir.
Issued online via the ANPA platform (Solicitare Permis Pescuit Recreativ): the applicant creates an account, answers a short questionnaire on fishing regulations, and downloads the permit. Note: this permit does NOT authorise spearfishing/harpooning.
Obtenez votre licenceOuvre le portail officiel · permise.anpa.ro
- Type
- ANPA recreational fishing permit (permis de pescuit recreativ) - covers rod/casting-rod fishing only; there is no permit category for spear/harpoon fishing.
- Coût
- Free of charge (gratuit) for the Danube, Black Sea and non-contracted natural fish habitats.
- Validité
- Valid for the calendar year (annual).
- Comment l'obtenir
- Issued online via the ANPA platform (Solicitare Permis Pescuit Recreativ): the applicant creates an account, answers a short questionnaire on fishing regulations, and downloads the permit. Note: this permit does NOT authorise spearfishing/harpooning.
- Autorité
- Agenția Națională pentru Pescuit și Acvacultură (ANPA)
Matériel et technique
Règles d'équipement
Quel matériel est autorisé, comment il peut être utilisé et les conditions associées.
Restrictions
- Fishing with the ostie, suliță, țepoaică and any other piercing or hooking tools, by raking or harpooning, is a criminal offence (Art. 64 lit. l, OUG 23/2008): fine 6,000-10,000 lei and 1-3 year fishing ban.
- Recreational/sport fishing is legally limited to rod (undița) or casting rod (lanseta) only (Art. 23, OUG 23/2008).
- Use of any tools, equipment or fishing methods other than those established by law is prohibited (Art. 11 alin. (2), OUG 23/2008).
- Black Sea (territorial waters) recreational permit gear: maximum 2 rods, 2 casting rods, or 1 țaparină with up to 10 hooks - no spear/harpoon gear permitted.
- Inland waters recreational permit gear: maximum 4 rods or 4 casting rods, with up to 2 hooks each.
Spearguns and harpoons fall outside the statutory definition of permitted recreational fishing gear and are additionally listed among prohibited/criminalised fishing methods. No legal recreational spearfishing exists under current Romanian law.
Ce que vous pouvez prélever
Limites de capture et espèces protégées
Quotas journaliers, tailles minimales et espèces qui ne doivent jamais être prélevées.
Limite journalière
Maximum 5 kg of fish per angler per day, or a single fish if it weighs more than 5 kg (recreational fishing). Catch may not be commercialised.
Espèces protégées — ne pas prélever
- ProtégéeSturioni / Sturgeons (all species) - capture/retention prohibited year-round
- ProtégéeLipan / Grayling - retention prohibited
- ProtégéeLostriță / cisco - retention prohibited
Daily limit and protected-species rules apply to permitted rod/casting-rod recreational fishing; they are noted here for context since no legal spearfishing exists. The recreational catch cannot be sold (captura nu poate fi comercializată).
Qui peut pêcher
Visiteurs et résidents
Comment les règles diffèrent pour les visiteurs étrangers et les résidents locaux.
Visiteurs étrangers
Non autoriséeRestrictions
- Spearfishing is prohibited for everyone in Romania regardless of nationality; there is no spearfishing licence available to foreigners or residents.
- Recreational fishing (rod/casting-rod) in border zones (e.g. the Danube, Black Sea coast) may additionally require prior authorisation/avizare from the Border Police.
The prohibition of harpoon/spear methods applies generally; nationality does not change the legal status.
Résidents
ANPA recreational fishing permit (rod/casting-rod only) - free of charge; no spearfishing licence exists.
Exigences
- Obtain a free ANPA recreational permit online to fish with rod/casting rod.
- Comply with prohibition periods and protected-species rules.
Residents have the same prohibition on spear/harpoon fishing as non-residents.
Où sur la côte
Zones autorisées et interdites
Zones nommées ouvertes ou fermées à la chasse sous-marine. Voir l'image complète sur la carte interactive.
Zones interdites
- Rezervația Biosferei Delta Dunării (Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve)biosphere reserve
Protected reserve explicitly excluded from the standard ANPA recreational fishing permit regime (Ordin 60/2017). Fishing here is governed by the reserve administration (ARBDD) under a separate, stricter regime; spear/harpoon fishing is not permitted.
À qui s'adresser
Autorités
Les organismes officiels responsables de la pêche et des licences.
Agenția Națională pentru Pescuit și Acvacultură (ANPA) - National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture
fisheries authority
anpa.roRecreational fishing permits portal: https://permise.anpa.ro:12443/Ministerul Agriculturii și Dezvoltării Rurale (MADR) - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
agriculture ministry
Administrația Rezervației Biosferei Delta Dunării (ARBDD) - Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration
protected area authority
Poliția de Frontieră Română - Romanian Border Police
border authority
politiadefrontiera.roAuthorisation (avizare) of recreational fishing in border zones
D'où cela provient
Sources
Chaque affirmation sur cette page renvoie à l'une de ces références.
- [01]
OUG 23/2008 privind pescuitul și acvacultura - Portal Legislativ (legislatie.just.ro)
Officiellelegislatie.just.roConsulté le juin 15 - [02]
Art. 64 OUG 23/2008 Răspunderi și sancțiuni - legeaz.net
Secondairelegeaz.netConsulté le juin 15 - [03]
Art. 23 OUG 23/2008 Pescuitul recreativ/sportiv - legeaz.net
Secondairelegeaz.netConsulté le juin 15 - [04]
Pescuit Recreativ - A.N.P.A (official agency page)
Officielleanpa.roConsulté le juin 15 - [05]
Obținerea permisului de pescuit recreativ ANPA - ghid 2024 (Info-Delta.ro)
Secondaireinfo-delta.roConsulté le juin 15 - [06]
Întrebări și răspunsuri legislație pescuit - permis ANPA (Info-Delta.ro)
Secondaireinfo-delta.roConsulté le juin 15 - [07]
Prohibiție pescuit - perioade 2026 (Info-Delta.ro)
Secondaireinfo-delta.roConsulté le juin 15 - [08]
Vânătoare subacvatică - Wikipedia (RO)
communityro.wikipedia.orgConsulté le juin 15
Notes du chercheur
Romania has a Black Sea coastline but spearfishing is not legally available. Two independent statutory grounds make recreational spear/harpoon fishing illegal: (1) Art. 23(1) OUG 23/2008 defines recreational fishing as fishing only with rod (undița) or casting rod (lanseta); (2) Art. 64 lit. l) OUG 23/2008 criminalises fishing with piercing/hooking tools and by harpooning (fine 6,000-10,000 lei + 1-3 year ban). The verbatim texts of Art. 23(1) and Art. 64 lit. l) were retrieved from legeaz.net (a Romanian legal database mirroring the Official Gazette); the consolidated act is on the official Portal Legislativ (legislatie.just.ro). Confidence is medium rather than high because the two core verbatim provisions were captured from a secondary legal-database mirror rather than directly parsed from the official portal page (which loads dynamically), and because article numbering in consolidated/amended versions may shift; the substance (rod-only recreational fishing + harpooning as an offence) is consistent across all sources checked. Closed-season dates derive from the annual common ministerial order (Ordin comun MADR/MMAP nr. 23/297/2025) as reported by a secondary fishing portal; exact dates should be reconfirmed against the official order each year. No coordinates are provided because no spearfishing-specific zones exist.
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