Latvia

Area diidini

• Baltic Sea coastal waters of Latvia

  Underwater hunting permitted in the Baltic Sea coastal waters; also exempt from the 1 March - 30 April inland closed season. From 2026 additional Baltic Sea rules apply (cod retention banned, salmon limited to one clipped-fin fish per day).

  Valid e-card required (ages 16-65); muscle-powered speargun only; scuba banned; buoy required; min 20 m from shore at public recreation areas; 2026 cod/salmon retention limits.

  likumi.lv
• Gulf of Riga coastal waters

  Underwater hunting permitted in the Gulf of Riga coastal waters; exempt from the 1 March - 30 April inland closed season.

  Valid e-card required (ages 16-65); muscle-powered speargun only; scuba banned; buoy required; 2026 Baltic Sea cod/salmon retention limits apply.

  likumi.lv
• Private lakes (non-state fishing rights)

  Underwater hunting permitted in private lakes where fishing rights do not belong to the state, with the owner's permission. Subject to the 1 March - 30 April closed season.

  Owner's permission required; valid e-card; subject to 1 March - 30 April closure.

  likumi.lv
• Lielais Baltezers (Great Baltezers Lake)

  Freshwater lake near Riga (municipalities of Ropaži and Ādaži) explicitly listed in Appendix 7 of Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 800 as a named inland water body where spearfishing (zemūdens medības) is permitted. A valid e-card (fishing/underwater hunting card) is required; national inland closed season 1 March–30 April applies (Art. 41); muscle-powered speargun only, scuba banned.

  likumi.lv
• Lielais Ludzas ezers (Great Lake of Ludza)

  Freshwater lake in the Ludza area of Latgale region (eastern Latvia), explicitly listed in Appendix 7 of Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 800 as a named inland water body where spearfishing (zemūdens medības) is permitted. A valid e-card is required; national inland closed season 1 March–30 April applies (Art. 41); muscle-powered speargun only, scuba banned.

  likumi.lv
• Juglas ezers (Jugla Lake)

  Freshwater lake in Riga explicitly listed in Appendix 7 of Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 800 as a named inland water body where spearfishing (zemūdens medības) is permitted. A valid e-card is required; national inland closed season 1 March–30 April applies (Art. 41); muscle-powered speargun only, scuba banned.

  likumi.lv

Area dilarang

• Public recreation areas - within 20 m of shorelinesafety exclusion zone

  It is prohibited to be on shore or in water with a loaded speargun closer than 20 metres from the shoreline at public recreation areas (Regulation No. 800, paragraph 39.3).

  likumi.lv
• State inland waters without licensed underwater huntingregulatory restriction

  Outside the Baltic Sea / Gulf of Riga coastal waters and private lakes (with owner permission), underwater hunting is only allowed where licensed underwater hunting (licencētās zemūdens medības) is specifically organised. General state inland waters are otherwise off-limits to spearfishing.

  likumi.lv
• Nida-Pērkone Marine Protected Areamarine reserve

  Marine Natura 2000 site (Special Protection Area + Special Area of Conservation, ~367 km2, 100% marine) off the SW coast of Latvia near Liepāja, stretching south toward the Lithuanian border by Nida/Pērkone, protecting reef habitats and seabed biotopes. As a protected marine territory it restricts mechanical damage to the stony seabed, commercial algae/mollusc harvesting and certain watercraft; recreational underwater hunting is NOT explicitly banned by the area's protection rules, but spearfishers should treat it as a sensitive habitat area and verify the individual protection rules before diving.

  eunis.eea.europa.eu
• Akmensrags Marine Protected Areamarine reserve

  Marine Natura 2000 protected area off the Latvian Baltic Sea coast around Akmeņrags lighthouse, south of the resort town of Pāvilosta. Centred near the Akmeņrags stony sandbank that extends about 2 nautical miles NW of the lighthouse. Protects reef and sandbank habitats; protection rules restrict seabed-damaging activity and commercial harvesting. Underwater hunting is not explicitly prohibited by the area rules, but the site is a sensitive protected reef habitat - verify current restrictions before diving.

  en.wikipedia.org
• Irbe Strait Marine Protected Areamarine reserve

  Marine Natura 2000 area in the Irbe Strait (Irbes jūras šaurums), the main exit from the Gulf of Riga to the open Baltic between the Courland Peninsula (Latvia) and Saaremaa (Estonia). Coastal waters run between Oviši and Cape Kolka. Designated for reef/sandbank habitats, migratory waterbirds and grey seals; forms a transboundary complex with Estonia. Seabed-damage and commercial-harvesting restrictions apply; underwater hunting is not explicitly banned by the area rules - treat as a sensitive habitat/seal area and verify restrictions.

  reef.daba.gov.lv
• Western coast of the Gulf of Riga Marine Protected Areamarine reserve

  Large marine protected territory ('Rīgas līča rietumu piekraste', ~132,000 ha) along the western shore of the Gulf of Riga between Mērsrags and Roja, adjacent to the Engure area. Its individual protection and use rules (Cabinet Regulation) prohibit lead shot in waterfowl hunting, mechanical damage to the stony seabed, commercial algae/mollusc harvesting, and jet-skis/wakeboarding/water-skiing in summer nesting zones (1 June-15 Aug). Recreational underwater hunting is not expressly banned by these rules, but the seabed-protection and seasonal watercraft restrictions apply.

  likumi.lv
• Selga west of Tūja Marine Protected Areamarine reserve

  Marine Natura 2000 site ('Selga uz rietumiem no Tūjas', ~586 km2) in the eastern Gulf of Riga off Saulkrasti/Tūja, designated for protected divers (red-throated and black-throated diver), little tern and the protected fish river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis). Seabed-protection and habitat restrictions apply; underwater hunting is not explicitly prohibited by the area rules, but it is a sensitive bird/fish protection area - verify restrictions before diving.

  protectedplanet.net
• Vitrupe-Tūja Marine Protected Areamarine reserve

  Marine Natura 2000 protected area along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Riga between Vitrupe and the village of Tūja (Vidzeme coast, between Saulkrasti and Salacgrīva), protecting coastal/marine habitats. Seabed-damage and commercial-harvesting restrictions apply; recreational underwater hunting is not expressly banned by the area rules but the site is a protected habitat area - verify current restrictions before diving.

  reef.daba.gov.lv
• Ainaži-Salacgrīva Marine Protected Areamarine reserve

  Marine Natura 2000 protected area along the NE coast of the Gulf of Riga off Salacgrīva and Ainaži (near the Estonian border), protecting coastal/marine habitats and migratory birds. Seabed-protection and commercial-harvesting restrictions apply; recreational underwater hunting is not explicitly banned by the area rules, but the site is a sensitive protected habitat - verify current restrictions before diving.

  reef.daba.gov.lv