Ukraine
Europe · Eastern Europe
Spearfishing (підводне полювання) is legal in Ukraine as a form of amateur and sport fishing. It is governed by the Rules of Amateur Fishing approved by Order No. 700 of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food (19.09.2022, registered as z1412-22). On general-use water bodies amateur fishing, including spearfishing, is free and requires no special permit. A speargun (підводна рушниця) without an aqualung is the permitted tool; using aqualungs or other autonomous breathing apparatus (scuba) is prohibited and treated as poaching. The spearfisher must mark the location with a signal buoy/flag, must be at least 16 years old to use a speargun, and is fully prohibited from spearfishing inside nature-reserve-fund (природно-заповідний фонд) territories and objects, on spawning grounds, in wintering pits and in numerous other listed protected/technical locations. A spring-summer spawning ban (typically from 1 April through 20 May on rivers and through 10 June on reservoirs/lakes/ponds, with some water bodies starting 5 April) restricts fishing each year. NOTE: Ukraine's Black Sea and Sea of Azov coast is heavily affected by the ongoing war; large maritime areas and the temporarily occupied territories (incl. Crimea) are inaccessible and mined. Practical marine spearfishing along the coast is currently not feasible.
Zuletzt aktualiséiert Juni 15, 2026
Gouvernéierende Kader
- §Rules of Amateur Fishing — Order of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine No. 700 of 19.09.2022 (registered in the Ministry of Justice as z1412-22, in force; consolidated version)
- §Law of Ukraine 'On the Animal World' No. 2894-III (2001)
- §Criminal Code of Ukraine, Article 249 (illegal fishing/extraction of aquatic resources)
- §Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, Article 85 (violation of rules for the protection and use of the animal world)
- Lizenz erfuerdert
- Net erfuerdert
- Spiergewier
- Erlaabt
- Scuba
- Verboten
- Auslänner
- Wëllkomm
D'Gesetz, verbatim
Gesetzestexte
Déi exakt gesetzlech a regulatoresch Bestëmmungen, déi d'Speerfëscherei hei gouvernéieren, esou wéi publizéiert zitéiert, mat engem Link op all offiziell Quell.
Spearfishing permitted as amateur fishing with special equipment or without it
Rules of Amateur Fishing, Order No. 700 of 19.09.2022 (z1412-22)
Підводне полювання дозволяється здійснювати рибалкам-любителям на рибогосподарських водних об'єктах (їх частинах), із застосуванням спеціального спорядження для підводного полювання або без такого.
Prohibition of aqualungs and other autonomous breathing apparatus
Rules of Amateur Fishing, Order No. 700 of 19.09.2022 (z1412-22)
із використанням аквалангів та інших автономних дихальних пристроїв
Use of speargun prohibited for children under 16
Rules of Amateur Fishing, Order No. 700 of 19.09.2022 (z1412-22)
Використання підводної рушниці не дозволяється дітям у віці до 16 років.
Full prohibition of spearfishing within nature-reserve-fund territories and objects
Rules of Amateur Fishing, Order No. 700 of 19.09.2022 (z1412-22)
Забороняється здійснювати підводне полювання у межах територій та об'єктів природно-заповідного фонду.
Wann Dir dauche kënnt
Saisons & Zäitbeschränkungen
Geschlossen, geöffent a ageschränkt Perioden iwwer d'Joer. Bestätegt ëmmer artenspezifisch Schliesszäiten lokal.
- ZouRivers and their feeder waters (most regions)Apr 1 – Mee 20
Annual spring-summer spawning ban (нерестова заборона) on rivers and their feeder waters. During this period fishing, including spearfishing, is sharply restricted; exact dates are set annually by regional orders of the State Agency of Fisheries (Derzhrybahentstvo). Spearfishing on spawning grounds is prohibited at all times.
- ZouReservoirs, lakes and ponds (most regions)Apr 1 – Jun 10
Annual spring-summer spawning ban on reservoirs, lakes and ponds. Some water bodies start later (e.g. the Dnipro/Zaporizhzhia Reservoir from 05 April to 13 June). Dates are fixed each year by regional Derzhrybahentstvo orders.
Erlaabnis zum Fëschen
Lizenz
Wat Dir braucht fir am Waasser erlaabt ze sinn, wat et kascht a wéi Dir et kritt.
- Typ
- No special spearfishing licence; amateur fishing on general-use water bodies is free
- Käschten
- Free on general-use water bodies; paid permits may apply on water bodies assigned to specific users.
- Gëltegkeet
- n/a
- Wéi ze kréien
- No permit needed for amateur spearfishing on general-use fishery water bodies. On water bodies leased/assigned to a user, fishing is conducted under that user's conditions (may be paid).
- Autoritéit
- State Agency of Fisheries of Ukraine (Derzhrybahentstvo)
Ausrüstung & Technik
Ausrüstungsreegelen
Wéi Ausrüstung erlaabt ass, wéi se benotzt duerf ginn a wéi Bedéngungen drun hänken.
Aschränkungen
- Speargun (підводна рушниця) is the permitted tool; the loaded speargun must be pointed downward when charging.
- Aqualungs and other autonomous breathing apparatus (scuba) are prohibited — using them for underwater hunting is treated as poaching.
- Explosives, poisonous/narcotic substances and firearms (other than the speargun) are prohibited.
- The spearfishing location must be marked with a signal buoy/float or dive flag ('Alpha' flag or a red flag with a white diagonal stripe, no smaller than 25x25 cm); if hunting from a boat, the boat must also carry the flag.
- Use of a speargun is not permitted for children under 16 years of age.
- Changing the natural state of the water body is prohibited.
Permitted gear includes mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, weight belt and signal buoy; breath-hold diving only (no scuba). Per Розділ IV/V of the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22).
Wat Dir mat kënnt huelen
Fangbeschränkungen & geschützte Arten
Deeglech Quoten, Mindestgréissten a Arten, déi ni geholl duerfen ginn.
Deeglech Limit
General amateur daily norm: up to 3 kg of fish plus 1 specimen per fisher per day on general-use water bodies (a single specimen exceeding 3 kg may be kept). Specific norms apply to crustaceans/molluscs (e.g. crayfish 30 specimens; rapana/whelk up to a separate norm).
Geschützt Arten — net huelen
- GeschütztSpecies listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (catching prohibited, enhanced penalties)
Minimum permitted catch sizes are set per species and region in the appendices to the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22); they vary by water body, so the schema's per-species size_limits are left empty pending verbatim extraction from the appendices. Catch of Red-Book species is prohibited.
Wien fësche duerf
Besucher & Awunner
Wéi d'Reegelen fir auslännesch Besucher a lokal Awunner ënnerscheeden.
Auslännesch Besucher
ErlaabtUfuerderungen
- Comply with the Rules of Amateur Fishing the same as residents (speargun only, no scuba, signal buoy, spawning ban, catch limits, protected zones).
Aschränkungen
- Coastal/marine areas and occupied territories are inaccessible due to the ongoing war; border and military zones are off-limits.
The Rules of Amateur Fishing make no distinction between Ukrainian citizens and foreigners for amateur fishing on general-use water bodies. Practical access is severely limited by wartime restrictions on coastal and border regions.
Awunner
No licence required for amateur spearfishing on general-use water bodies
Ufuerderungen
- Follow the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22): speargun only, no aqualung, mark location with signal buoy/flag, 16+ to use speargun, observe spawning ban, catch limits and protected zones.
Amateur fishing (including underwater hunting) on water bodies of general use is conducted free of charge and without special permits.
Wou op der Küst
Erlaabt & verbotene Zonen
Benannt Gebidder, déi fir Speerfëscherei op oder zou sinn. Kuckt d'ganzt Bild op der interaktiver Kaart.
Erlaabt Gebidder
Spearfishing is permitted on general-use fishery water bodies (and parts thereof) where amateur fishing is allowed, free of charge and without a special permit, subject to the Rules of Amateur Fishing. This covers most non-protected rivers, lakes, reservoirs and ponds outside reserve-fund areas, technical/security zones and spawning grounds.
Speargun only (no aqualung/scuba); location must be marked with a signal buoy or flag; spearfisher must be 16+; subject to spawning ban periods, catch limits and minimum-size limits.
Verbotene Gebidder
- Nature-reserve-fund territories and objects (природно-заповідний фонд)nature reserve / national park / protected area
Spearfishing is fully prohibited within the territories and objects of the nature-reserve fund (nature reserves, national parks, sanctuaries, etc.), per Розділ V, п. 10 of the Rules of Amateur Fishing.
- Spawning grounds and wintering pits (нерестовища та зимувальні ями)fish-protection zone
Spearfishing is prohibited on fish spawning grounds and in wintering pits.
- Thermal/hydro power plant channels and intake/discharge channelsindustrial / technical zone
Spearfishing is prohibited in channels of thermal power plants (ТЕЦ), intake and discharge channels of power stations, channels and conduits of fish-farming and land-reclamation systems, and lock (sluice) channels.
- Dam upper and lower pools (верхні та нижні б'єфи гребель)hydraulic-structure security zone
Spearfishing is prohibited in the upper pools of dams and within the lower-pool distances established by the Rules, and within the security zones of guarded bridges.
- Newly created reservoirs and assigned commercial/industrial sectionscommercial fishery / restricted zone
Spearfishing is prohibited in newly created reservoirs and on industrial/commercial sections assigned to users of aquatic bioresources, as well as in the 100/500-metre protective perimeters around fish-breeding facilities.
- Black Sea / Sea of Azov coast and temporarily occupied territories (incl. Crimea)military zone / occupied territory
Due to the ongoing war, large parts of Ukraine's Black Sea and Sea of Azov coastline, its territorial waters, and the temporarily occupied territories (including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol) are inaccessible, militarised and/or mined. Coastal/marine spearfishing is not practically feasible at present.
- Black Sea Biosphere Reserve (Чорноморський біосферний заповідник)marine biosphere reserve / nature reserve
Ukraine's largest marine/coastal nature reserve (~891 km2, est. 1984) on the northern Black Sea coast, covering the Gulf of Tendra (Tendrivska Zatoka) and Yahorlyk Bay across Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts. As a nature-reserve-fund (природно-заповідний фонд) object, spearfishing is fully prohibited there per Розділ V п.10 of the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22). Currently affected by the war/occupation.
- Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park (Національний природний парк "Тузловські лимани")national nature park / coastal lagoon system
Coastal national nature park (~278.65 km2, est. 2010) in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion, Odesa Oblast, protecting the Tuzly Lagoons system (Shahany, Alibey, Burnas and smaller lagoons) along the Black Sea near Tatarbunary. As a nature-reserve-fund object, spearfishing is prohibited under the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22).
- Dzharylhach National Nature Park (Національний природний парк "Джарилгацький")national nature park / island and bay
National nature park (~10,000 ha) covering Dzharylhach Island (the largest island in the Black Sea) and the adjacent Karkinit Bay in the northern Black Sea, Skadovsk Raion, Kherson Oblast. As a nature-reserve-fund object, spearfishing is prohibited under the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22). Currently affected by the war.
- Ivory Coast of Sviatoslav National Nature Park (Національний природний парк "Білобережжя Святослава")national nature park / estuary and peninsula
Coastal national nature park covering parts of the Dnieper-Bug estuary, the Kinburn Peninsula and Yahorlyk Bay in Mykolaiv Oblast on the northern Black Sea coast. As a nature-reserve-fund object, spearfishing is prohibited under the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22). Currently affected by the war.
- Danube Biosphere Reserve (Дунайський біосферний заповідник)marine/wetland biosphere reserve / river delta
Biosphere reserve in the Ukrainian (Kyliia) part of the Danube Delta near Vylkove, Odesa Oblast (~122,000 ha on the Ukrainian side), including delta islands, lakes and a ~2 km strip of Black Sea coastal water. As a nature-reserve-fund object, spearfishing is prohibited under the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22).
- Shatsk National Nature Park — Shatsk Lakes (Шацький НПП / Шацькі озера)national nature park / lake system
Shatsk National Nature Park (Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine) is a природно-заповідний фонд (nature-reserve-fund) object containing 23 freshwater lakes, including Lake Svityaz (Світязь, the largest natural lake in Ukraine at 2,622 ha and up to 58.4 m deep). As a national nature park within the nature-reserve-fund, spearfishing is fully prohibited under Розділ V п.10 of the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22).
- Synevyr National Nature Park — Lake Synevyr (НПП "Синевир" / озеро Синевир)national nature park / mountain lake
Lake Synevyr is the largest high-mountain lake in the Ukrainian Carpathians (~4–7 ha surface, depth up to 24 m), located within Synevyr National Nature Park (Zakarpattia Oblast, 42,704 ha). The park is a природно-заповідний фонд object and a Ramsar-listed wetland. Fishing and spearfishing are prohibited under park regulations and under Розділ V п.10 of the Rules of Amateur Fishing (z1412-22) which bans all spearfishing within nature-reserve-fund territories.
Konditioune op dem Waasser
Live-Konditioune
Live Mieres- a Wiederschnappschoss no engem Küstenreferenzpunkt a Ukraine, vun Open-Meteo. Konditioune variéiere laanscht d'Küst — als indikatif betruechten.
Live Mieres- & Wiederbedéngungen no Black Sea Biosphere Reserve (Чорноморський біосферний заповідник).
Wien ze froen
Autoritéiten
Déi offiziell Gremien, déi fir Fëscherei a Lizenzéierung zoustänneg sinn.
State Agency of Fisheries of Ukraine (Державне агентство меліорації та рибного господарства / Держрибагентство)
fisheries authority
darg.gov.uaSubordinate to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine; enforces fishing rules through regional fish-protection patrol (рибоохоронний патруль) units.Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine
agriculture/environment ministry
minagro.gov.uaIssued the Rules of Amateur Fishing (Order No. 700 of 19.09.2022).
Wou dëst hierkommt
Quellen
All Behaaptung op dëser Säit geet op eng vun dëse Referenze zréck.
- [01]
Про затвердження Правил любительського рибальства — Order No. 700 of 19.09.2022 (z1412-22), official legislation portal
Offiziellzakon.rada.gov.uaOpgeruff Jun 15 - [02]
Правове регулювання підводного полювання в Україні — WikiLegalAid (legal-aid reference)
Sekundärlegalaid.wikiOpgeruff Jun 15 - [03]
Основні правила підводного полювання — Dnipropetrovsk fish-protection (Derzhrybahentstvo regional)
Offizielldnp.darg.gov.uaOpgeruff Jun 15 - [04]
Заборони та дозволи на підводне полювання в Україні — Batiskaf (dive shop reference)
communitybatiskaf.uaOpgeruff Jun 15 - [05]
Нерестова заборона з 1 квітня 2026 — RBC-Ukraine (spawning ban dates)
Sekundärrbc.uaOpgeruff Jun 15 - [06]
Нерестова заборона 2026 на Дніпропетровщині (regional spawning ban dates)
Sekundärregion.dp.uaOpgeruff Jun 15 - [07]
State Agency of Fisheries of Ukraine — Wikipedia
Sekundären.wikipedia.orgOpgeruff Jun 15
Fuerschernotizen
Ukraine permits spearfishing (підводне полювання) as a form of amateur/sport fishing under the Rules of Amateur Fishing (Order No. 700 of 19.09.2022, z1412-22). Core verbatim provisions (speargun permitted, aqualung/scuba prohibited, 16+ age limit, nature-reserve-fund ban) were extracted from the official zakon.rada.gov.ua legislation portal. The full prohibited-locations list (power-plant channels, dam pools, spawning grounds, wintering pits, lock channels, newly created reservoirs, assigned commercial sections) is corroborated by regional Derzhrybahentstvo pages. Per-species minimum catch sizes are set in the appendices to the Rules and vary by region; they were not captured verbatim and size_limits is intentionally left empty rather than guessed. The spawning-ban dates are set annually by regional orders; the values given are the standard 2026 ranges. IMPORTANT WARTIME CAVEAT: Ukraine has a Black Sea/Sea of Azov coastline (coastline=true), but most of the coast, territorial waters and the occupied territories (including Crimea) are inaccessible, militarised and/or mined, so practical marine spearfishing is currently not feasible; the operative rules apply to inland freshwater bodies. Inland/freshwater spearfishing: Spearfishing in inland/freshwater bodies (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds) is legally permitted as amateur recreational fishing under the Rules of Amateur Fishing (Order No. 700, 19.09.2022, z1412-22) — speargun without scuba, signal buoy required, 16+ age limit — subject to the annual spring-summer spawning ban and full prohibition inside nature-reserve-fund territories (national parks, reserves, sanctuaries).
Mech notifizéieren wann Ukraines Reegelen änneren
Mir emailen Iech wann Ukraines Saisons oder Reegelen a eisem Dateset aktualiséiert ginn.