Bulgaria
Europe · Eastern Europe
Recreational spearfishing with a harpoon (speargun) is legal in Bulgaria only in the waters of the Black Sea. The general ban on harpoons in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act (Чл. 35, ал. 1, т. 5) expressly does not apply to recreational fishing in Black Sea waters (Чл. 35, ал. 2); the detailed conditions are set by a ministerial ordinance under Чл. 15, ал. 1. Spearfishing is freediving-only (no SCUBA/oxygen apparatus) and is permitted only during daylight hours. Harpoon use in fresh water (Danube, inland water bodies) remains prohibited. A general spawning-season fishing ban applies annually (issued by order of the Minister of Agriculture and Food / Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture - IARA), and the Black Sea turbot is under a strict closed season (15 April - 15 June). No recreational licence is required for sea fishing for either residents or foreigners; daily retention is limited (up to 3 kg of marine organisms, or one specimen over 3 kg).
Sist oppdatert Juni 14, 2026
Styrende rammeverk
- §Закон за рибарството и аквакултурите (Fisheries and Aquaculture Act), in force 2001 with later amendments (incl. ДВ бр. 94/2005)
- §Ordinance on recreational fishing issued under Чл. 15, ал. 1 of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act
- §Annual order of the Minister of Agriculture and Food / Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (IARA) on spawning-season fishing bans
- §Council Regulation (EU) on Black Sea fishing opportunities (turbot TAC, 45 cm minimum landing size, 15 April - 15 June closure)
- Lisens påkrevd
- Ikke påkrevd
- Spydgevær
- Tillatt
- Scuba
- Forbudt
- Utlendinger
- Velkommen
Loven, ordrett
Lovtekster
De eksakte lovfestede og regulatoriske bestemmelsene som gjelder for spearfishing her, sitert slik de er publisert, med lenke til hver offisiell kilde.
Prohibited fishing gear - general ban on harpoon
Закон за рибарството и аквакултурите (Fisheries and Aquaculture Act)
Забранява се стопанският и любителският риболов в обектите по чл. 3, ал. 1 със следните уреди, средства, принадлежности и приспособления: 1. взривни материали, отровни и упойващи вещества; 2. електрически ток и технически устройства и съоръжения за електроулов; 3. дънни тралиращи и драгиращи средства; 4. огнестрелно оръжие; 5. харпун; 6. (нова - ДВ, бр. 94 от 2005 г., в сила от 01.01.2007 г.) кърмаци.
Harpoon exception for recreational fishing in the Black Sea
Закон за рибарството и аквакултурите (Fisheries and Aquaculture Act)
Забраната по ал. 1, т. 5 не се отнася за любителски риболов във водите на Черно море. Условията и редът за извършване на любителски риболов с харпун се уреждат с наредбата по чл. 15, ал. 1.
Recreational fishing - daylight-only restriction
Закон за рибарството и аквакултурите (Fisheries and Aquaculture Act)
Любителският риболов, в това число и на пъстървови риби, се разрешава само през светлата част на денонощието през всички дни на седмицата, извън периода на забраната по чл. 32, ал. 1.
Recreational fishing - daily retention (catch) limit
Закон за рибарството и аквакултурите (Fisheries and Aquaculture Act)
След еднодневен риболовен излет риболовците могат да запазват за себе си до 2 кг пъстървови риби, но не повече от 8 бройки, или до 3 кг от всички останали видове риби.
Når du kan dykke
Sesonger og tidsbegrensninger
Lukkede, åpne og begrensede perioder gjennom året. Bekreft alltid artsspesifikke lukkinger lokalt.
- LukketBlack Sea turbot (Psetta maxima / Scophthalmus maximus)Apr 15 – Jun 15
Strict closed season for Black Sea turbot - capture, retention on board, landing and sale all prohibited. Implemented under EU Black Sea fishing-opportunity regulations and the annual Bulgarian spawning-ban order. Minimum landing size 45 cm total length.
- LukketGeneral spawning-season fishing ban (Black Sea, Danube and inland water bodies)Apr 15 – Jun 15
Annual spawning-season ban issued by order of the Minister of Agriculture and Food / Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (IARA). Dates and covered waters vary by species and elevation each year (e.g. inland waters below 500 m: 15 April - 31 May; above 500 m: 1 May - 15 June). Certain designated water bodies are exempted for recreational fishing under conditions.
Tillatelse til å fiske
Lisens
Hva du trenger for å ha lov til å dykke, hva det koster, og hvordan du skaffer det.
- Type
- No recreational licence required for sea (Black Sea) fishing; a recreational fishing ticket (билет за любителски риболов) applies to inland/fresh waters under Чл. 22
- Kostnad
- unknown
- Gyldighet
- unknown
- Hvordan du får det
- For inland recreational fishing, a ticket is issued under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act; no ticket/licence is needed for Black Sea spearfishing.
- Myndighet
- Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (IARA)
Utstyr og teknikk
Utstyrsregler
Hvilket utstyr som er tillatt, hvordan det kan brukes, og hvilke betingelser som gjelder.
Begrensninger
- Freediving only - use of SCUBA, oxygen tanks or other breathing/gas apparatus while spearfishing is prohibited
- Daylight hours only - night spearfishing is prohibited (Чл. 24, ал. 4)
- A signal/marker buoy attached to the diver's body by a leash is required
- Harpoon permitted only in Black Sea waters (Чл. 35, ал. 2); prohibited in fresh water
- Nets, explosives, poisons, electrical devices/electrofishing and firearms are prohibited (Чл. 35, ал. 1)
The harpoon exception and detailed conditions for recreational spearfishing are governed by the ordinance under Чл. 15, ал. 1 of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act. The freediving-only and buoy requirements are reported by secondary spearfishing sources (harpune.info, thefishcode.com); the daylight-only and harpoon/Black Sea rules are confirmed in the verbatim statute text.
Hva du kan ta
Fangstbegrensninger og vernede arter
Daglige kvoter, minimumsstørrelser og arter som aldri må tas.
Daglig grense
Up to 3 kg of marine organisms per day, or a single organism over 3 kg (Black Sea recreational); inland: up to 2 kg of trout species (max 8 specimens) or up to 3 kg of other fish (Чл. 24, ал. 2). Catch may not be sold.
Minimumsstørrelser
- Black Sea turbot (Scophthalmus maximus)min 45 cm
Vernede arter — skal ikke tas
- VernetSturgeon (Acipenser spp.) - prohibited year-round
- VernetBeluga (Huso huso) - prohibited year-round
- VernetBlack Sea turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) - seasonally protected (closed 15 April - 15 June)
Sturgeon and beluga are fully protected. Turbot is seasonally protected with a 45 cm minimum landing size and a closed season; outside the closure typically a maximum of one turbot per day is reported by secondary sources. Catch from recreational fishing may not be sold.
Hvem kan fiske
Besøkende og innbyggere
Hvordan reglene er forskjellige for utenlandske besøkende og lokale innbyggere.
Utenlandske besøkende
TillattBegrensninger
- Same rules as residents apply (freediving only, daylight only, daily limit, prohibited zones, protected species)
Foreigners may spearfish in the Black Sea under the same rules as residents; no special permit is required for saltwater spearfishing.
Innbyggere
No licence required for Black Sea spearfishing; recreational fishing ticket for inland waters
Residents and foreigners are treated identically for Black Sea spearfishing.
Hvor langs kysten
Tillatte og forbudte soner
Navngitte områder som er åpne eller lukkede for spearfishing. Se hele bildet på det interaktive kartet.
Tillatte områder
Recreational spearfishing with a harpoon is permitted only in the waters of the Black Sea (Чл. 35, ал. 2 of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act), freediving only. Excludes ports, freshwater river mouths and military zones.
Freediving only (no SCUBA / oxygen apparatus); daylight hours only; daily limit 3 kg or one organism over 3 kg; signal buoy attached to the diver; no sale of catch.
Forbudte områder
- Freshwater river mouths / fresh water (Danube and inland waters)freshwater / river mouth
Harpoon/spearfishing is prohibited outside the Black Sea, i.e. in fresh water including river mouths, the Danube and inland water bodies (the harpoon exception in Чл. 35, ал. 2 applies only to Black Sea waters).
- Military objects / naval zonesmilitary zone
Spearfishing is prohibited in/around military objects and naval base areas; objects in the Black Sea are coordinated with the commanders of the naval bases of the Bulgarian Army (Чл. 21, Чл. 25).
- Kaliakra Reserve (marine area)nature reserve (marine)
Kaliakra is the only nature/archaeological reserve in Bulgaria that includes a protected sea-water area, on Cape Kaliakra (Southern Dobruja, northern Black Sea coast). As a strict reserve under the Protected Areas Act all activities are prohibited except those expressly allowed; fishing in the aquatic zone is banned (with a strict bird-breeding closure 1 March – 30 July), making spearfishing impermissible within the reserve's marine waters.
- Koketrais sand bank protected areaprotected area (marine sand bank)
Protected site 'Pyasachna banka Koketrais' (Koketrays/Koketrise sand bank), ~12.5 km east of Nessebar and ~6.5 km south of Cape Emine, 760 ha of Black Sea seabed protected for the sand bank and benthic fauna. Bottom trawling/dredging, mussel and rapana harvesting, sand extraction (without EIA) and pollution are prohibited. Official gazette boundary: pts ~42°38'–42°39.5'N, 27°52'–27°54'E (center used).
- Chengene Skele protected areaprotected area (coastal bay / IBA)
Protected site in the bay of Chengene Skele (Tsiganski Pristan) at the estuary of the Marinka River, south of Kraymorie village (~15 km south of Burgas) in southern Burgas Bay. One of only three Bulgarian protected territories that include marine waters; designated 1995 to protect threatened bird species and the only coastal mud plain in Bulgaria. Spearfishing is incompatible with the protected regime of this shallow estuarine bay.
Betingelser på vannet
Sanntidsbetingelser
Sanntids marin- og væroversikt nær et kystnært referansepunkt i Bulgaria, fra Open-Meteo. Betingelsene varierer langs kysten — behandle dette som veiledende.
Live marin- og værdata nær Bulgarian Black Sea coastal waters.
Hvem du skal spørre
Myndigheter
De offisielle organene ansvarlige for fiskeri og lisensiering.
Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Изпълнителна агенция по рибарство и аквакултури, IARA)
fisheries authority
iara.government.bgoffice@iara.government.bg; tel. +359 2 805 1666 / +359 2 805 1663Ministry of Agriculture and Food (Министерство на земеделието и храните)
agriculture/fisheries ministry
mzh.government.bgunknown
Hvor dette kommer fra
Kilder
Hvert påstand på denne siden kan spores tilbake til en av disse referansene.
- [01]
Закон за рибарството и аквакултурите (Fisheries and Aquaculture Act) - full text, IASRJ
Offisielliasrj.euÅpnet Jun 14 - [02]
Закон за рибарството и аквакултурите Част I - Spearfish.org (statute reproduction)
Sekundærspearfish.orgÅpnet Jun 14 - [03]
Fishing Ban During Spawning Season Now in Force across Bulgaria - BTA (Bulgarian News Agency)
Sekundærbta.bgÅpnet Jun 14 - [04]
Spearfishing in Europe - Law, Rules and Restrictions (Bulgaria section) - harpune.info
communityharpune.infoÅpnet Jun 14 - [05]
Fishing Regulations in Bulgaria - The Fish Code
communitythefishcode.comÅpnet Jun 14 - [06]
Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (IARA) - official website
Offisielliara.government.bgÅpnet Jun 14
Forskernotater
Spearfishing is legal in Bulgaria ONLY in Black Sea waters, by way of an express exception to the general harpoon ban (Чл. 35, ал. 2 of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act). The four law_texts entries are verbatim Cyrillic excerpts retrieved from the statute (iasrj.eu and spearfish.org reproduction). Freediving-only (no SCUBA) and the mandatory signal buoy attached to the diver are not present in the statute excerpts retrieved and are sourced from spearfishing community sites (harpune.info, thefishcode.com); the precise wording lives in the recreational-fishing ordinance issued under Чл. 15, ал. 1, which could not be retrieved verbatim - confidence on those two points is medium. The turbot closed season (15 April - 15 June) and 45 cm minimum size derive from EU Black Sea regulations and the annual Bulgarian spawning-ban order (BTA). Daily limit, no-sale rule, and prohibited zones (ports, freshwater mouths, military objects) are consistent across the statute and secondary sources. Overall data_confidence: medium - core legality and statute text are well-sourced; some operational details (buoy, scuba, exact ordinance text) rest on secondary sources.
Varsle meg når Bulgarias regler endres
Vi sender deg e-post når Bulgarias sesonger eller reguleringer oppdateres i datasettet vårt.