SpearfishingKart

Croatia

Europe · Southern Europe

Spearfishing (ribolov podvodnom puškom) is legal in Croatia but allowed ONLY under a sport fishing licence (sportska dozvola) issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and sold through clubs affiliated with the Croatian Federation for Sport Fishing at Sea (HSSRM). It is not permitted on a recreational (rekreacijska) licence. Strict conditions apply: minimum age 16, free-diving (breath-hold) only with diving apparatus / scuba strictly prohibited, daylight only (from sunrise to sunset), a mandatory signal buoy, and a daily catch limit of 5 kg per fisher (plus one fish exceeding it). Up to two spearguns per fisher are allowed; towing a diver by boat and use of an underwater scooter are forbidden. Spearfishing/fishing is banned in protected national parks (e.g. Kornati, Brijuni, Mljet, Krka), special reserves, certain river estuaries and bays, and in harbours, ports, public beaches and bathing areas (the latter seasonally from 1 May to 1 October).

Restricted
DatasikkerhetHøy sikkerhet

Sist oppdatert Mai 8, 2026

Styrende rammeverk

  • §Zakon o morskom ribarstvu (Marine Fisheries Act), Narodne novine no. 62/17, 130/17, 14/19, 30/23, 14/24
  • §Pravilnik o sportskom i rekreacijskom ribolovu na moru (Rulebook on Sport and Recreational Sea Fishing), Narodne novine no. 48/2026 (8 May 2026)
Lisens påkrevd
Påkrevd
Spydgevær
Tillatt
Scuba
Forbudt
Utlendinger
Velkommen
Maks spyd
2

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.

01Članak 31.Republic of Croatia · national

Underwater fishing with a speargun (sport fishing only, age 16, free-diving only, daylight only)

Zakon o morskom ribarstvu (Marine Fisheries Act), NN 62/17, 130/17, 14/19, 30/23, 14/24

HROriginal

Članak 31. (1) Ribolov podvodnom puškom dozvoljen je samo u športskom ribolovu. (2) Pri obavljanju ribolova podvodnom puškom ribolovac mora biti propisno označen sukladno posebnom propisu kojim su regulirane podvodne aktivnosti. (3) Ribolov podvodnom puškom zabranjen je od zalaska do izlaska sunca. (4) Ribolov podvodnom puškom smije se obavljati samo ronjenjem na dah. (5) Zabranjeno je obavljanje ribolova podvodnom puškom osobama mlađima od 16 godina.

02Članak 33. stavak 3.Republic of Croatia · national

Daily catch limit of 5 kg per fisher in sport and recreational fishing

Zakon o morskom ribarstvu (Marine Fisheries Act), NN 62/17, 130/17, 14/19, 30/23, 14/24

HROriginal

U športskom ribolovu i rekreacijskom ribolovu dopušteno je dnevno uloviti i sakupiti do pet kilograma riba i drugih morskih organizama po ribolovcu, a dopuštena dnevna količina ulova može biti veća za masu jedne ribe ili drugoga morskog organizma kojim se premašuje dopuštenih pet kilograma.

03Članak 3. točka 5.; Članak 5. stavak 1.Republic of Croatia · national

Definition of underwater fishing and speargun-only licence requirement

Pravilnik o sportskom i rekreacijskom ribolovu na moru, NN 48/2026

HROriginal

Članak 3., točka 5.: Podvodni ribolov je ribolov podvodnom puškom koja se koristi za izbacivanje probodnog ribolovnog alata (harpuna ili ostiju). Članak 5., stavak 1. (popis dopuštenih alata): Ribolovac, nositelj godišnje, dnevne ili višednevne dozvole smije obavljati ribolov sljedećim ribolovnim alatima, opremom i metodom: − odmetom − kančenicom − povlačnim povrazom (panulom) − povrazom s kukom za lov glavonožaca − napravom za lov velikog morskog crva (trapula) − ručnim sakupljanjem morskih organizama sa ili bez korištenja priručne opreme − podvodnom puškom, isključivo uz kupnju sportske dozvole.

04Članak 9.Republic of Croatia · national

Special provisions for speargun fishing - no towing by boat or underwater scooter

Pravilnik o sportskom i rekreacijskom ribolovu na moru, NN 48/2026

HROriginal

POSEBNE ODREDBE ZA RIBOLOV PODVODNOM PUŠKOM Članak 9. (1) Ograničenja u obavljanju ribolova podvodnom puškom propisana su Zakonom. (2) Zabranjeno je tegljenje ribolovca plovilom i/ili korištenje podvodnog skutera prilikom ribolova podvodnom puškom.

05Članak (Ribolov u zaštićenim područjima)Republic of Croatia · national

Fishing in protected areas requires a special licence; managing authority may further restrict or ban it

Pravilnik o sportskom i rekreacijskom ribolovu na moru, NN 48/2026

HROriginal

RIBOLOV U ZAŠTIĆENIM PODRUČJIMA (1) Sportski i rekreacijski ribolov u zaštićenim područjima smije se obavljati uz posjedovanje posebne dozvole za ribolov u dijelovima mora zaštićenima u kategoriji nacionalnog parka, posebnog rezervata i parka prirode. (2) Javna ustanova koja upravlja zaštićenim područjem (u daljnjem tekstu: javna ustanova) određuje koje će vrste i potkategorije dozvola iz tablice iz članka 6. stavka 1. ovoga Pravilnika prodavati za ribolov u zaštićenom području u svojoj nadležnosti [...] Javna ustanova može u zaštićenim područjima potpuno zabraniti ili dodatno ograničiti sportski i/ili rekreacijski ribolov.

Når du kan dykke

Sesonger og tidsbegrensninger

Lukkede, åpne og begrensede perioder gjennom året. Bekreft alltid artsspesifikke lukkinger lokalt.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Mai
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Okt
Nov
Des
LukketBegrensetÅpen
  • LukketHarbours, ports, public beaches and bathing areasMai 1 – Okt 1

    Recreational and sport sea fishing (including spearfishing) is prohibited in harbours, small ports, public beaches and bathing places during the bathing season from 1 May to 1 October. Outside marked bathing areas spearfishing is otherwise permitted year-round (daylight only).

  • BegrensetAll spearfishing (daily time restriction)sunrise – sunset

    Spearfishing is allowed exclusively during daylight, from sunrise to sunset; it is prohibited from sunset to sunrise (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu, čl. 31. st. 3).

Tillatelse til å fiske

Lisens

Hva du trenger for å ha lov til å dykke, hva det koster, og hvordan du skaffer det.

Lisens påkrevdvia Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i ribarstva - Uprava ribarstva (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries - Directorate of Fisheries); sold via HSSRM member clubs

Sport licences are sold through clubs/associations affiliated with the Croatian Federation for Sport Fishing at Sea (HSSRM); recreational licences via the Ministry's fisheries portal and authorised vendors. Issued in electronic form.

Skaff lisensen din

Åpner den offisielle portalen · hssrm.hr

Lisens påkrevd
Type
Sport fishing licence (sportska dozvola) - mandatory for spearfishing; recreational licence does NOT permit spearfishing
Kostnad
Annual sport/recreational licence for adults under 65: 46.45 EUR (2026 tariff). Daily licence 10 EUR, 3-day 25 EUR, 7-day 45 EUR, 150-day 79.63 EUR. Reduced rates for minors, war veterans (HRVI), pensioners and over-65s. (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 6.)
Gyldighet
Daily (24h), 3-day (72h), 7-day (168h), 150-day, or annual (calendar year). Licences are non-transferable and issued electronically by the Ministry.
Hvordan du får det
Sport licences are sold through clubs/associations affiliated with the Croatian Federation for Sport Fishing at Sea (HSSRM); recreational licences via the Ministry's fisheries portal and authorised vendors. Issued in electronic form.
Myndighet
Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i ribarstva - Uprava ribarstva (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries - Directorate of Fisheries); sold via HSSRM member clubs

Utstyr og teknikk

Utstyrsregler

Hvilket utstyr som er tillatt, hvordan det kan brukes, og hvilke betingelser som gjelder.

SpydgeværTillatt
ScubaForbudt
Maks spyd2

Begrensninger

  • Free-diving (breath-hold) only - use of diving apparatus / scuba enabling underwater breathing is prohibited (Zakon, čl. 31. st. 4)
  • Maximum two (2) spearguns per fisher
  • Daylight only, from sunrise to sunset (Zakon, čl. 31. st. 3)
  • Mandatory diver marking / signal buoy per underwater-activity regulations (Zakon, čl. 31. st. 2)
  • Towing a fisher by boat and/or use of an underwater scooter is prohibited (Pravilnik, čl. 9. st. 2)
  • Minimum age 16 (Zakon, čl. 31. st. 5)
  • Collecting marine organisms using diving apparatus is prohibited (Pravilnik, čl. on collection)

Spearfishing requires a sport (not recreational) licence. A signal float marking the diver's position is required; historically a minimum 10-litre signal buoy connected to the weight belt was specified.

Hva du kan ta

Fangstbegrensninger og vernede arter

Daglige kvoter, minimumsstørrelser og arter som aldri må tas.

Daglig grense

5 kg of fish and other marine organisms per fisher per day, plus the weight of one fish/organism that exceeds the 5 kg threshold (Zakon, čl. 33. st. 3). Within this, live bivalves and snails up to 2 kg (mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis up to 5 kg).

Vernede arter — skal ikke tas

  • VernetBluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) - prohibited except under specific trophy/competition quota schemes
  • VernetGroupers - kirnje (Polyprion americanus, Mycteroperca rubra): max 1 specimen total per day
  • VernetSharks and rays (Elasmobranchii) - protected/sensitive species must be released
  • VernetDate mussel / prstac (Lithophaga lithophaga) - strictly protected, harvest banned

Minimum reference (landing) sizes and closed seasons (lovostaji) for individual species are set by a separate regulation on protection of fish and marine organisms. Octopus (Octopus vulgaris): max 2 specimens/day. Selling the catch from sport/recreational fishing is prohibited.

Hvem kan fiske

Besøkende og innbyggere

Hvordan reglene er forskjellige for utenlandske besøkende og lokale innbyggere.

Utenlandske besøkende

Tillatt

Krav

  • Purchase the same sport licence as residents to spearfish (recreational licence does not allow spearfishing)
  • Comply with minimum age 16, free-diving only, daylight only, signal buoy, and area/zone restrictions

Begrensninger

  • Sport licences are sold through HSSRM member clubs; foreigners commonly buy via a club or authorised vendor
  • Same protected-area and seasonal bans apply (national parks, reserves, harbours/beaches 1 May - 1 October)

Foreign visitors may spearfish on the same terms as Croatians provided they hold a valid sport licence and follow all national rules.

Innbyggere

Sport fishing licence (sportska dozvola) for spearfishing; recreational licence (rekreacijska dozvola) for general angling (no speargun)

Krav

  • Valid electronic licence issued by the Ministry
  • Minimum age 16 for speargun fishing
  • Sport licence purchased via an HSSRM member club

Fordeler

  • Reduced annual fees for minors, war veterans (HRVI), pensioners, and persons over 65
  • Free licences for certain categories (e.g. over-65 residents of islands/Pelješac, under certain conditions)

Persons under 14 may do recreational angling (one hand line) without a licence, but this does not cover spearfishing, which requires a sport licence and a minimum age of 16.

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

  • Spearfishing is permitted in the open Croatian Adriatic on a valid sport licence, outside national parks, special reserves, listed estuaries/bays, and outside harbours, ports and bathing areas (the latter banned 1 May - 1 October). Free-diving only, daylight only, with a signal buoy.

    Sport licence required; min age 16; free-diving only (no scuba); daylight only; signal buoy mandatory; max 2 spearguns; 5 kg/day catch limit.

Forbudte områder

  • Fishing and spearfishing prohibited within the national park; recreational/sport fishing only via the park's public institution under separate rules and generally not permitted for spearfishing.

  • Fishing and spearfishing prohibited within the national park boundaries.

  • Mljet National Parknational park

    Fishing and spearfishing prohibited within the national park boundaries.

  • Krka National Parknational park

    National park (river Krka and estuary) - not a fishing zone; spearfishing prohibited.

  • Fishing prohibited in the Lim channel (special reserve / aquaculture zone).

  • Medulin bay and Klimno bay (island of Krk)protected bay / no-take area

    Fishing prohibited in Medulin bay and in Klimno bay on the island of Krk.

  • Fishing prohibited in the listed river estuaries and in Rijeka Dubrovačka.

  • Fishing/spearfishing prohibited in harbours, small ports, public beaches and bathing places (seasonally 1 May - 1 October).

  • Telašćica Nature Park (no-take marine zones)nature park / marine no-take zone

    Telašćica Nature Park on the southeastern part of Dugi Otok island. Croatia's first no-take ('no-fishing') marine zones were established here under the ordinance on fishing in protected areas for the Telašćica and Lastovo nature parks (in force from World Fisheries Day, 21 November). Any seabed exploitation, including spearfishing, is completely prohibited in the no-take zones; sport/recreational fishing in the park is otherwise governed by the park's public institution under special licence (NN 48/2026 art. on protected areas).

  • Lastovo Islands Nature Park (Lastovsko otočje)nature park / marine no-take zone

    Lastovo Islands Nature Park (Park prirode Lastovsko otočje), an archipelago of 46 islands/islets ~14 km south of Korčula with 143 km² of marine area. The park contains many no-take marine zones forming a protected band around the coast (seagrass meadows). Amateur fishing is not allowed in the park area; the same special ordinance on fishing in protected areas (Telašćica & Lastovo) applies, so spearfishing is prohibited in the no-take zones and otherwise tightly restricted under the park's public institution.

  • Mali Ston Bay (Malostonski zaljev), enclosed between the Pelješac peninsula and the mainland in southern Dalmatia, was declared a Special Natural (marine) Reserve in 1983 (≈4,821 ha, from the Sreser–Duba line eastwards) and is a Natura 2000 site. It is protected primarily as a shellfish-farming ecosystem (European flat oyster and Mediterranean mussel); as a special reserve it falls under the protected-area fishing regime (NN 48/2026) where the managing institution may fully prohibit or restrict sport/recreational fishing, including spearfishing.

  • Posebni rezervat Rt Stupišćespecial marine reserve

    Special marine reserve at Cape Stupišće near Komiža on the western coast of Vis island, declared by Croatian Government Decree (NN 76/2025, in force 13 May 2025). The reserve covers 109.7 ha (102.8 ha sea, 6.9 ha land) and protects Posidonia meadows, reefs, red coral, and endemic species. Under Article 4(2) of the Decree, all fishing and other extractive activities ('ribolov i ostale ekstrakcijske djelatnosti') are prohibited; only scientific/educational fishing and selective removal of invasive alien species are permitted under special authorisation. Diving tourism remains allowed under regulated conditions.

Betingelser på vannet

Sanntidsbetingelser

Sanntids marin- og væroversikt nær et kystnært referansepunkt i Croatia, fra Open-Meteo. Betingelsene varierer langs kysten — behandle dette som veiledende.

Live marin- og værdata nær Kornati National Park.

Betingelser

Hvem du skal spørre

Myndigheter

De offisielle organene ansvarlige for fiskeri og lisensiering.

  • Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i ribarstva - Uprava ribarstva (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries - Directorate of Fisheries)

    fisheries authority

    ribarstvo.mps.hrribarstvo.mps.hr
  • Hrvatski savez za sportski ribolov na moru (HSSRM) - Croatian Federation for Sport Fishing at Sea

    national sport fishing federation (licence sales)

    hssrm.hrhttps://www.hssrm.hr
  • Government of the Republic of Croatia - e-service for recreational and sport sea fishing

    government portal

    gov.hrgov.hr

Hvor dette kommer fra

Kilder

Hvert påstand på denne siden kan spores tilbake til en av disse referansene.

  1. [01]

    Zakon o morskom ribarstvu (Marine Fisheries Act), consolidated text

    Offisiell
    zakon.hrÅpnet Jun 14
  2. [02]

    Pravilnik o sportskom i rekreacijskom ribolovu na moru, NN 48/2026 (official PDF via HSSRM)

    Offisiell
    hssrm.hrÅpnet Jun 14
  3. [03]

    MPS Uprava ribarstva - Rekreacijski i športski ribolov na moru

    Offisiell
    ribarstvo.mps.hrÅpnet Jun 14
  4. [04]

    Gov.hr - Rekreacijski i sportski ribolov na moru

    Offisiell
    gov.hrÅpnet Jun 14
  5. [05]

    HSSRM - Dozvole (licence info and sales)

    Offisiell
    hssrm.hrÅpnet Jun 14
  6. [06]

    Sea Fishing in Croatia: Regulations, licenses, prices - Croatia Traveller

    Sekundær
  7. [07]

    Fishing in Croatia - TheSailmaster (national parks / no-fishing zones)

    Sekundær
    thesailmaster.siÅpnet Jun 14
  8. [08]

    Rules in the Adriatic - Sea Spirit Adria (prohibited zones list)

    Sekundær

Forskernotater

Spearfishing is legal but restricted to a SPORT licence (not the recreational licence). Core restrictions (sport-only, age 16, free-diving only, daylight only, diver marking) are set in the Marine Fisheries Act art. 31, and the 5 kg/day limit in art. 33. The current implementing Rulebook is NN 48/2026 (in force May 2026), which delegates speargun restrictions to the Act and adds prohibitions on boat-towing and underwater scooters (art. 9). License fees are from the Pravilnik fee table (čl. 6); some figures (e.g. 150-day adult = 79.63 EUR, annual adult = 46.45 EUR) were read from the official PDF and may carry minor OCR uncertainty. Verbatim legal text for art. 31 and 33 was obtained from zakon.hr; verbatim Rulebook text from the official NN 48/2026 PDF hosted by HSSRM. Protected-area and harbour/beach prohibitions are corroborated by multiple secondary sources but exact park boundaries/coordinates are approximate centroids, not legal coordinates. Closed seasons and minimum sizes for individual species are governed by a separate species-protection regulation not fully captured here.

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