Croatia

Áreas permitidas

• Croatian fishing sea (Adriatic) outside protected and restricted areas

  Spearfishing is permitted in the open Croatian Adriatic on a valid sport licence, outside national parks, special marine reserves, special habitats (posebna staništa) and areas with special fishing regulation. Free-diving only, daylight only (sunrise to sunset), minimum age 16, and a yellow or orange signal float at least 30 cm in diameter towed at the surface. Diving — and so spearfishing — is prohibited in ports, port approaches and the narrow channels used for navigation, and other sport or recreational activity inside a port area requires the port operator's approval with the harbourmaster's consent. Restrictions at organised bathing places are set locally under the maritime-domain rules, not by national fisheries law; there is no national seasonal beach closure.

  Sport licence required; min age 16; free-diving only (no scuba); daylight only; yellow or orange signal float of at least 30 cm diameter towed at the surface (Pravilnik NN 72/2021, čl. 51); max 2 spearguns; 5 kg/day catch limit.

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• Velebitski kanal — speargun expressly permitted in sport fishing

  The Velebit Channel, bounded by the lines Ertak lighthouse on the mainland – Rt Bajevec (Krk) – Rt Solinji – Rt Glavati – Rt Škuljica (Krk) – Rt Stražica (Prvić) – Rt Šilo (Prvić) – Rt Markonj (Goli) – Mali Goli rock – Rt Krklant (Rab) – Rt Gabar – Gornji rt (Dolin) – Zali rt (Pag) – Ljubačka vrata – Rt Korotanja – Rt Baljenica, is area no. 1 of the ribolovno more with special fishing regulation under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 15, and čl. 16(2) expressly permits the use of the speargun in sport fishing there. This is an express statutory permission, not merely the absence of a ban: the drafter names »upotreba podvodne puške u športskom ribolovu« in the permitted-gear list. All general national rules still apply — sport licence, daylight only, breath-hold only, minimum age 16 (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31), the 5 kg daily limit (čl. 33(3)) and the species limits of Pravilnik NN 48/2026 — and the carve-outs listed in the same Pravilnik are excluded from this permission. Note the boundary line Rt Solinji – Rt Glavati is exactly the mouth of uvala Klimno, which is a posebno stanište where the speargun is excluded (čl. 14(2) point 3). LICENCE CLASS: this permission runs to sport fishing only — a recreational licence (rekreacijska dozvola) does NOT authorise a speargun, and a sport licence (sportska dozvola) is required (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 5. st. 1: »podvodnom puškom, isključivo uz kupnju sportske dozvole«; Zakon o morskom ribarstvu, čl. 31. st. 1: »Ribolov podvodnom puškom dozvoljen je samo u športskom ribolovu«). The recreational licence is the dearer of the two — annual EUR 66.36 for 2026 against EUR 46.45 for the sport licence — and still buys no speargun right.

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• Novigradsko i Karinsko more — speargun expressly permitted in sport fishing

  Novigradsko more and Karinsko more, the enclosed brackish basins behind the Maslenica strait, extending from the line Rt Ždrijac – Maslenica and covering the whole of both basins EXCEPT the Zrmanja-estuary posebno stanište, are area no. 2 of the ribolovno more with special fishing regulation under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 15, and čl. 17(2) expressly permits the use of the speargun in sport fishing there (as well as breath-hold shellfish collecting in sport and recreational fishing). This is an express statutory permission, not merely the absence of a ban: the drafter names »upotreba podvodne puške u športskom ribolovu« in the permitted-gear list. All general national rules still apply — sport licence, daylight only, breath-hold only, minimum age 16 (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31), the 5 kg daily limit (čl. 33(3)) and the species limits of Pravilnik NN 48/2026 — and the carve-outs listed in the same Pravilnik are excluded from this permission. The Zrmanja estuary inside the same basin is carried separately as a prohibited zone. LICENCE CLASS: this permission runs to sport fishing only — a recreational licence (rekreacijska dozvola) does NOT authorise a speargun, and a sport licence (sportska dozvola) is required (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 5. st. 1: »podvodnom puškom, isključivo uz kupnju sportske dozvole«; Zakon o morskom ribarstvu, čl. 31. st. 1: »Ribolov podvodnom puškom dozvoljen je samo u športskom ribolovu«). The recreational licence is the dearer of the two — annual EUR 66.36 for 2026 against EUR 46.45 for the sport licence — and still buys no speargun right.

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• Prokljansko jezero — speargun expressly permitted in sport fishing

  Prokljansko jezero, the brackish lake on the lower Krka north of the parallel of Rt Vukinac up to the Skradin bridge, is area no. 3 of the ribolovno more with special fishing regulation under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 15, and čl. 18(2) expressly permits the use of the speargun in sport fishing there. This is an express statutory permission, not merely the absence of a ban: the drafter names »upotreba podvodne puške u športskom ribolovu« in the permitted-gear list. All general national rules still apply — sport licence, daylight only, breath-hold only, minimum age 16 (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31), the 5 kg daily limit (čl. 33(3)) and the species limits of Pravilnik NN 48/2026 — and the carve-outs listed in the same Pravilnik are excluded from this permission. Upstream of the Skradin bridge the water is inside Krka National Park, where all fishing is prohibited (Pravilnik NN 123/2019 čl. 15(1)) and all underwater activity is prohibited (čl. 34(1)) — the bridge is the line between the two regimes. LICENCE CLASS: this permission runs to sport fishing only — a recreational licence (rekreacijska dozvola) does NOT authorise a speargun, and a sport licence (sportska dozvola) is required (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 5. st. 1: »podvodnom puškom, isključivo uz kupnju sportske dozvole«; Zakon o morskom ribarstvu, čl. 31. st. 1: »Ribolov podvodnom puškom dozvoljen je samo u športskom ribolovu«). The recreational licence is the dearer of the two — annual EUR 66.36 for 2026 against EUR 46.45 for the sport licence — and still buys no speargun right.

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• Marinski zaljev (Marina bay) — speargun expressly permitted in sport fishing

  Marinski zaljev, bounded by the lines Rt Jelinek – Rt Vranjica and covering the whole bay in to the village of Marina west of Trogir, is area no. 4 of the ribolovno more with special fishing regulation under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 15, and čl. 19(2) expressly permits the use of the speargun in sport fishing there. Note that here gigs (osti) are permitted only WITHOUT artificial lighting, unlike the other special-regulation areas. This is an express statutory permission, not merely the absence of a ban: the drafter names »upotreba podvodne puške u športskom ribolovu« in the permitted-gear list. All general national rules still apply — sport licence, daylight only, breath-hold only, minimum age 16 (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31), the 5 kg daily limit (čl. 33(3)) and the species limits of Pravilnik NN 48/2026 — and the carve-outs listed in the same Pravilnik are excluded from this permission. LICENCE CLASS: this permission runs to sport fishing only — a recreational licence (rekreacijska dozvola) does NOT authorise a speargun, and a sport licence (sportska dozvola) is required (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 5. st. 1: »podvodnom puškom, isključivo uz kupnju sportske dozvole«; Zakon o morskom ribarstvu, čl. 31. st. 1: »Ribolov podvodnom puškom dozvoljen je samo u športskom ribolovu«). The recreational licence is the dearer of the two — annual EUR 66.36 for 2026 against EUR 46.45 for the sport licence — and still buys no speargun right.

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• Neretvanski kanal — speargun expressly permitted in sport fishing

  Neretvanski kanal, bounded by the western headland of uvala Prapatna on the Pelješac peninsula and the points φ 43° 2,385' λ 17° 24,592' and φ 42° 59,618' λ 17° 28,392' as far as the boundary of the Malostonski zaljev i Malo more special reserve, EXCLUDING the special ichthyological reserve at the Neretva mouth, is area no. 5 of the ribolovno more with special fishing regulation under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 15, and čl. 20(2) expressly permits the use of the speargun in sport fishing there. This is an express statutory permission, not merely the absence of a ban: the drafter names »upotreba podvodne puške u športskom ribolovu« in the permitted-gear list. All general national rules still apply — sport licence, daylight only, breath-hold only, minimum age 16 (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31), the 5 kg daily limit (čl. 33(3)) and the species limits of Pravilnik NN 48/2026 — and the carve-outs listed in the same Pravilnik are excluded from this permission. The excluded Neretva-mouth reserve and the Neretva posebno stanište immediately inshore are both carried as prohibited zones, and the Malostonski zaljev reserve to the north-west has its own permit regime. LICENCE CLASS: this permission runs to sport fishing only — a recreational licence (rekreacijska dozvola) does NOT authorise a speargun, and a sport licence (sportska dozvola) is required (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 5. st. 1: »podvodnom puškom, isključivo uz kupnju sportske dozvole«; Zakon o morskom ribarstvu, čl. 31. st. 1: »Ribolov podvodnom puškom dozvoljen je samo u športskom ribolovu«). The recreational licence is the dearer of the two — annual EUR 66.36 for 2026 against EUR 46.45 for the sport licence — and still buys no speargun right.

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Áreas proibidas

• Kornati National Parknational park

  Fishing is prohibited throughout Kornati National Park under Article 15(1) of the park's Pravilnik o unutarnjem redu (NN 141/2010, as amended by NN 53/2011): 'Na području Nacionalnog parka ribolov je zabranjen.' The only exception is for park residents and property owners, on a licence from the park institution and using an exhaustive list of gears (set and trammel nets, fish pots, one crustacean pot, a squid jig, a bottom longline of up to 100 hooks, gigs without light) that does NOT include the speargun — so spearfishing is prohibited park-wide with no exception. Article 24 further prohibits the use or the possession on a vessel of any fishing gear not listed in Article 17, and Article 11(2) prohibits individual diving outside organised groups except with a special permit from the Ministry.

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• Brijuni National Parknational park

  Fishing is prohibited throughout Brijuni National Park (Pravilnik o unutarnjem redu, NN 75/2000, Article 22). The sole exception is licensed recreational angling, which Article 24 limits to three hand lines with a maximum of three hooks; Article 28 prohibits any gear not listed there, so the speargun is excluded and spearfishing is prohibited park-wide. Article 29 additionally bans the taking, collecting and extraction of shellfish, sea cucumbers, urchins and other marine organisms in the park.

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• Mljet National Parknational park

  Fishing is prohibited throughout Mljet National Park (Pravilnik o unutarnjem redu, NN 76/2000, Article 22). Licensed recreational angling is the only exception for visitors and Article 24 limits it to three hand lines with at most three hooks, while Article 28 prohibits any gear not listed there; the separate traditional-fishing gear list for residents (Article 29 — nets, up to 2 fish pots, hand lines, a longline of up to 200 hooks, gigs without light) likewise contains no speargun and ends with a prohibition on any gear not listed. Spearfishing is therefore prohibited park-wide by both routes. Recreational and traditional fishing are additionally banned outright in Malo jezero, Veliko jezero and the Soline channel (Article 22), Article 33 bans the taking of shellfish, urchins and other marine organisms, and Article 78 provides that underwater activities (diving) are not permitted in Malo jezero.

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• Krka National Parknational park

  Fishing is prohibited throughout Krka National Park: 'Na području Nacionalnog parka ribolov je zabranjen' (Pravilnik o zaštiti i očuvanju Nacionalnog parka »Krka«, NN 123/2019 as amended by NN 111/2022, Article 15(1)). The only exception is selective fishing for sanitary measures and restocking with endemic and endangered species, on a ministry permit — there is no recreational fishing exception at all. Article 34(1) separately prohibits all underwater activities in the park. Spearfishing is therefore prohibited on both grounds.

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• Limski zaljev special marine reserve (Limski kanal)special reserve

  The sea and seabed of Lim Bay are a special marine reserve (Rovinj Municipal Assembly Decision, Sl. novine Rijeka 63/1979; Poreč Municipal Assembly Decision, Sl. novine Rijeka 23/1980), managed by JU Natura Histrica. Under Article 3 of Pravilnik NN 125/2020 commercial and small-scale coastal fishing are prohibited in the reserve. Sport and recreational fishing — the category spearfishing belongs to — is not banned outright by the fisheries regulation: under Article 2(1) it requires a special licence issued in accordance with the managing institution's act, and under Article 13(4) of Pravilnik NN 48/2026 the nature-protection ministry may prohibit or further restrict it. Natura Histrica has published no such act, so the special licence appears unobtainable in practice — treat Lim Bay as closed unless you hold the reserve's licence, and confirm current conditions with Natura Histrica before diving.

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• Uvala Klimo / Klimno (otok Krk) — posebno staništespecial habitat (fish nursery) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of Klimno cove (uvala Klimo) on the north-eastern coast of the island of Krk, bounded by the Cape Solinji – Cape Glavati line (the inner Soline bay). It is designated a 'posebno stanište' (special fish habitat / nursery) under Article 14(2) point 3 of the in-force Pravilnik NN 125/2020. Article 14(3) permits only hand lines (povrazi), set longlines, fish pots and gigs (osti) there — the speargun is NOT among the permitted gears, so spearfishing is prohibited — and Article 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Note: the whole-bay 'Medulin Bay' fishing ban previously published here does not exist in law; in Medulin Bay only uvala Šćuza is closed (Article 22), and it is carried as a separate zone.

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• River estuaries — posebna staništa (Dragonja, Mirna, Zrmanja, Jadro, Žrnovnica, Cetina, Neretva, Rijeka dubrovačka) and the Raša estuaryestuary / special reserve

  The estuaries of the Dragonja, Mirna (Tarska uvala), Zrmanja, Jadro, Žrnovnica, Cetina and Neretva rivers, and the aquatorium of Rijeka dubrovačka, are designated 'posebna staništa' (special fish habitats / nurseries) under Article 14(2) of the in-force Pravilnik NN 125/2020. Inside them only hand lines, set longlines (max 2, 150 hooks), fish pots (max 35) and gigs are permitted — the speargun is not among the permitted gears, so spearfishing is prohibited — and Article 14(6) expressly extends this to sport and recreational fishing. The Raša estuary (bounded by Cape Ubac – Cape Mulac – Cape Puntal – Rupa cove) is regulated separately under Article 15 point 6 and Article 21 as an 'area with special fishing regulation'; the speargun is likewise absent from its list of permitted gears, so spearfishing is prohibited there too. The Rječina estuary is NOT covered by any of these provisions and carries no marine-fisheries spearfishing prohibition. Each of these estuaries is now carried as its own mapped zone with the Ministry’s own boundary-derived coordinate; this entry states the shared legal rule.

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• Ports and harbours (diving and fishing prohibited / approval required)port / harbour

  Diving — and therefore spearfishing, which Croatian law defines as breath-hold diving (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(4)) — is prohibited in ports, port approaches and the narrow waterways and channels used for navigation: 'Zabranjeno je kupanje, plivanje i ronjenje u lukama i prilazima luka, uskim vodenim prolazima i kanalima u kojima se obavlja plovidba' (Pravilnik o uvjetima i načinu održavanja reda u lukama…, NN 72/2021, čl. 49). Separately, sport and recreational activities inside a port area may be carried out only with the approval of the body managing the port and the consent of the harbourmaster's office (čl. 43). The former national ban on sport/recreational fishing on beaches and bathing places from 1 May to 1 October (Pravilnik NN 155/2014, čl. 6(5)) was repealed in December 2017 and has NOT been re-enacted — neither the current Pravilnik o sportskom i rekreacijskom ribolovu na moru (NN 48/2026) nor the Marine Fisheries Act contains it. Restrictions at organised bathing places are now set locally under the maritime-domain regime, so check the municipality's or concessionaire's rules for the specific beach.

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• Telašćica Nature Park (Park prirode Telašćica)nature park — spearfishing prohibited park-wide

  Telašćica Nature Park, on the south-eastern part of Dugi otok. Sport fishing is prohibited throughout the park — 'Na području Parka prirode zabranjeno je obavljanje športskog ribolova' (Pravilnik o zaštiti i očuvanju Parka prirode »Telašćica«, NN 8/2022, Article 17(2)) — and because Croatian law permits the speargun only in sport fishing (Marine Fisheries Act, Article 31(1)), spearfishing is banned park-wide, with no exception. Recreational angling is separately limited by Article 21 to hand lines, trolling lines and squid jigs, and 'the use of all other fishing gear is not permitted'. Article 18 adds that ALL categories of fishing are completely prohibited in the Podzona zabrane ribolova (the NW head of Telašćica bay to the Rt Artak–uvala Jaz line on 180°, and the SW part between uvala Tripuljak and uvala Pod Poljica to the Rt Tripuljak–Pod Poljica line on 128°) and in Subzones 1A (all of uvala Čuška Dumboka plus 50 m off the Dugootočki strmac) and 1B (50 m off Garmenjak Veli), and that fishing is banned from 1 May to 1 October in the diving subzone (50 m off Garmenjak Mali, Korotan and Mala Sestrica and the shore between Čuška Dumboka and Suhi rt).

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• Lastovo Islands Nature Park (Lastovsko otočje)nature park — speargun confined to five named localities

  Lastovo Islands Nature Park (Park prirode Lastovsko otočje), an archipelago of 46 islands and islets with about 143 km² of marine area. Spearfishing is prohibited throughout the park EXCEPT at five named localities. Article 34 of the park's Pravilnik o unutarnjem redu (NN 154/2009) allows a maximum of two spearguns under a park licence, and Article 35 confines their use to: 'Hrid Mrkjenta Bijela – Hrid Mrkjenta Crna – Kopište – Pod Kopište – Bijelac'. Daylight only (sunrise to sunset), minimum age 16, no breathing apparatus and none aboard the boat, and a signal buoy of at least 10 litres attached to the weight belt or the diver. A special park licence, sold by the park institution, is required in addition to the national sport licence (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, Article 13; park Odluka of 27 January 2025), and the park director may suspend licence issuance. Assume the rest of the park is closed to the speargun.

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• Malostonski zaljev / Mali Ston Bay special marine reservespecial marine reserve — permit required, not a no-take area

  Mali Ston Bay (Malostonski zaljev i Malo more), enclosed between the Pelješac peninsula and the mainland, is a special marine reserve declared in 1983 and protected primarily as a shellfish-farming ecosystem. It is NOT a no-take area: Article 4(1) of Pravilnik NN 125/2020 expressly permits commercial fishing there with a listed gear set. For a spearfisher the operative rule is Article 2(1): sport and recreational fishing in a special marine reserve requires a special licence issued in accordance with the act of the managing public institution, which may prohibit or further restrict it (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, Article 13(4)). No such act has been published — the reserve's management plan states the framework for issuing those licences is still being established — so do not spearfish here without confirming the reserve's current licence conditions.

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• 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.

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• Uvala Šćuza (Medulinski zaljev)no-take special-regulation area

  Šćuza cove — an enclosed lagoon in the north-eastern part of Medulin Bay near Pomer (Istria), separated from the rest of the bay by a protective wall. Under Article 22(2) of the in-force Pravilnik NN 125/2020, EVERY form of fishing (commercial, small coastal, sport and recreational — therefore including spearfishing) is prohibited in the cove. The cove is also a 100% marine Natura 2000 SAC ('Šćuza').

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• Pirovački zaljev (posebno stanište)special habitat (fish nursery) — spearfishing excluded

  Pirovac Bay between Pirovac and Tisno (Šibenik-Knin County), bounded by the Prosika – Cape Gradina line and extending to the head of Makirina cove. Designated a 'posebno stanište' (special fish habitat / nursery) under Article 14 of Pravilnik NN 125/2020: all fishing is prohibited except hand lines (povrazi), set longlines, fish pots and gigs (osti) — the speargun is NOT among the permitted gears, so spearfishing is banned; Article 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing.

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• Uvala Morinje i Jadrtovac (posebno stanište)special habitat (fish nursery) — spearfishing excluded

  Morinje Bay — an enclosed lagoon-like bay by the village of Jadrtovac south of Šibenik, bounded by the bridge at the bay entrance. Designated a 'posebno stanište' (special fish habitat) under Article 14 of Pravilnik NN 125/2020: only hand lines, set longlines, fish pots and gigs are allowed — the speargun is not a permitted gear, so spearfishing is banned; the restriction applies to sport and recreational fishing (Art. 14(6)).

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• Rijeka Guduća i ušće (posebno stanište)special habitat (estuary / fish nursery) — spearfishing excluded

  The Guduća river and its estuary opening into the north-western arm of Prokljansko jezero (City of Skradin), bounded by the Cape Peluča – Cape Stinička line. Designated a 'posebno stanište' (special fish habitat) under Article 14 of Pravilnik NN 125/2020: the speargun is not among the permitted gears, so spearfishing is banned; the restriction applies to sport and recreational fishing (Art. 14(6)). Note: the adjoining Prokljansko jezero itself is NOT closed to spearfishing — Art. 18(2) expressly allows the speargun in sport fishing there.

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• Pantan (Trogir) — posebni ihtiološki rezervat i ušće Pantanaspecial ichthyological reserve (no-take) + special habitat

  Pantan wetland and stream mouth immediately east of Trogir. Two overlapping regimes: (1) the Pantan special ichthyological(-ornithological) reserve (designated 2000, WDPA 377856) — under Article 2(3) of Pravilnik NN 125/2020, ALL fishing (commercial, small coastal, sport and recreational) is prohibited in parts of the sea protected as a 'posebni ihtiološki rezervat'; (2) the surrounding aquatory of the Pantan mouth (Resnik – Arbanija line to the Trogir bridge) is a 'posebno stanište' under Article 14, where the speargun is not among the permitted gears — spearfishing banned in both.

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• Telašćica Nature Park — Podzona 1A: uvala Ćuška Dumboka (strict-protection core)nature park — strict-protection subzone (all fishing prohibited)

  The entire aquatorium of Ćuška Dumboka cove, on the outer (south-western) side of Dugi otok inside Telašćica Nature Park, is Podzona 1A of the park's Zone of strict protection. Every category of fishing — commercial, small-scale coastal, sport and recreational — is completely prohibited there (Pravilnik o zaštiti i očuvanju Parka prirode »Telašćica«, NN 8/2022, čl. 18(1)); the fisheries-side Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 7(1) permits fishing only in the two outer subzones, so 1A is closed on both instruments. Spearfishing is additionally prohibited throughout the whole park, because Croatian law permits the speargun only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)) and sport fishing is banned park-wide (NN 8/2022 čl. 17(2)). Boundary in law: »Podzona 1A ... obuhvaća cjelokupni akvatorij uvale Ćuška Dumboka«.

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• Telašćica Nature Park — Podzona 1A: 50 m belt off the Dugootočki strmac cliffsnature park — strict-protection subzone (all fishing prohibited)

  The second component of Podzona 1A is the 50-metre-wide strip of sea measured from the shoreline of the Dugootočki strmac — the high cliff wall along the outer south-western coast of Dugi otok inside Telašćica Nature Park. All categories of fishing are completely prohibited in it (NN 8/2022 čl. 18(1)), and the fisheries Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 7(1) confines permitted fishing to the two outer subzones. Spearfishing is in any case banned park-wide (sport fishing prohibited, NN 8/2022 čl. 17(2), and the speargun is lawful only in sport fishing, Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)). Note this is a narrow coast-hugging belt roughly 8 km long: the pin marks its centre-line, not its extent. The pin is set at an interior water point of the belt: the Ministry’s digitised inner coastline here runs about 25 m landward of the true waterline, so the naive maximum-inset point of the official polygon falls on the shoreline rock.

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• Telašćica Nature Park — Podzona 1B: 50 m belt around Garmenjak Velinature park — strict-protection subzone (all fishing prohibited)

  Podzona 1B of Telašćica Nature Park is the 50-metre-wide ring of sea around the shoreline of the islet of Garmenjak Veli, at the southern entrance of Telašćica bay (Dugi otok). All categories of fishing are completely prohibited there (NN 8/2022 čl. 18(1)); NN 125/2020 čl. 7(1) likewise excludes it from the fishable subzones. Spearfishing is banned park-wide in any event (NN 8/2022 čl. 17(2) + Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)). Vessels engaged in recreational fishing must also stay at least 100 m off the 1B line (NN 8/2022 čl. 22). WARNING for data users: there is a different, unrelated Garmenjak Veli in the Kornati archipelago — this zone is the Telašćica one, taken from the Ministry polygon, not from a gazetteer.

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• Telašćica Nature Park — Podzona zabrane ribolova: north-western head of Telašćica baynature park — strict-protection subzone (all fishing prohibited)

  The first of the two bearing-defined no-fishing sectors of Telašćica Nature Park: the aquatorium of the extreme north-western part of Telašćica bay, from the head of the bay out to the line drawn from Rt Artak on a bearing of 180° towards uvala Jaz. Every category of fishing is completely prohibited (NN 8/2022 čl. 18(1)); NN 125/2020 čl. 7(1) permits fishing only in the biological-conservation and economic-regulation subzones. Spearfishing is separately banned throughout the park (NN 8/2022 čl. 17(2); speargun lawful only in sport fishing per Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)). Recreational-fishing vessels must stay 100 m off the sector line (NN 8/2022 čl. 22).

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• Telašćica Nature Park — Podzona zabrane ribolova: south-western sector (Tripuljak – Pod Poljica)nature park — strict-protection subzone (all fishing prohibited)

  The second bearing-defined no-fishing sector of Telašćica Nature Park: the aquatorium of the south-western part of Telašćica bay, from the shoreline between uvala Tripuljak and uvala Pod Poljica out to the line drawn from Rt Tripuljak on a bearing of 128° towards uvala Pod Poljica. All categories of fishing are completely prohibited (NN 8/2022 čl. 18(1)) and the sector is excluded from the fishable subzones by NN 125/2020 čl. 7(1). Spearfishing is prohibited park-wide in any case (NN 8/2022 čl. 17(2) with Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)); recreational-fishing vessels must keep 100 m off the line (NN 8/2022 čl. 22).

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• Telašćica Nature Park — Ronilačka zona / Podzona ronilačkih aktivnosti (seasonal closure 1 May – 1 October)nature park — seasonal no-fishing subzone (diving zone)

  The diving subzone of Telašćica Nature Park: four sea areas comprising the 50-metre belts off the shorelines of the islets Garmenjak Mali, Korotan and Mala Sestrica and the central coastal strip of Dugi otok between uvala Ćuška Dumboka and Suhi rt. Fishing of every kind is prohibited there from 1 May to 1 October each year (Pravilnik NN 8/2022 čl. 18(2); the same window is set on the fisheries side by Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 7(2)), and recreational-fishing vessels must stay 100 m clear of the subzone line during that period (NN 8/2022 čl. 22). Spearfishing is in any case prohibited here all year, because sport fishing is banned throughout the park (NN 8/2022 čl. 17(2)) and the speargun is lawful only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)). The pin marks the Mala Sestrica component; the subzone is four separate belts, not one continuous area.

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• Ušće rijeke Dragonje (Dragonja estuary) — posebno staništespecial fish habitat (posebno stanište) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of the Dragonja river mouth on the Croatian–Slovenian border in northern Istria, south-east of the line running from Rt Sv. Petra on a bearing of 26°, is posebno stanište no. 1 under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 14(2). The permitted-gear list is exhaustive and the speargun (podvodna puška) is not on it, so spearfishing is prohibited; čl. 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Gigs/spears (osti) ARE permitted here — do not confuse them with the speargun, which Croatian law treats as a separate gear usable only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)).

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• Ušće rijeke Mirne / Tarska uvala (Mirna estuary) — posebno staništespecial fish habitat (posebno stanište) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of the Mirna river mouth in Tarska uvala (Tar bay), west-coast Istria, bounded by the line Rt Poduliki – Rt Kras, is posebno stanište no. 2 under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 14(2). The permitted-gear list is exhaustive and the speargun (podvodna puška) is not on it, so spearfishing is prohibited; čl. 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Gigs/spears (osti) ARE permitted here — do not confuse them with the speargun, which Croatian law treats as a separate gear usable only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)).

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• Ušće rijeke Zrmanje (Zrmanja estuary) — posebno staništespecial fish habitat (posebno stanište) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of the Zrmanja river mouth, bounded by the line Rt Sveti Nikola – uvala Zališće (as far as Ždrilo) at the head of Novigradsko more, is posebno stanište no. 4 under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 14(2). It is expressly carved out of the surrounding Novigradsko i Karinsko more special-regulation area (čl. 17(1)), where the speargun IS permitted — so the boundary matters: inside the estuary the speargun is out, immediately outside it is in. The permitted-gear list is exhaustive and the speargun (podvodna puška) is not on it, so spearfishing is prohibited; čl. 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Gigs/spears (osti) ARE permitted here — do not confuse them with the speargun, which Croatian law treats as a separate gear usable only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)).

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• Ušće rijeke Jadro (Jadro estuary, Solin/Vranjic) — posebno staništespecial fish habitat (posebno stanište) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of the Jadro river mouth in the inner Kaštela bay, bounded by the line from the Mramorno bathing-place headland to the Čučine settlement in Vranjic, is posebno stanište no. 8 under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 14(2). The permitted-gear list is exhaustive and the speargun (podvodna puška) is not on it, so spearfishing is prohibited; čl. 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Gigs/spears (osti) ARE permitted here — do not confuse them with the speargun, which Croatian law treats as a separate gear usable only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)).

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• Ušće rijeke Žrnovnice (Žrnovnica estuary, Stobreč) — posebno staništespecial fish habitat (posebno stanište) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of the Žrnovnica river mouth at Stobreč east of Split, bounded by the line from Rt Stobreč to the point φ 43° 29,5485' λ 16° 32,1902' (= 43.492475 N, 16.536503 E), is posebno stanište no. 9 under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 14(2) — one of only two posebna staništa whose boundary the Pravilnik fixes with an explicit coordinate. The permitted-gear list is exhaustive and the speargun (podvodna puška) is not on it, so spearfishing is prohibited; čl. 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Gigs/spears (osti) ARE permitted here — do not confuse them with the speargun, which Croatian law treats as a separate gear usable only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)).

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• Ušće rijeke Cetine (Cetina estuary, Omiš) — posebno staništespecial fish habitat (posebno stanište) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of the Cetina river mouth at Omiš, bounded by the line Dugi Rat – Mala Luka, is posebno stanište no. 11 under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 14(2). The permitted-gear list is exhaustive and the speargun (podvodna puška) is not on it, so spearfishing is prohibited; čl. 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Gigs/spears (osti) ARE permitted here — do not confuse them with the speargun, which Croatian law treats as a separate gear usable only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)).

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• Ušće rijeke Neretve (Neretva delta mouth) — posebno staništespecial fish habitat (posebno stanište) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of the Neretva river mouth, bounded by the lines between the points φ 43° 2,385' λ 17° 24,592' and φ 42° 59,618' λ 17° 28,392', excluding the area covered by the special ichthyological reserve, is posebno stanište no. 12 under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 14(2). Its gear list (čl. 14(4)) adds a stationary eel trawl on three named river reaches but still omits the speargun. The permitted-gear list is exhaustive and the speargun (podvodna puška) is not on it, so spearfishing is prohibited; čl. 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Gigs/spears (osti) ARE permitted here — do not confuse them with the speargun, which Croatian law treats as a separate gear usable only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)). NOTE ON THE PIN: the Ministry POSEBNA STANIŠTA polygon for the Neretva does NOT cut out the ichthyological reserve that čl. 14(2) point 12 excludes, so the pin was deliberately placed at an interior point of the stanište polygon that is OUTSIDE the reserve polygon (layer 5, feature »Ušće Neretve«); the reserve itself is carried as a separate, stricter zone.

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• Akvatorij Rijeke dubrovačke (Rijeka dubrovačka / Ombla ria) — posebno staništespecial fish habitat (posebno stanište) — spearfishing excluded

  The aquatorium of Rijeka dubrovačka — the drowned Ombla valley north-west of Dubrovnik — north-east of the line Rt Loznica – Rt Kantafig, is posebno stanište no. 13 under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 14(2). The permitted-gear list is exhaustive and the speargun (podvodna puška) is not on it, so spearfishing is prohibited; čl. 14(6) expressly extends the restriction to sport and recreational fishing. Gigs/spears (osti) ARE permitted here — do not confuse them with the speargun, which Croatian law treats as a separate gear usable only in sport fishing (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(1)).

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• Ušće rijeke Raše (Raša estuary, Raški zaljev) — area with special fishing regulationarea with special fishing regulation — speargun not among permitted gears

  The aquatorium of the Raša river mouth in Raški zaljev, eastern Istria, bounded by the lines Rt Ubac – Rt Mulac – Rt Puntal – uvala Rupa. It is area no. 6 of the ribolovno more with special fishing regulation under Pravilnik NN 125/2020 čl. 15, and čl. 21(2) sets an exhaustive list of the gears that may be used there: hook-and-line gear, fish pots, gigs (osti) with or without lighting, single gillnets of at least 64 mm mesh and up to 800 m, and trammel nets (sipare) of at least 64 mm inner mesh and up to 500 m. The speargun is NOT on that list — and the contrast is deliberate, because the parallel articles for the other special-regulation areas (čl. 16(2), 17(2), 18(2), 19(2), 20(2)) all name »upotreba podvodne puške u športskom ribolovu« expressly. Spearfishing is therefore prohibited in the Raša estuary. Seasonal net closures also apply (čl. 21(3)).

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• Posebni rezervat u moru Ušće Neretve (Neretva mouth special ichthyological reserve)special ichthyological reserve — all categories of fishing prohibited

  The special marine reserve at the mouth of the Neretva (≈776 ha), carried in the Ministry of Agriculture protected-areas register as a »posebni rezervat u moru« and treated by Pravilnik NN 125/2020 as a posebni ihtiološki rezervat: čl. 14(2) point 12 and čl. 20(1) both carve it out of the surrounding Neretva posebno stanište and Neretvanski kanal »as shown on the map referred to in čl. 24«. Under čl. 2(3) commercial, small-scale coastal, sport AND recreational fishing are all prohibited in sea areas protected in the category of special ichthyological reserve, so spearfishing is prohibited outright — this is the strictest regime in the delta, and it is stricter than the surrounding Neretvanski kanal, where the speargun is expressly permitted in sport fishing.

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• Ribolovna zona E — no-take area A (Kvarnerić)special fishing-management regime — no-take area (time-limited)

  Area A of the special fishing-management regime in fishing zone E (the Kvarnerić, between Krk, Cres, Rab and the Kvarner islands), ≈150.5 km². Under Pravilnik o posebnom režimu upravljanja ribolovom u ribolovnoj zoni E (NN 30/2026) čl. 4(1), ALL forms of commercial, small-scale coastal, sport and recreational fishing are prohibited in areas A and B — so spearfishing is prohibited. The measure implements GFCM Recommendation GFCM/48/2025/6 and is time-limited: čl. 5 applies it from 1 April 2026 00:00 to 31 March 2027 24:00, so re-check whether it has been renewed before relying on it after that date. The separate areas C and D of the same instrument close only bottom trawling and are NOT spearfishing restrictions.

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• Ribolovna zona E — no-take area B (Kvarnerić)special fishing-management regime — no-take area (time-limited)

  Area B of the special fishing-management regime in fishing zone E (the Kvarnerić, between Krk, Cres, Rab and the Kvarner islands), ≈11.8 km². Under Pravilnik o posebnom režimu upravljanja ribolovom u ribolovnoj zoni E (NN 30/2026) čl. 4(1), ALL forms of commercial, small-scale coastal, sport and recreational fishing are prohibited in areas A and B — so spearfishing is prohibited. The measure implements GFCM Recommendation GFCM/48/2025/6 and is time-limited: čl. 5 applies it from 1 April 2026 00:00 to 31 March 2027 24:00, so re-check whether it has been renewed before relying on it after that date. The separate areas C and D of the same instrument close only bottom trawling and are NOT spearfishing restrictions.

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• Jabučka kotlina (Jabuka/Pomo Pit) — special fishing-management areaspecial fishing-management area — sport and recreational fishing prohibited (time-limited)

  The special fishing-management area in part of the Jabučka kotlina (Jabuka/Pomo Pit), the Ministry’s zone A of ≈1393 km² of deep offshore water in the central Adriatic. Under Pravilnik o posebnom režimu upravljanja ribolovom u dijelu akvatorija Jabučke kotline (NN 106/19, 141/20, 142/21, 53/22, 7/26) čl. 5(1), sport and recreational fishing are prohibited there along with the listed commercial gears, so spearfishing is prohibited. Two things a reader must know. (i) Čl. 5(2) opens the »Jabučki džep« sub-area (points 9–15 of Prilog 1) to sport and recreational fishing seasonally — for 2026 from 1 November to 30 July, per čl. 5(3) as added by NN 7/2026 — and that sub-area is NOT this zone: the Ministry GIS layer does separate it (feature ZONE »C«, whose bounding box reproduces the seven džep vertices printed in Prilog 2 of NN 106/2019), and this pin lies in feature ZONE »A«, outside the džep, where the closure runs year-round with no seasonal exception. (ii) Čl. 4, as amended by NN 142/2021 čl. 1, applies the restrictions only until 31 December 2026 at 24:00 — re-check for a further extension after that date. In practice the area is 50+ km offshore in 200–260 m of water and is unreachable by the breath-hold-only spearfishing Croatian law requires (Zakon o morskom ribarstvu čl. 31(4)); it is recorded because it is a genuine statutory sport-fishing closure, not because it is a dive site.

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