Which fish are closed to fishing? The size and season table

Let us start with the way it is asked most often: is the blackchin guitarfish prohibited? Yes. Both the blackchin guitarfish and the common guitarfish are on the “completely prohibited species” list — fishing for them and keeping them are prohibited.

They are not alone. The communiqué gives 53 species full protection, and there is also a numerical size limit for 52 species.

Completely prohibited: you may keep none of them

If these species are caught they have to be put back in the water. The ones you are most likely to meet:

• Blackchin guitarfish and common guitarfish
• Cushion coral and red coral
• Sea trout, Alakır trout
• Sharks — thresher, tope, hammerhead, oceanic whitetip and the others
• Thornback ray, sawback angelshark
• Short-snouted seahorse, noble pen shell, giant tun
• Mediterranean monk seal, sea turtles

For everything on this list the closed season is “the whole year” — so there is no season to wait for.

The ones with a size limit

These may be kept, but the small ones are released. The figures that stand out:

• Atlantic bluefin tuna — 115 cm
• Swordfish — 110 cm
• Wels catfish — 90 cm
• White grouper, European spider crab, Fırat Turnası — 50 cm
• Turbot, little tunny, shi drum — 45 cm
• Northern pike, leerfish — 40 cm
• Common octopus — 750 grams

Why is there a size limit?

The figures are not arbitrary: they are set by the length at which the species first spawns. If a fish can only be caught after it has left eggs at least once, the population renews itself. Taking one under the limit means that fish goes without ever having bred.

The recreational angler’s working rule

• Do not keep a fish you cannot identify. Most of the prohibited species are little-known ones; “I did not know what it was” is no excuse.
• Carry a tape measure. By eye, 40 and 45 cm cannot be told apart.
• If you are releasing it, release it fast. Hold it with wet hands and do not keep it out of the water long.
• Watch the daily quantity limit. Even when the size is right, the quantity limits for recreational fishing apply on top of it.

For the current status species by species you can look at the species pages; the prohibition information for each species stands on its own page.

This article is summary information. What binds is the recreational fishing communiqué of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry that is in force.