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Fishing in Aegean Sea

Clear water for gilthead seabream, two-banded seabream and saddled seabream. The rocky bottom and the indented shoreline make shore fishing possible all year round.

100
Species
377
Fishing ground
2
Regulations

What sets the Aegean apart?

The Aegean is the sea with the widest range of species in the catalog and the longest season. There is a seven-month plateau running from April to November: in every month of that stretch more than fifty species are at their peak. Instead of the sharp winter peak of the Black Sea or the late-summer concentration of the Mediterranean, what you get here is a wide, steady window.

The reason is geography. An indented coastline, countless coves, islands and peninsulas; each one offers a different depth, current and bottom. One cove can be rough while the one beside it stays calm.

Rocky bottom, different technique

The Aegean bottom is mostly rock and weed. What that does to technique is clear: jigging comes third in this sea — striking, given that it comes last in the Black Sea. Trolling sits at the same level, because the channels between the islands and the tips of the headlands suit working from a fast boat.

The bottom rig is in first place again, but the quarry is different: whiting and turbot in the Black Sea; gilthead seabream, common two-banded seabream and common pandora in the Aegean. The same technique, an entirely different fish.

Bait follows the inshore species

The dominant inshore species of the Aegean feed on crustaceans and mollusks. For gilthead seabream, common two-banded seabream and white seabream, mud shrimp, razor clam, crab and mussel are the first choice; those sit far down the Black Sea list. The staple Black Sea baits, on the other hand — European anchovy and European sprat — are secondary here.

How it spreads along the coast

In the spread of recorded fishing grounds İzmir is well ahead, with Muğla next. The shores of Çanakkale, Balıkesir and Aydın are busy too. Of the four seas, the Aegean holds the most fishing-ground records — both the length of its coast and how reachable it is explain that.

The gulfs of Saros and Edremit in the north, the Gulf of İzmir and the Çeşme peninsula in the middle, the Bodrum – Datça line in the south: each works like a region of its own, with its own season and its own species.

What is caught in Aegean Sea in September

Season calendar

Aegean Sea yields the most species in Oct, Sep, May — the strip shows how many species are productive in each month.

  1. 40 Jan
  2. 40 Feb
  3. 40 Mar
  4. 50 Apr
  5. 60 May
  6. 57 Jun
  7. 57 Jul
  8. 58 Aug
  9. 63 Sep
  10. 68 Oct
  11. 59 Nov
  12. 42 Dec

The height of the strip is the number of productive species in that month; it is not a guarantee of a catch. The turquoise column is the current month.

Techniques used

  1. Bottom 33 species
  2. LRF 24 species
  3. Jig 13 species
  4. Trolling 13 species
  5. Float 12 species
  6. Spin 12 species
  7. Sabiki 8 species
  8. Surf 5 species
  9. Drifting 1 species
  10. Popping 1 species

The numbers are how many species use that technique in this sea. The order changes from sea to sea.

Natural baits

  1. Shrimp 31 species
  2. Sardine 22 species
  3. Squid 19 species
  4. Worm 14 species
  5. Fish flesh 13 species
  6. Mamun 11 species
  7. Bread 9 species
  8. Anchovy 8 species
  9. Mussel 8 species
  10. Cuttlefish 5 species
  11. Crab 4 species
  12. Live bait 3 species
  13. Horse mackerel 3 species
  14. Sülünez 3 species
  15. Seaweed 3 species
  16. Octopus 2 species
  17. Mackerel 2 species
  18. Garfish 2 species
  19. Chicken 1 species
  20. Prawn 1 species

The numbers are how many species use that bait in this sea. The order changes from sea to sea.

Species caught in Aegean Sea

This sea has 100 species on record. Protected species are not in this list — they have their own section below.

See all 100 species

In the species catalog you can filter by month, technique and bait.

Frequently asked

Which fish are caught in Aegean Sea?
100 species are on record in Aegean Sea: İstavrit, Sarıkuyruk istavrit, Çipura, İspari, Kupez, Lüfer, Melanur, İzmarit and others.
Which techniques is fishing done with in Aegean Sea?
The most common techniques: Bottom, LRF, Jig, Trolling and Float.
Which baits are used in Aegean Sea?
The most common natural baits: Shrimp, Sardine, Squid, Worm and Fish flesh.
How many fishing grounds are there in Aegean Sea?
Aegean Sea has 377 fishing grounds on record; each has its own page with the location, the species caught and the conditions that suit it.

Fishing grounds

A total of 377 grounds; the first 90 of them are below.

See all 377 grounds on the map

Rules specific to this sea

Taken from the communiqué of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, not summarized. What binds is the official publication.

  • Regional closed season

    Catching and retaining are prohibited during the stated period.

    Legal basis: 6/2 md. 11/7 – Çizelge 6 communiqué text

    Regional closed season

    6/2 md. 11/7 – Çizelge 6

    Catching and retaining are prohibited during the stated period.

    The table in our records

    Closed season
    1 March – 31 May
    Gear and method
    All recreational fishing including rod and line
    Exception
    The start and end days are included in the ban

    The article text is taken from the communiqué. The table above was carried into our own records from the relevant rows of the communiqué and may be abridged. The official publication is what binds. Official communiqué (PDF) →

  • Regional closed season

    Catching and retaining are prohibited during the stated period.

    Legal basis: 6/2 md. 11/7 – Çizelge 6 communiqué text

    Regional closed season

    6/2 md. 11/7 – Çizelge 6

    Catching and retaining are prohibited during the stated period.

    The table in our records

    Closed season
    15 March – 15 June
    Gear and method
    All recreational fishing including rod and line
    Exception
    The start and end days are included in the ban

    The article text is taken from the communiqué. The table above was carried into our own records from the relevant rows of the communiqué and may be abridged. The official publication is what binds. Official communiqué (PDF) →

Species closed to fishing

This list applies to every sea, not to this one alone. The catalog holds 53 protected species in total; if one takes your hook, return it to the sea unharmed.

All 53 protected species

The other seas