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Fishing in Black Sea

Home to Türkiye's richest waters for anchovy, bonito and horse mackerel. The season opens in autumn and peaks in winter.

40
Species
392
Fishing ground
2
Regulations

What sets the Black Sea apart?

Of the seas of Türkiye, the Black Sea is the one that runs in reverse. In the other three, fishing opens in spring and closes in autumn, while here the real season starts as winter comes on: more species in the catalog are at their peak in November and December than in any other month, and July – August is the quietest stretch.

The reason is water temperature and the rhythm of migration. In summer the surface water warms and the fish drop to the bottom; in autumn, as the water cools, shoals of European anchovy move in toward the shore and the predators come after them.

The bottom, and what it does to technique

Most of the Black Sea coast is sand and mud bottom. The rock-and-reef structure of the Aegean and the Mediterranean is very limited here. The consequence shows up directly in the techniques: only two of the species recorded on the site are linked to jigging — jigging comes last in this sea. By contrast the sabiki rig comes third, and in none of the other three seas does it stand out this far.

That the sabiki rig stands out is no accident: for Atlantic horse mackerel, European anchovy and European sprat, which travel in shoals, working several hooks at once is the most productive method. The bottom rig, meanwhile, is the first choice for species that hold on the seabed, such as whiting and turbot.

Month by month

  • November – December: the peak of the year. Bluefish, Atlantic bonito and European anchovy are inshore at the same time.
  • January – March: whiting and European seabass keep going; European anchovy is still there, but the shoals are breaking up.
  • April – June: flathead grey mullet and Atlantic horse mackerel come inshore, and the variety widens.
  • July – August: the weakest stretch. The fish are deep and shore fishing gets hard.
  • September – October: the Atlantic bonito migration starts and the season opens again.

How it spreads along the coast

The Black Sea shore has fishing grounds on record in fifteen separate provinces, and none of them is clearly ahead of the rest — Samsun, Sinop, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon, Rize, Kastamonu and Zonguldak are almost level, with five or six grounds each. That follows from a coastline that is straight and unbroken: with no gulfs and no islands, the fishing does not gather in one or two centers but spreads along the whole line.

At the western end, the shores of İstanbul and Kocaeli are the gateway of the strait migration; the bluefish and Atlantic bonito that drop down into the Sea of Marmara in autumn pass through here first.

What is caught in Black Sea in September

Season calendar

Black Sea yields the most species in Nov, Dec, May — the strip shows how many species are productive in each month.

  1. 36 Jan
  2. 35 Feb
  3. 36 Mar
  4. 36 Apr
  5. 37 May
  6. 35 Jun
  7. 34 Jul
  8. 34 Aug
  9. 34 Sep
  10. 35 Oct
  11. 38 Nov
  12. 38 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 15 species
  2. LRF 11 species
  3. Sabiki 9 species
  4. Spin 8 species
  5. Float 5 species
  6. Trolling 5 species
  7. Surf 4 species
  8. Jig 2 species

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

Natural baits

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

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

Species caught in Black Sea

This sea has 40 species on record. Protected species are not in this list — they have their own section below.

See all 40 species

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

Frequently asked

Which fish are caught in Black Sea?
40 species are on record in Black Sea: İstavrit, Sarıkuyruk istavrit, Lüfer, Zargana, Altınbaş Kefal, İnce dudaklı kefal, Kalın dudaklı kefal, Kefal and others.
Which techniques is fishing done with in Black Sea?
The most common techniques: Bottom, LRF, Sabiki, Spin and Float.
Which baits are used in Black Sea?
The most common natural baits: Shrimp, Worm, Fish flesh, Anchovy and Mamun.
How many fishing grounds are there in Black Sea?
Black Sea has 392 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 392 grounds; the first 90 of them are below.

See all 392 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
    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) →

  • 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 April – 30 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