Information · Releasing fish properly

When it's mandatory -- and when it's forbidden

The legal rules for natural waters; on a private lake the lake's rules apply.

legal · natural waters

Steps

  1. 1

    You must release, alive: fish below the legal minimum size, species in their closed season that day and species forbidden all year (sturgeons, huchen, grayling, crucian carp and the other protected species).

  2. 2

    Above the daily keep limit (5 kg or a single fish over 5 kg; for salmonids, 10 fish), any extra fish must be released.

  3. 3

    Do NOT release invasive species on the European Union list -- pumpkinseed and topmouth gudgeon: releasing them into the environment is forbidden (EU Regulation 1143/2014). Don't move them to another water or use them as live bait either.

  4. 4

    On private «catch & release» (C&R) lakes all fish are released, usually with a mat, barbless hooks and no retention sacks -- check the lake's rules on its page in RoFish.

Tips

  • You'll find the minimum size and closed season for each species in «Am I allowed to fish?» and in the species guide.
  • The rules change with the annual closed-season order: the official source is ANADSPA, formerly ANPA (anpa.ro).