Information · Wild water fishing · Fishing permit
Fines and penalties
The minor and criminal offences in the Fishing Law no. 176/2024 that concern recreational anglers.
The amounts are from Law no. 176/2024 on fishing and the protection of living aquatic resources (art. 51-59), which since June 2024 replaced the fishing provisions of GEO 23/2008. For some offences the permit is withheld and suspended (30-120 days), and the fish and gear used are confiscated. Check the text in force on the legislation portal.
Minor offences
| Offence | Fine | In addition |
|---|---|---|
| Recreational fishing without a permit or without the permit on you | 1.000-1.500 RON | catch confiscated |
| Refusing to show your permit when asked | 1.000-1.500 RON | -- |
| Breaking the permit's conditions (the water's rules) | 1.000-1.500 RON | -- |
| Over 5 kg/day (or over 10 salmonids in the mountains) | 1.000-1.500 RON | the excess is confiscated |
| More than 3 poles or 4 rods on hill and lowland waters and on the Danube | 1.000-1.500 RON | -- |
| Salmonids with natural baits, by hand or with homemade gear; more than 3 artificial flies | 2.000-4.000 RON | -- |
| Destroying/moving fishery signs | 2.000-4.000 RON | -- |
| Fishing on a river within 500 m downstream of a dam | 2.000-4.000 RON | -- |
| Leaving rubbish on the bank (waste not collected in bags) | 2.000-4.000 RON | -- |
| Catching fish with nets or set lines in mountain rivers and lakes and in hill and lowland rivers (except the Danube and the Prut) | 4.000-5.000 RON | permit suspended for 30-90 days |
| Fishing in the closed season or in protection zones | 6.000-10.000 RON | permit suspended for 120 days, confiscation |
| Selling fish caught by recreational fishing | 6.000-10.000 RON | permit suspended for 120 days |
| Driving vehicles through the bed of mountain rivers and streams | 6.000-10.000 RON | permit suspended for 120 days |
| Fish below the legal minimum size | between the value of the fish and 5 times that value | confiscation |
| Refusing to allow a check | between the value of the fish and 5 times that value | confiscation |
Criminal offences (criminal case)
| Offence | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Possessing or using gill nets, seines, fyke nets, cast nets and other commercial gear without authorisation; fishing with a gaff, fish spear or spear, by raking or harpooning | 2-5 years in prison + fishing ban of 2-4 years |
| Fishing for spawners during the closed season, destroying fish eggs | 2-5 years in prison + fishing ban of 2-4 years |
| Electrofishing, fishing with explosives, toxic substances or firearms | 3-5 years in prison + fishing ban of 3-5 years |
| Fishing for, possessing, transporting or selling sturgeons (beluga, Russian sturgeon, starry sturgeon, sterlet) from natural waters | 3-5 years in prison + fishing ban of 3-5 years |
| Fishing, possessing, transporting, selling or killing huchen | 3-5 years in prison + fishing ban of 3-5 years |
| Possessing or using monofilament net gear | 3-5 years in prison + fishing ban of 3-5 years |
| The gear, boats, cars and weapons used in the offences | are confiscated (art. 59) |