Temporary suspension of recreational fishing in zones C, D, and E

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has published in Official Gazette No. 102 of September 14, 2026, the Ordinance on the implementation of measure I.9. “Temporary cessation of fishing activities” with bottom trawls – beam trawls for September/October 2026. The Ordinance introduces a 30-day suspension of trawl fishing from September 15, 2026, at 00:00 hours to October 14, 2026, at 24:00 hours in fishing zones C, D, and E, with one-time dedicated non-refundable compensations for privilege holders and crew members.

The Ordinance was adopted by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries based on Article 55, paragraph 10 of the Marine Fisheries Act (“Official Gazette”, No. 62/17, 130/17, 14/19, 30/23, and 14/24). The measure is implemented within the framework of European Union Priority 1 “Promoting sustainable fisheries and the restoration and conservation of biological resources” of the Maritime and Fisheries Program of the Republic of Croatia for the programming period 2021–2027, in accordance with General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean Recommendation GFCM/43/2019/5 on the multi-annual management plan for sustainable bottom fishing in the Adriatic Sea (geographical sub-areas 17 and 18) and the Ordinance on the spatial and temporal limitation of commercial sea fishing with bottom trawls – beam trawls in 2026 (“Official Gazette”, No. 98/26).

Area and Duration of Suspension

The suspension applies to the segment of fishing with bottom trawls – beam trawls in fishing zones C, D, and E. Exceptionally, in fishing zone E, the following areas are exempt from the restrictions:

• part of sub-zone E1 north of the line Cape Grota on the island of Cres – Cape Pelova on the island of Krk
• sub-zone E2

The provisions of the Ordinance do not affect the provisions of laws and bylaws in the field of labor relations.

Compensation for Fishermen and Crew

The subject of support is compensation for fishing vessel privilege holders and crew members. The compensation per crew member amounts to 36 euros per day of suspension (gross amount) for persons employed full-time, or a proportional amount for persons working part-time. Days on which a crew member uses sick leave or annual leave are not included in the calculation of the compensation.

Compensation for vessel holders is calculated using the formula L = P × GT × d, where L is the total amount of compensation, P is the amount of compensation per day of suspension for one gross ton (GT), and d is the number of days of suspension. The amount of compensation per day of suspension for one gross ton depends on the length of the vessel:

• vessels up to 12 m in length: 10.99 EUR per GT per day
• vessels 12–18 m in length: 9.68 EUR per GT per day
• vessels 18–24 m in length: 7.44 EUR per GT per day
• vessels 24–40 m in length: 9.09 EUR per GT per day

Eligibility Criteria and Procedure

During the period of suspension, the fishing vessel must possess a valid license, be operational, be registered in the Register of the Fishing Fleet of the Republic of Croatia, and have a sufficient minimum fishing activity of a total of 120 fishing days achieved during the last two calendar years preceding the submission of the Request for support. Payments are made by the Agency for Payments in Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development as the Intermediate Body, and the Managing Authority is the Fisheries Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Ulica grada Vukovara 78, Zagreb). The ranking list of eligible requests is published on the Managing Authority’s website (https://euribarstvo.hr/).

The suspension of beam trawling directly affects the Adriatic fishing fleet, which will not be able to perform commercial beam trawling in zones C, D, and E for a period of one month. Compensations for license holders and crew members should mitigate the loss of income during the dormant period, while the measure simultaneously contributes to the sustainable management of demersal fishing resources in accordance with the recommendations of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.

Rulebook on the implementation of measure I.9. “Temporary cessation of fishing activities” with demersal seining nets – beam trawls for September/October 2026, “Narodne novine”, number 102, Zagreb, September 14, 2026, Class: 324-01/22-01/3505, Registry number: 525-12/709-26-51, Zagreb, September 7, 2026, signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister David Vlajčić, acting.