Fishing in the Danube Delta: the fishing permit, the 2026 closed season and where you may fish

Fishing permit, closed season and places: the short answers

The table gathers the answers to the questions every angler has before setting off for the delta: who issues the permit, what it costs, where you get it, when the closed season is and where you may fish. The details and exceptions are in the sections below.

The Danube Delta fishing permit: who issues it and what it costs

The recreational/sport fishing permit for the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve is issued by the Reserve Authority (ARBDD), based in Tulcea, under Order 159/2011 of the agriculture and environment ministries.

The price is zero. Under Law no. 1/2017, ARBDD issues the recreational fishing permit without any fee, and in the authority's online shop it is listed at 0 lei. ARBDD does not state explicitly how long it is valid; its visitor FAQ, updated in September 2026, refers to the permit obtained for the current year. The permit is valid only together with the tourist access permit, so “free” applies only to the fishing: a day in the delta still costs you 5 lei, unless you are exempt.

Top 20

Danube Delta

Tulcea CountyOpen5 lei/day

DeltasUNESCO

Danube Delta fishing permit online or by SMS

Online: you get the fishing permit from the ARBDD permit application, permise.ddbra.ro, where it is listed, at 0 lei, next to the access, boat and car permits. In person: the ARBDD information centres in Sulina, Crișan and Murighiol issue recreational fishing permits and take cash for tourist access permits.

By SMS you cannot. The number 7494 accepts only the codes for tourist access (TUR1, TUR7, TURAN, followed by your first and last name), car access (AUTO1, AUTOAN, followed by the registration number) and boats (AMB7, AMBAN); there is no code for fishing.

The access permit and the fishing permit: you need both

The fishing permit does not include access. ARBDD presents it as valid only together with the tourist access permit, and the fishing rules require anglers to carry the reserve access permit as well. Access prices in 2026 are 5 lei a day, 15 lei a week and 30 lei a year; access is free for children, pupils, students, pensioners and for people who live in the reserve or in the neighbouring localities. Even an angler from Tulcea needs the access permit, free for them, because all 31 fishing zones are inside the reserve. How to get the access permit is explained in the guide to a first visit to the delta.

The 2026 closed season in the Danube Delta: the periods by species

The closed season in the delta comes from Joint Order no. 23/297/2025 of the agriculture and environment ministries (Official Gazette no. 95 of 1 February 2025), amended by the order published in Official Gazette no. 929 of 8 October 2025. The order has no end date, and ARBDD cites it in its fishing conditions for 2026. For the waters of the reserve, the periods are:

• general closed season, for all fish, for commercial, recreational and family fishing: 9 April – 7 June inclusive (60 days); the same period for the Razim–Sinoe complex and the coastal lakes;
• border waters with Ukraine, including Musura Bay: 16 April – 30 May inclusive;
• pike: 1 February – 7 June; pikeperch and perch: 20 March – 7 June;
• tench: 7 June – 6 July; crayfish: 1 January – 9 April and 1–30 September;
• sturgeon: closed all year.

In addition, between 1 March and 9 April no fishing gear may be used in the Danube in front of the channels and streams that feed the lakes, for 500 m on either side of their mouths, nor inside them. The order allows the periods to be changed in exceptional hydrological and weather conditions, so check the ARBDD notices before the season.

The 2026 closed season on the rest of Romania's waters

Outside the delta, the same order sets the general closed season also from 9 April to 7 June inclusive, for natural fish habitats, and in border waters from 24 April to 7 June (45 days). A few periods differ from those in the reserve: pike is closed only from 1 February to 20 March (in the delta, until 7 June), and native, rainbow and brook trout from 1 October to 31 March. Pikeperch and perch have the same period as in the delta, 20 March – 7 June.

How much fish you may keep, minimum sizes and permitted tackle

The catch rules are those of Fishing Law no. 176/2024 and of the closed-season order, as ARBDD publishes them for 2026:

• you keep at most 5 kg of fish a day or a single fish, if it weighs more than 5 kg;
• you may carry out of the reserve at most 10 kg of fish per angler or 15 kg per family, however many days you have fished;
• pike, pikeperch, catfish and carp may be fished, outside the closed season, only with immediate release of the catch; you may keep a single fish a day, of a single species;
• tackle: at most 3 poles or 4 rods, with at most two hooks each, or one țaparină (a multi-hook line) with at most 10 hooks; for predators, with a rod, you may use artificial lures with up to 3 treble hooks; baited longline hooks (paragate) are banned in the reserve;
• fry, fish under the minimum size and strictly protected species are released alive, and sturgeon caught by accident are released whatever their state.

Fishing spots in the Danube Delta: the 31 approved zones

In the reserve you cannot fish just anywhere: recreational fishing is allowed only in the 31 zones in Annex 3 to Order 159/2011, and the closed-season order explicitly bans recreational fishing on the lakes and channels that are not in the annex. The list published by ARBDD includes, among others, the Tulcea and Sulina branches on both banks, the Chilia branch on the right bank, the Sfântu Gheorghe branch with excluded sectors, Dunărea Veche (the Old Danube) with an excluded stretch, the Crișan–Caraorman channel, Gârla Sireasa, the Mila 35 channel and the lakes Lumina, Roșu, Roșuleț, Puiu, Puiuleț, Matița, Merhei, Bogdaproste, Trei Iezere, Legheanca, Cazanel and Furtuna.

Closed all year are the strictly protected zones of the reserve and the biological recovery zones, among them a sector of Dunărea Veche (from the confluence with the Sulina channel, at Mm 8+900, to the Răducu channel), the lakes Erenciuc and Zmeica, the channel between Puiu and Roșu lakes and the Lopatna channel between Matița and Merhei. If you fish on Dunărea Veche, around the village of Mila 23, check on the ARBDD list which sector you are in.

Mila 23

Mila 23, TLOpen5 lei/day

Villages and traditions

Lake Razim: fishing on the 50 m strip from the shore

Lake Razim is in the reserve and on the list of fishing zones, but not over its whole surface: recreational fishing is allowed along the shore, on a strip 50 m out from the bank, between the mouth of the Dunavăț channel and Cape Iancina. On Lake Golovița, joined to Razim to the south, the rule is the same, between the access channel to the Jurilovca fish station and the channel linking Ceamurlia and Golovița. Also on the list are the Enisala channel, on both banks, near Enisala Fortress, the Dranov, Lipoveni, Dunavăț and Mustaca channels and the Gura Portiței channel, up to the strictly protected zone.

The Razim–Sinoe complex has a general closed season from 9 April to 7 June, and Lake Zmeica is a biological recovery zone, closed all year.

Lake Razim

Sarichioi, TLOpenFree

Lakes

Enisala Fortress

Enisala, TLClosed20 lei

Fortresses and fortifications

Fishing on Lake Sinoe: the channels and shores on the ARBDD list

Lake Sinoe itself does not appear on the list of 31 zones published by ARBDD. Around it, recreational fishing is allowed on Channel 2, between Razim and Sinoe, on the western bank, and on Lake Istria, on a strip 50 m out from the shore, in the stretch between the entrance into Sinoe and the road crossing, on the eastern bank. Since the closed-season order bans recreational fishing on lakes not in the annex, “fishing on Lake Sinoe” in practice means these channels and shores. The general closed season is the same as on Razim, 9 April – 7 June. If you are unsure about a particular bank, ask ARBDD beforehand, on 0240 518 924.

Fishing on the Șontea channel: not among the permitted zones

Gârla Șontea appears in the reserve's navigation rules, among the channels where boats may go at up to 40 km/h, but it does not appear on the list of 31 recreational fishing zones published by ARBDD. The closed-season order bans recreational fishing on channels not in the annex, so on the Șontea you may not fish with a rod, even with both permits. The zones on the list in the same part of the delta are Gârla Sireasa, the Mila 35 channel, between the Tulcea and Chilia branches, and the lakes Bogdaproste, Trei Iezere, Legheanca, Cazanel and Furtuna.

Fishing at Murighiol: the fish-station channel and the Uzlina lakes

At Murighiol, the ARBDD list has two zones: the access channel to the Danube from the Murighiol fish station, on both banks, and the Uzlina group, that is the Uzlina and Perivolovca channels and the lakes Uzlina, Isac, Onofrei, Chiril, Gorgoștel and Taranova. Murighiol also has one of the three ARBDD information centres where you get the fishing permit on the spot, and residents of Murighiol do not pay for access. As a landmark on land, Halmyris Fortress is about 2.5 km east of the village. The closed season is the general one for the delta, 9 April – 7 June, with the separate periods for pike, pikeperch and perch.

Halmyris Fortress

Murighiol, TLClosed12 lei

Fortresses and fortifications

Fishing at Comana, in the Neajlov Delta: the marsh is off limits

At Comana the answer is short: in Balta Comana, that is the Neajlov Delta, fishing is banned. The Comana Nature Park administration states in its FAQ that the marsh is in the park's strict protection zone and that fishing there is strictly forbidden and penalised. The park regulation, part of the management plan approved in 2022, goes further: Balta Comana and the Gurban stream are fish protection zones, where fishing of any kind is banned, and hunting and recreational fishing are banned in all strict protection zones.

The administration does not publish a fishing permit for other waters in the park, nor a list of places where fishing is allowed, so for any other water in the Comana area ask the administration first; the phone number and the visitor fee, 5 lei a day, are on the attraction's page.

Neajlov Delta

Comana, GROpen5 lei

National parks and reserves

Common mix-ups: the ANPA permit, the “delta permit” and Balta Mică a Brăilei

The ANPA permit is not valid in the delta. ARBDD states explicitly that in the reserve recreational fishing is done only with the permit it issues, and the permit from the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ANPA) is not valid there.

“Delta permit” can mean two things. The access permit (5 lei a day) is for anyone entering the reserve; the fishing permit (free) is only for anglers and does not replace the access permit.

Balta Mică a Brăilei is not the Danube Delta. Balta Mică a Brăilei is a separate nature park, with its own administration; there sport fishing is allowed, with a limit of 5 kg of fish per angler per day, and access is banned in the strictly protected zones Jigara and Vulpașu.

Balta Mică a Brăilei

Brăila, BR80 lei

Deltas

Before you go fishing in the Danube Delta

What is specific to anglers, according to the documents ARBDD publishes:

• carry your fishing permit, access permit and ID; checks are made by ARBDD, the National Environmental Guard, the Police and the Border Police;
• fishing without a permit, in banned zones, in the closed season or with banned tackle is an offence, as is refusing to show your ID;
• keep the fishing spot clean; leaving any waste on the bank, on the beach or in the water is forbidden;
• tents go up only at authorised campsites.

What to take, the mosquitoes and the best time to visit the delta are in the guide to a first visit; how to get to Tulcea, Murighiol or Jurilovca and which boats you will find, in the guide to delta excursions.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a Danube Delta fishing permit?

Nothing: ARBDD issues the recreational fishing permit free of charge, under Law no. 1/2017. You also need the tourist access permit, though, at 5 lei a day, 15 lei a week or 30 lei a year (ARBDD prices, 2026).

How do I get a Danube Delta fishing permit online?

From the ARBDD application, permise.ddbra.ro, where the recreational fishing permit is listed at 0 lei; you get it together with the access permit. Without internet, you can get it at the ARBDD information centres in Sulina, Crișan and Murighiol.

Can I get the Danube Delta fishing permit by SMS?

No. SMS to 7494 works only for tourist access permits (TUR1, TUR7, TURAN), car and boat permits; there is no code for fishing (ARBDD, 2026).

When is the 2026 fishing ban in the Danube Delta?

The general closed season ran from 9 April to 7 June 2026 inclusive, in the Razim–Sinoe complex too; in the border waters with Ukraine, including Musura Bay, from 16 April to 30 May. Pike is closed in the delta from 1 February to 7 June, pikeperch and perch from 20 March to 7 June (Order 23/297/2025).

How many kg of fish can I take from the Danube Delta?

You may keep at most 5 kg of fish a day, or a single fish if it weighs more than 5 kg, and carry out of the reserve at most 10 kg per angler or 15 kg per family, however many days you have fished.

Can I fish on Lake Razim?

Yes, but only along the shore, on a 50 m strip, between the mouth of the Dunavăț channel and Cape Iancina, with the ARBDD permits and outside the 9 April – 7 June closed season.

Can you fish on the Șontea channel?

No: Gârla Șontea is not on the list of 31 recreational fishing zones published by ARBDD, and recreational fishing is banned on channels outside the list.

Is the ANPA fishing permit valid in the Danube Delta?

No. In the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve recreational fishing is done only with the permit issued by ARBDD, which is free.

Can you fish at Comana, in the Neajlov Delta?

Not in Balta Comana: it is a strict protection zone of Comana Nature Park, and fishing there is strictly forbidden. For other waters in the area, the park administration does not publish a permit; ask them beforehand.