Overview of recreational fisheries in Latvia
Recreational Fishery – according to the Fishery Law of the Republic of Latvia the
term includes fishery with nets, pots and long-lines for self-subsistence (for selfconsumption), angling, and spear fishing (underwater hunting). As the Fishery Law
applies to all waters of the Republic of Latvia (including inland), for the application of
this overview the term will be restricted only to above mentioned activities performed
in marine waters.
Self- subsistence fishery – is restricted to use only gill-nets, pots and long-lines. The
fishery for each self- subsistence fisherman simultaneously is allowed to use only one
gear- the net (length up to 50 m or up to 100 m as decided by local municipality), the
pot or the maximum of 100 hooks in a long-line. To get the licence (for 1 year until the
end of current year) the fisherman have to get the fishing right lease contract (and pay1
for each fishing gear that he will use) in the relevant municipality. Gear allocation is
given within the limits of total number of fishing gears recommended by science and
further set up by the Cabinet of ministers for coastal waters of respective local
municipality. The fisherman also have to follow the Fishery rules in relation to fishing
bans and other restrictions etc. In general the main difference from commercial fishery
is that the fishermen has simultaneously only one gear in use and are not allowed to sell
the caught fishes. However, conditions for use of fishing gears and catch reporting
requirements (daily log-books) are identical to commercial fishery.
Also the species composition in the catches is similar as in commercial fishery with the
same type of fishing gears.
Since 2013 the self-subsistence fishermen are also allowed to catch cod, but there are
catch quotas for that – maximum 200 kg/year per one person (accounted against the
respective quota allocated to Latvia and each municipality).
Angling means obtaining fish with the angling gears. According to various assessments
there are approximately 120 000 anglers in Latvia. The angling is more common in
inland waters than in the coastal area of the Baltic Sea where it has only occasional and
seasonal character. In marine waters angling can be performed from the boat (vessel)
as well as from the shore. The angling season is allowed all year long. The angling is
regulated by Rules of the Cabinet of Ministers No 1498 “Angling rules” (hereinafter –
Angling rules). According to Angling rules anglers have to buy licence – “fishing card”
(for 1 year or for 3 months). Anglers under 16 years and after 65 years don’t need to
buy “fishing cards”. Minimal landing size of the fish as well as total allowed catch per
species per day and number of gear units (max 3 rods per one person) are regulated.
It is allowed to keep not more than:
- 5 individuals from turbot, rainbow trout, pike, tench, chub, burbot, vimba, pike-perch,
eel;
- 3 individuals from ide, asp, catfish, brown trout;
- 10 individuals from cod;
- 1 individual from grayling, white fish;
- sea trout, salmon caught in sea waters, as well as in (the River) Buļļupe, (the River)
Sausā Daugava and (the River) Daugava from the mouth of the Daugava up to the Riga
1
Prices for each gear type are defined by local municipality every year. Law allows only one gear from
each gear type for one self-subsistence fisherman
Hydroelectric Power Station – one individual of each species, but in other inland waters
– in accordance with the by-laws for licensed angling;
- perch caught in inland waters – 5 kilograms;
- perch caught in marine waters, flounder caught in marine waters and smelt caught in
sea waters and inland waters – 10 kilograms of each species;
- fish of other species – without number and weight restrictions in one angling “trip”.
Minimal landing size of the fish is:
- 60 cm for salmon;
- 50 cm for pike, sea trout, catfish;
- 45 cm for asp, pikeperch;
- 40 cm for eel;
- between 30 and 40 cm for brown trout;
- 38 cm for cod
- 30 cm for turbot, ide, chub, grayling, white fish, rainbow trout, burbot, vimba
- 17 cm for perch caught in marine waters
- 25 cm for tench.
There are also protection periods during spawning season for several fish species and
several regulations concerning the allowed angling gears. By far the most popular type
of angling in the coastal waters is catching flounder from the shore. There is also
licensed angling organised in Latvia. It means that for certain payment a person is
allowed to angle for certain number of fish (set out in the individual plan for licensed
angling) in a particular mainly inland water body. Mostly this activity is organised by
legal persons in the public water bodies where the certain administrative procedure
regarding use of it is applied. The data regarding earned money and volumes of catch
for each licensed angling site should be submitted to the administration. Such licensed
or otherwise organised angling from boats in the sea doesn’t exist or rarely occurs and
mainly for non-regulated species.
Spear fishing (underwater hunting) is also regulated by the same rules as angling and
has the same restrictions concerning minimal fish length and allowable catch size etc.
There is no catch reporting system except some type of questionnaires that would allow
estimate total catches of fish by spear fishers. The number of persons involved in this
type of fishing is low as the water conditions in inland waters and also coastal waters
are not very suitable for this activity (muddy, short season with appropriate temperature
(ice cover) etc.) and this is also expensive hobby to be opened for wider public.
Therefore it should be noted that also catch in the coastal waters by spear fishermen is
negligible. Most common target species of spear fishermen in the coastal waters are
flounder and turbot.
Control and data collection regarding recreational fisheries
Control of the self- subsistence fishing, angling and spear fishing is provided by the
Marine and Inland Waters Administration (hereinafter- MIWA) according to the
national fisheries regulative acts.
In self-subsistence fishing person should fill the daily fishing log-book concerning the
catches under the same rules as commercial fishermen and each month submit it to the
MIWA (data from log-book includes information about gear used (name, number
and/or size of the gear, number of days it has been used), name and total weight (in kg)
of all species caught in each gear (for salmon and sea trout – also number of individuals
caught)). These log-books are collected in the central office of MIWA and then
submitted to the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR”
(hereinafter – BIOR). BIOR enters the data of log-books in the state system “Fisheries
Integrated Control and Information System”. Uptake of catches for commercial fish
species (herring, sprat, salmon, cod) by the self-subsistence fishermen are monitored
and accounted against the respective quotas allocated to Latvia. However also
information on catches of non-commercial species are collected and added to Latvia’s
total catch.
Data from self-subsistence fishery (since 1993), angling and spear fishing
(questionnaires and interviews of anglers in year 2007, data from offshore angling in
year 20122) are available in BIOR.
Based on expert judgment, the total landings for cod in recreational fisheries are mostly
insignificant (5-10 tons) if compared to commercial fishery landings (4281 tons in 2012
that makes 58% of total allowable catches (TAC) for Latvia). During the 20121 total
landing from offshore recreational fisheries was 78 specimens (less than 100 kg). As
the effort and catches seem to be low, presently it seems not to be cost effective to
implement a wide scale data collection program for offshore recreational fishery.
Other fish species that are more or less popular in coastal or offshore recreational
fishery are flounder, perch, garfish, eelpout and round goby. Most popular of them is a
flounder fishing from the shore using rod and line. It is also a seasonal activity that
occurs mostly from august till december and only on open Baltic coast in ICES SD 28.
Total annual landing of flounder by recreational fishery in Latvia could be
comparatively high (based on some experts opinion – nearly the same as in commercial
fishery, if the fishery for self-subsistence is included), but flounder presently is not
internationally assessed and has no TAC set for Baltic Sea. Because of that currently
there are no funds allocated for recreational flounder fishery data collection in Latvia.
2
By now there is only one boat known in Latvia, that can be hired for recreational cod fishery (by
angling) in the Baltic sea. In 2012 the captain of this boat was contracted to do catch measurements
during all fishing trips.