FISHING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW
ATTENTION! Consult the website of the ‘Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos’ (Nature and Forest Agency) for the full legislation and recent information: www.natuurenbos.be/ visserij
Public Fisheries Regulations 2017 1 When and how can you fish? To protect fish stocks there are two types of measures: Night fishing • Periods in which you may not fish for certain fish species. Night fishing: fishing from two hours after sunset until two hours before sunrise. A large fishing permit of € 45.86 is mandatory! • Ecologically valuable waters where fishing is prohibited in certain periods.
Night fishing is prohibited in the ecologically valuable waters listed in the table on p. 4-5! April
Night fishing is in principle permitted in the other waters not listed in the table 1-15 January February March May June July August September October November December 16-30 on p. 4-5. Please note: The owner or water manager can restrict access to a stretch of water Fishing for trout by imposing local access rules so that night fishing is not possible. In some waters you might also need an explicit permit from the owner to fish there. Fishing for pike and pikeperch
Fishing for other species Special conditions for night fishing Always put each fish you have caught immediately and carefully back into the Night fishing water of origin. The use of keepnets or other storage gear is prohibited.
Bobber fishing You may not keep any fish in your possession, not even if you caught that fish outside the night fishing period. Wading fishing
Prohibited in the waters listed in the Permitted Prohibited table on p. 4-5
Fishing is allowed in principle from two hours prior to sunrise until two hours after sunset, except when fishing is prohibited according to the table above and except when access to the water is limited by local rules. Any fish that you happen to catch at the time when fishing is prohibited according to the table above must be immediately and carefully put back in the water where it was caught.
Pike must be put back at all times during the year. The use of fish or parts thereof
The use of artificial bait with as bait is prohibited.
a total length of more than 2 cm is prohibited.
2 3 Ecologically valuable fishing waters Other (parts of) waterways with restrictions on fishing Ypres-Komen canal Gevaertsarm and Miseriebocht (old Zuidervaartje canal branches of Canal Ghent-Ostend) • Fishing is prohibited in the spawning period from 16 April to 31 May inclusive. Antitankgracht Canal Brugge to Sluis (Damse Vaart): • Night fishing: fishing from two hours after sunset until two hours before sunrise is Binnenvest Brugge: Brugse Reien from the Hoeke bridge to the border prohibited. Binnenvest Brugge: Brugse Coupure with the Netherlands (Sluis)
• The use of artificial bait with a total length of more than 2 cm and the use of fish 3. Fish ponds or parts thereof as bait is prohibited from 1 March to 31 May inclusive. Province of Antwerp • Please note: in some waters, local access rules apply. Always observe the access hours for a stretch of water and make sure you know the local rules. De Melle at Turnhout Het Broek at Blaasveld Domein Volharding at Rijkevorsel Balderij at Tielen 1. All unnavigable watercourses Domein Walenhoek at Niel Fort van Oelegem 2. Waterways or navigable watercourses (or parts thereof) Province of Flemish Brabant Leie river meanders Groot and Klein Wachtbekken Webbekoms Broek Oude Leie Bourgoyen Oude Leie Schoendalebocht Zuunbeek Vossemvijver Oude Leie Astene Oude Leie Ooigem Lindevijver and Putselvijver at Kleine vijver van Horst Oude Leie Grammene Oude Leie Bavikhove Groenendaal Demermeander Schoonhoven Oude Leie Machelen Oude Leie Wevelgem Meer van Rotselaar Oude Leie Gottem (Groot Volander en Leiebos) Province of Limburg Oude Leie Oeselgem Oude Leie Menen De Broek at Elen Grindplas Koole Greent Oude Leie Sint-Baafs-Vijve Dijkbeemdvijver at Zonhoven Grindplas Bichterweert Oud Kanaal Bocholt Grindplas Kerkeweerd Scheldt river meanders Oud Kanaal Bree-Beek Grindplassen Negenoord East and West Oude Schelde Zonneput Oude Schelde De Sterre Old Lanklaar Canal (southern part of Grindplas Maasbeempder Greend canal branch of Zuid-Willemsvaart; Oude Schelde Doornhammeke Oude Schelde Nederename Grindplas Hochter Bampd south of the Boslaan-N75) Old Dilsen Canal (northern part of Oude Schelde Teirlinckput Oude Schelde Melden het Veer Schulensmeer canal branch of Zuid-Willemsvaart; Oude Schelde Kriephoek Oude Schelde het Anker Oude Maas Stokkem north of the Boslaan-N75) Oude Schelde Meilegem Oude Schelde Elsegem Province of East Flanders Oude Schelde Mesureput Oude Schelde Berchem Meerse Hollandersgatkreek Molenkreek Roeselarekreek Berlarebroek Oude Schelde Blarewater Oude Schelde Scheiteput Nieuwe Roeselarekreek Bosdamvijver Wachtebeke Oude Schelde Spettekraai Oude Schelde Kerkhove Put Roste Muis Het Leen at Eeklo Oude Schelde Heurne-Heuvel Oude Schelde Coupure Outrijve Oudemanskreek Klaverbladvijver at Wachtebeke De Val The Scheldt Estuary This concerns the following waters or parts of waters which are classified as Province of West Flanders navigable: Oude Durme Hamme, Zenne and Zenne-diversion in Eppegem, Hoge Dijken at Oudenburg ‘t Veld-Zeetje at Ardooie Nete River upstream of the confluence with the Nete Canal in Duffel, Kleine Nete, Grote Bassin at Roeselare Bergelen Put Grote Nete, Demer. Kasteelvijver Bulskampveld at Beernem Koolhofput at Nieuwpoort 4 5 All other fishing waters Fishing in the indicated angling zone. Not In all other waters which are not listed in the table on p. 4-5, fishing is permitted De Bocht (Heindonk) x accessible from one hour after sunset to one throughout the year, even during the night. hour before sunrise. Muisbroek: small pond Fishing in the large pond is not permitted. • In the period from 16 April to 31 May you must put back each fish caught (Ekeren) immediately and carefully into the water of origin. The use of keepnets or Fishing from the outside banks of the fortress other storage gear is prohibited. Fort van Walem canal. • During night fishing, from two hours after sunset until two hours before Schranshoeve (Vorselaar) x Not accessible from sunset till 08:00. sunrise, you must put back each fish caught immediately and carefully into the water of origin and the use of keepnets or other storage gear for fish is Rivierenhof (Deurne) x Not accessible from 22:00 till 06:30. prohibited. During night fishing, the use of artificial bait with a total length of more than 2 cm and the use of fish or parts thereof as bait is prohibited.
• Please note: The owner or water manager can restrict access to a stretch of Limburg water by imposing local access rules. In some waters you might also need an Grindplas Heerenlaak Not accessible from two hours after sunset to x explicit permit from the owner to fish there. (Aldeneik) two hours before sunrise. The following table shows the main fishing waters per province where restrictions Grindplas Meynekomplas Not accessible from two hours after sunset to x apply as regards accessibility. Please note: even in waters which are not listed in this (Aldeneik) two hours before sunrise. table there may be restrictions or a permit might be required from the owner. Always Grindplassen Kessenich: Not accessible from two hours after sunset to observe the access hours for a stretch of fishing water and make sure you know the Daler Oe (Spaanjerd), Vissen x two hours before sunrise. local rules. Akker and Boterakker Paalse Plas x x Fishing in the indicated angling zones. Fishing from boats not allowed. Fishing ban Fishing waters which are subject to restrictions as regards accessibility from 16 April to 31 May inclusive. From 1 April to 31 October inclusive not accessible from 22:00 till 06:00. Water Accessibility restrictions From 1 November to 31 March inclusive not accessible from 20:00 till 07:00. Nightfishing Fishing from Fishing from 16 April to 31 May inclusive
Antwerp East Flanders Fishing from landing stages in the indicated Blaarmeersen (Ghent) x Not accessible from 23:00 till 08:00. Breeven (Bornem) x angling zone. Fishing ban from 16 April to 31 May inclusive. Additional special fishing permit from domain itself is obligatory (free). Fishing is allowed on Galgenweel (Antwerp) Fishing in the indicated angling zones. De Gavers (Geraardsbergen) x the Poelaert Plas and the pond of the camp Fishing allowed in the buffer basin. site. Not accessible from two hours after sunset Burchtse Weel (Antwerp) Fishing not allowed in the tidal areas of to two hours before sunrise. the Scheldt river. Fishing in the indicated angling zones. Fishing Fishing in the indicated angling zones Boerekreek from boats not allowed. Not accessible from x Hazewinkel (Heindonk) x indicated. Not accessible from sunset to (St-Laureins) two hours after Not accessible from two hours sunrise. after sunset to two hours before sunrise.
6 7 Flemish Brabant Public angling waters in Flanders Not accessible from one hour after sunset to Visvijver van Weerde x Flanders has many interesting angling waters. All the major public angling waters are one hour before sunrise. indicated on the provincial angling maps. Regional angling maps give a more detailed Groene Beemd overview of the angling waters in a smaller part of a province. The angling maps also (Ruisbroek, Sint-Pieters- x Not accessible from sunset to sunrise. mention the types of fish that anglers regularly catch in the various waters. You can Leeuw) obtain angling maps free of charge from your Provincial Fishery Commission. Fishing allowed only on the Krommevijver. From 1 April to 30 September inclusive, not Domein Gaasbeek x accessible from 20:00 till 08:00. From 1 October to 31 March inclusive, not accessible from 17:00 till 08:00. Fishing allowed only on the small pond. Not accessible from sunset to sunrise. From 1 June to 31 August inclusive the latest Domein Ter Rijst x opening time is moreover limited to 21:00. From 1 September to 31 May inclusive the latest opening time is moreover limited to 20:00. Fishing allowed only in the Coloma canal pond. Not accessible from sunset to sunrise. Domein Coloma x The latest opening time is moreover limited to 20:00.
West Flanders Fishing in the indicated angling zones. De Gavers (Harelbeke) x Not accessible from sunset to sunrise. Fishing in the indicated angling zones. Waggelwater (Bruges) x Not accessible from two hours after sunset to two hours before sunrise.
8 9 Taking and keeping fish Baitfish
Sizes for fish species Baitfish: a fish or part of a fish; you can use a baitfish as bait with which to catch You must immediately and carefully put back any fish smaller than the minimum size other fish. into the water of origin. The length is measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail fin. You should keep a measuring rod with you. An angler may possess or transport no more than 20 living or dead baitfish smaller • Minimum size 30 cm: eel, brown trout, common nase and tench. than 15 cm. So, you are allowed to keep no more than 20 bait fish smaller than • Minimum size 42 cm: sea bass. 15 cm in a keepnet, bait bucket or other storage medium! • Minimum size 45 cm: pikeperch and barbel. • Minimum size 30 cm and maximum size 60 cm: you must always put back carp You are not allowed to use protected species, varieties of colour of fish species and smaller than 30 cm and larger than 60 cm! non-indigenous species as baitfish. • Pike must be put back at all times during the year! You may only transport baitfish belonging to the cyprinid family (cyprinidae). Ban on the transport of live fish Recommended cyprinids are: bleak, roach, silver or white bream, common bream, rudd, It is forbidden to take live fish from waters to which the legislation is applicable and transport them away alive. This rule does not apply to eel and bait fishes (see also p.11 gudgeon and ide or orfe. for bait fishing). Recommended brackish water species are herring, smelt and sprat. Catch limitation 5 fish You can also use seawater fish such as mackerel and whiting as bait, regardless of their Each angler can take away no more than 5 fish after his time at the water, from which no more than 3 pike perch. The fish must be bigger than 15 cm and dead. Only eel can length. be taken away alive. In addition, you must comply with the minimum and maximum sizes of fish species; taking away protected species and pike is prohibited. In practice, you can also use fish longer than 15 cm and which meet the legal minimum size requirements as bait. Living if they are caught on site and if you keep them in the Sea bass keepnet. An angler may catch and take away no more than five dead fish longer than • From 1 January to 30 June: all fish have to be put back. 15 cm. • From 1 July to 31 December: an angler may take away no more than 1 bass (minimum size 42 cm). Protected species Bobber fishing Eel fishing with a bobber is permitted at all times and in all waters. When fishing in 19 fish species and the indigenous crayfish are very rare in our waters. In order to protect the period from 16 April to 31 May inclusive or while fishing at night, anglers may only these species, fishing for them is no longer permitted. If you happen to catch one of keep or take away eel, on condition that they use one bobber and do not use any other them, make sure you immediately and carefully put it back into the water of origin. These fishing rods. species are:
Fly Fishing Atlantic salmon, brook lamprey, stone loach, bitterling, allis shad, twaite shad, schneider However, fly fishing from the banks is permitted from 16 April to 31 May inclusive in all or spirlin, gwyniad or powan, wheaterfish or wheater loach, houting, European crayfish, waterways and unnavigable watercourses. You must immediately and carefully put back spined loach, burbot, bullhead, river lamprey, common sturgeon, belica or motherless every fish you catch into the water of origin. minnow, grayling, sea trout and sea lamprey. 10 11 The fishing right The fishing permit Rivers, canals and streams, as well as still or flowing waters that are not completely Anyone who wants to fish in the public waters must be in possession of a valid fishing closed off from the public waterway network are all governed by the law of 1 July permit. You must purchase a new fishing permit every year. All fishing permits are valid 1954 on river fishing and the decision of the Government of Flanders of 1 February up to and including 31 December of the year for which they are issued. You can apply 2013. With a Flemish fishing permit, everyone has the right to fish in the navigable for each type of fishing permit online via the website www.visverlof.be or purchase waterways whose maintenance is paid for by the Flemish Region. them in a post office in the Flemish Region.
Children younger than 14 can fishwithout a permit with one fishing rod, if they are An additional permit is required for fishing in: accompanied by their father, mother or guardian, who themselves possess a fishing • The unnavigable waters where the fishing right belongs to the owner of the shore. permit. • The creeks and artificial waterways of which the maintenance is at the expense of Polders and Wateringen. Children younger than 14 can fish unaccompanied with one fishing rod if they are in possession of a youth fishing permit. They must always put each fish they have • The fishing pools to which the fisheries legislation applies, but which are on private caught immediately and carefully back into the water of origin. This youth fishing land. permit is free but mandatory.
However, children younger than 14 who wish to fish unaccompanied with two fishing An additional permit is required for fishing in: rods, wish to take their catch away with them, wish to fish otherwise than from the • Boudewijnkanaal: banks or wish to fish from two hours after sunset until two hours before sunrise must Havenbestuur Zeebrugge, P. Vandammehuis, Isabellalaan 1, 8380 Zeebrugge - tel. buy a standard or large fishing permit. 050-54 32 11, [email protected] • Paalse Plas: The ‘standard’ fishing permit of€11.16 (excluding tax) permit from the municipality of Beringen mandatory. Toerisme Beringen, is needed to fish with a maximum of two fishing rods: Koolmijnlaan 203, 3582 Beringen – tel. 011-26 97 20, www.toerismeberingen.be • From the bank or shore • Blaarmeersen te Ghent: • From a platform or landing stage which is here you can fish in the authorized angling zones and an additional urban license anchored or connected to the shore is obligatory, as well as the fishing permit. This permit is issued in the beach house of the domain. The ‘large’ fishing permit of€45.86 (excluding tax) is needed to fish with a maximum of two fishing rods: The Code of Good Angling Practice • Other than from the bank or shore, for People who treat the environment with care and respect will ensure the continued example by wading or in a boat Request your existence of countless species of fish and also safeguard the future of angling in public • From two hours after sunset until two hours waters. Anglers have made agreements with the government to protect the fish and before sunrise in the permitted waters fishing permit their environment. Those agreements constitute the ‘Code of Good Angling Practice’. In addition, the federations of Carp Fishers (VBK), Predatory Fish Anglers (VRF) and Each fishing permit also gives entitlement to fish online via the Confederated Committee for Competition Fishing (CCCV), with the support of the in the manner permitted by the less expensive WWW.VISVERLOF.be government, have drawn up specific discipline codes. For more information, please fishing permits. So, you can also fish during the contact these federations. day with the ‘large’ fishing permit. 12 13 How are you not allowed to fish? Recognising sport fish • It is forbidden to consume the fish you have caught on site. Bleak Perch Barbel • You may only use the landing net to take the fish you caught with the fishing rod out of the water. • The fishing rod and the bobber are the only fishing tools allowed. All tools other than the fishing rod or the bobber are prohibited. Brown trout Roach Flounder • It is prohibited to fish under ice. • The use of coloured maggots is prohibited. These contain colouring substances which may be toxic to the fish and the angler. Common bream European or wels catfish Prussian or gibel carp (gibel carp) • It is prohibited to use more than two fishing rods to fish with. • It is prohibited to attach more than three single or more than three multiple hooks to one and the same fishing rod. Mullet Herring Cod • It is prohibited to leave fishing rods unattended.
Where should you never fish? Common carp Silver or white bream Chub • In locks • In fish passages • From bridges over navigable waterways Crucian carp Eel Pope or ruffe • In any other locations, whether from the shore or on the water where the Nature and Forest Agency has imposed a temporary Rudd Gudgeon Asp or permanent fishing ban indicated on placards erected on site.
Seen a large number of dead fish? Dace Common nase Pike Contact the local police or the environment department of your local council as soon as possible. Pikeperch or zander Sole Whiting
Consumption advice Because of the presence of polluting substances, the Government of Flanders strongly Ide or orfe Sea bass Tench advises against eating eel and predatory fish you have caught yourself in public waters. Eating the fish could be a hazard to your health.
14 15 Contact and information
Public Fisheries Info office: Provincial Fisheries Commissions Do you have a question about public fishing? Would you like more information about fisheries regulations, fishing waters, fishing rights, fish species and fish stock management? If so, contact the Fisheries Commission in your province.
West Flanders Proosdij, Burg 2B, 8000 Bruges - Tel 050-40 58 04 [email protected] - www.visserijcommissiewvl.wordpress.com
East Flanders Woodrow Wilsonplein 2, 9000 Ghent - Tel 09-267 78 02 [email protected]
Antwerp Italiëlei 4 bus 16, 2000 Antwerp - Tel 03-204 03 35 [email protected]
Flemish Brabant VAC, Diestsepoort 6 bus 75, 3000 Leuven - Tel 016-66 63 17 [email protected]
Limburg Universiteitslaan 1, 3500 Hasselt - Tel 011-23 72 90 [email protected]
More information about the fishing regulations on www.natuurenbos.be/visserij
Colophon Publisher: Design: www.otwee.be Marie-Laure Vanwanseele Printers: Drukkerij De Cuyper Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos, Cover image: © Thierry De Coninck @ Arofex Koning Albert II-laan 20 bus 8 - 1000 Brussels Photo of baitfish p.3: © Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos [email protected] Photo of artificial bait p.3: © Pol Heymans www.natuurenbos.be/visserij Photos of fish species p. 15: © Vilda - Rollin Verlinde