Recreational fishing

Boat fishing, shore fishing and underwater fishing

As the cabins in Sormiou and Morgiou evidence: fishing has always formed part of the Calanques identity! To enable future generations to continue to enjoy fishing, local fishermen have joined forces with the National Park to define the rules to be followed: a decree regulating catch quotas and a charter of best practices have been defined.

Before you leave

Before setting out, plan your visit.
For boat fishing, plan your route, by consulting the SHOM map (map administered by France's Ministry of Defence, compulsory on board) and the various resources available in the media library, in particular the map of sea regulations.
If you are sailing a rented boat, view this page.

Best practices

Fish a variety of species, rather than targeting a single species.
Take care not to catch sensitive and vulnerable species.
Avoid taking species during the spawning period.
Keep your sea and coastline clean: take your rubbish with you and recycle it.
Do not throw food in the sea.
Keep your distance from cetaceans and do not follow them: if they change speed or direction abruptly, it means that they do not want to be approached.
When boat fishing: please slow down when approaching a professional fishing boat setting fishing gear.
When boat fishing: keep your boat's bilge clean and free of contaminating liquids (oil, petrol, cleaning products) that may inadvertently spill into the sea.
When boat fishing: choose to anchor in sandy beds (clear areas) using the Donia mobile app, raise your anchor upright or use a buoy rope.
When shore fishing: do not walk over the lithophyllum corridors to reach your fishing spot.

Regulations

Do not fish in the no-take zones and the enhanced protection zones.
When boat or shore fishing: respect the maximum quantities of 7 kilos per person per day, with a limit of 20 kilos per day and per boat for fishermen on board.
When underwater fishing: respect the maximum number of 12 catches per day.
Respect the maximum number of catches applicable to certain species: bass, bonitos, scorpion fish, dentex, sea bream, etc.
Mandatory cutting of the caudal fin for any fish larger than 15 centimetres.
Release fish that do not meet the minimum catch sizes in the best possible conditions: remove hooks, cut the fishing line.
Do not fish forbidden species: goldblotch grouper, dusky grouper, brown meagre, bluefin tuna, Mediterranean slipper lobster, noble pen shell, etc.
Do not fish octopus between 1 June and 30 September (bylaws 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021).
Do not fish sea urchins between 16 April and 31 October.
Do not use electric or hydraulic assistance mechanisms.

Safety

When underwater fishing: warn of your presence with a buoy!
Respect the wildlife: do not disturb or feed it.
When boat fishing: ensure you follow the safety instructions applicable to boating.

Contacts

Sea rescue CROSS MED: VHF channel 16 - Tel.: +33 (0)4 94 61 16 16 ou 196 depuis un téléphone mobile

Habour masters: VHF channel 9

Vieux-Port Marseille harbour master: +33 (0)4 91 99 75 60
Frioul harbour master: +33 (0)4 91 59 01 82
Pointe rouge harbour master: +33 (0)4 91 99 75 67
Port-Miou harbour master: +33 (0)4 42 01 96 24
Cassis harbour master: +33 (0)4 42 32 91 65
Nouveau port La Ciotat harbour master: +33 (0)4 42 08 62 90
Port-vieux La Ciotat SEMIDEP harbour master: +33 (0)4 42 83 80 27

Launching:

La Ciotat
Centre d'activités nautiques de la Pointe Rouge (Nautical activity centre) in Marseille

Marine weather forecast: VHF channel 80 or 3250

Prohibition in no-take zones

10% of the marine territory of the Calanques National Park is classified as no-take zones (ZNPs). In the seven delimited no-take zones, any kind of fishing is permanently prohibited, whether for professional or leisure fishing.

See the page dedicated to the ZNPs

GPS coordinates of the no-take zones (ZNP) and enhanced protections zones (ZPR)

Download the GPS file of the ZNPs and ZPRs (GPX format with ZIP compression)

Against illegal fishing and for reasonable recreational fishing

Illegal fishing undermines the sustainability of traditional professional and recreational fishing practices, which are part of the area's identity. It is also detrimental to the conservation of the Calanques' marine environments, which the National Park is responsible for preserving. Since its creation, the Park has therefore been pursuing the objective of combating this practice by implementing various tools, working alongside French State services.

Signature of a prefectoral decree

On the proposal of the National Park's management board and in addition to the various existing regulations, a prefectoral decree was signed on 31 January 2017 with the aim of reinforcing the fight against illegal fishing and promoting reasonable recreational fishing in the Calanques National Park. It defines a new regulatory framework that applies to all forms of recreational fishing: on boats, from the shore or underwater. These new regulations are the result of a partnership between the Calanques National Park, representatives of recreational fishing (federations, clubs and nautical societies) and socio-professional organisations (regional committee of maritime fisheries and marine husbandry, prud'homies).

Regulations

The regulations set the maximum limit, in weight or number, above which recreational fishing can no longer be considered as being for the exclusive consumption of the fisherman and his family. They also prohibit the underwater hunting of certain sensitive species. They do not replace the other regulations in force under ordinary law and specific to the National Park. Please note: from the moment a person chooses to fish in the core areas of the National Park, the core area rules (maximum quantities, prohibition of underwater fishing of certain species) are applicable to all the catches that he or she has with him or her, regardless of where they were caught (inside or outside the National Park).