Belgian-Macedonian Business Club

Ohrid lake is the most known touristic gem of North Macedonia. What do you need to know if fishing is your favorite occupation?

Lake Ohrid contains 17 different species of fish and over 100 other species, the fish belonging to three groups: trout, white eel. The most famous of all is the trout of Ohrid. Known as “Koran” in Albania and “Ohridska pastrmka” in North Macedonia, the Ohrid Trout has long been a staple in the lake’s crystal-clear waters. Also carp, roach, chub and Macedonian Barbel can be fished.

Commercial fish yield, i.e. the two endemic trout species, has dropped significantly over the past decades, both in North Macedonia and in Albania. The most probable reason is over-fishing and possibly destruction of spawning grounds. Pollution may also be a factor.

There are regulations regarding fishing practice (e.g. minimal mesh size) and only a limited number of licensed fishermen. A seven-year moratorium on fishing Ohrid trout was imposed from 2004 to help the population recover and to allow scientists to collect further data. An assessment of fish stocks has not been conducted since the 1990s and trout populations are still believed to be in decline, fishing with quotas was restarted in 2012 under the auspices of a concessionaire.

Minimum legal size for commercial species (Source)

Name	Scientific name	Albania	North Macedonia
Ohrid trout	salmo letnica	32 cm	35 cm
Ohrid belvica	salmo ohridanus	30 cm	22 cm
Carp	cyprinus carpio	30 cm	40 cm
Chub	squalius squalus	15 cm	30 cm
Roach	rutilus ohridanus	12 cm
Nase	chondrostoma ohridanus		25 cm
Bleak	alburnus scoranza	10 cm	12 cm
Rudd	scardinius knezevici	12 cm	20 cm
Eel	anguilla	25 cm	60 cm
Prussian carp	carassius gibelio	15 cm	unlimited
Pumpkinseed	lepomis gibbosus		unlimited

To maintain the population of Ohrid trout, Albanian public and private organizations have increased operations at fisheries to produce 1.7 million hatchlings per year. From December 1 to early March, fishing is prohibited in
Lake Ohrid to prevent the disruption of the trout’s breeding cycle.

“In Turkish times, until 1912, fishing was banned during the spawning season (December – March) when trout emerge from the deep to lay and fertilize eggs,” Zoran Spirkovski of the Ohrid Hydrobiological Institute said. “People caught with nets on the lake were actually shot at then.”

The European eel spawns in the distant Sargasso Sea while its offspring return to the lake. It is very unlikely today that eels can reach Lake Ohrid naturally and return to the Sargasso Sea, as a result, eel found in Lake Ohrid are stocked populations.

The new association “Ohrid Fishermen” together with the concessionaire of the fishing zone issues permits. The zone covers the Macedonian part of Lake Ohrid and the tributaries. Sport fishing is not allowed on the water surface of the lake designated as fishing zones, such as the springs at “Sveti Naum”, as well as the protected zones in the lake where fishing is prohibited by law.

Fee	Shore fishing	Fishing and boating
Daily	5,77 € (354 MKD)	11,53 € (708 MKD)
Three days	11,53 € (708 MKD	21,15 € (1 298 MKD)
Monthly	33,64 € (2 065 MKD)	43,25 € (2655 MKD)
Annual	67,20 € (4 130 MKD)	83,57 € (5 130 MKD)

More information

• Ohrid4U
• FishingLakeOhrid.com