Sea angling
For sea anglers, there are a variety of shore, rock and boat fishing opportunities along Northern Ireland's coastline. The most common fish species include wrasse, cod, whiting, plaice, flatfish, turbot, mackerel, haddock, dogfish, coalfish, pollack, flounder and conger eels.
When you need a licence
There is no need to have a rod licence for sea angling, except when fishing for or taking salmon or sea trout.
When sea fishing for salmon or sea trout, by law you need a game rod licence for each game fishing rod:
- used by anyone over 12 years of age who's fishing in the DAERA public fishing area
- used by all ages in the Loughs Agency fishing area
Game rod licence prices
Buy rod licence, permit
Catch and release
All salmon and sea trout caught in the DAERA fishing area and in the sea, must be returned unharmed to the water.
At the end of the fishing season, fill in the make an angling catch return with details of any salmon and sea trout caught and released in the DAERA fishing area. This information helps to manage fish stocks.
Illegal to sell rod caught salmon
It is illegal to sell rod caught salmon in the DAERA area. The ban is a conservation measure to protect wild Atlantic salmon stocks and brings Northern Ireland into line with the Republic of Ireland and Britain where the ban already exists.
More on sea angling
For more information on sea angling, visit the website of the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers