Strait of Messina fishing forecast

Ranks #306 of 437 spots FishRadar scored worldwide today

Trending up — 4 points above this spot’s 7-day average

Score confidence ±4 points, from 8 live signals

The statistical model disagrees with the physics model here today — treat this score with extra caution.

30 days tracked at this exact location

Best recent day: 2026-08-11, 67/100

All species combined

• maximum 5 kg total per day — FIVE KILOGRAMS A DAY, ACROSS EVERYTHING — fish, molluscs and crustaceans combined, not per species. One single fish heavier than the cap is excluded, so a 6 kg amberjack is lawful on its own but nothing else may be added to it. SEPARATELY AND ON TOP: no more than ONE GROUPER PER DAY, of any Epinephelus or Polyprion species, whatever its size — the national minimum for cernia is 45 cm (art. 87) and the EU Mediterranean MCRS is 45 cm, but the one-fish rule bites first. Competition anglers taking part in an authorised manifestazione sportiva are exempt from the 5 kg cap and the one-grouper rule under article 144. These are NATIONAL rules and they apply in every Italian sea, including inside the regions that publish their own rulebooks: in Liguria, Sicilia and Sardegna they stack with the regional and marine-protected-area caps, and the stricter one governs — the AMP Cinque Terre allows 2 kg per person, the AMP Portofino and the AMP Isole Egadi 3 kg per person, all well below this 5 kg. Permitted recreational gear is fixed by article 138 (coppo, giacchio, rods of at most 3 hooks, correntine of at most 6 hooks, traina, parangali, nasse) and article 140 caps it at 5 rods per angler, 200 longline hooks per boat and 2 pots per boat.

Licensing:

• saltwater-recreational — residents No paid licence for recreational sea fishing, but a free annual registration with MASAF (the "comunicazione di esercizio della pesca sportiva/ricreativa in mare", or census) is mandatory. From May 2026 anglers aged 16+ must complete the census and use the RecFishing app., non-residents Same free MASAF registration applies to non-residents fishing recreationally in Italian waters.
• freshwater-recreational — residents Inland/freshwater fishing licences are issued by each Region (Regione), not nationally; fees and rules vary by region., non-residents Non-residents need the relevant regional freshwater licence for lakes and rivers.

Some rules may have changed since our last verification — always confirm with the authority before you fish.

FishRadar regulations are summaries for informational purposes only. Italian rules are set nationally by MASAF (sea) and by each Region for inland waters, and EU minimum sizes and bluefin-tuna authorisations also apply. Always verify with MASAF at masaf.gov.it before fishing.