Huchen on the Sava: new fishing regime and additional measures to protect the population

With the 2026/2027 fishing season, the Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia (ZZRS) is introducing a new huchen fishing regime in the Sava 11 Fishing District. The changes are intended to support the long-term conservation of the population, monitor and control fishing pressure, and encourage responsible handling of caught fish.

The new regime applies to the Sava 11 Fishing District, from the confluence of the Sava and Ljubljanica rivers to the road bridge in Litija.

Sava 11 Fishing District divided into three sectors

• Sector 1: confluence with the Ljubljanica–Jevnica road bridge;
• Sector 2: Jevnica road bridge–Kresnice road bridge;
• Sector 3: Kresnice road bridge–Litija road bridge.

The new fishing regime is planned to remain in place for a longer planning period, with one of the three sectors completely closed to targeted huchen fishing during each fishing season. The aim is to allow fish in part of the river to feed and reproduce with as little disturbance as possible.

In the 2026/2027 season, Sector 1 will be closed to huchen fishing, from the confluence of the Sava and Ljubljanica rivers to the road bridge in Jevnica. Huchen fishing will be permitted in Sector 2 and Sector 3.

Fishing regime

The basic huchen fishing regime in the Sava 11 Fishing District will now be catch and release, while the catch-and-take regime will be discontinued.

Taking a huchen will only be permitted in exceptional cases:

• when a marked (tagged) fish is caught;
• during an officially organised group huchen fishing event announced by ZZRS.

Example of a marked (tagged) huchen.

When may a marked (tagged) huchen be taken?

An angler may take a huchen that is marked (tagged) with an official grey tag attached at the base of the dorsal fin.

The new minimum legal length for taking a marked (tagged) huchen is 70 centimetres, measured from the mouth to the end of the caudal fin.

When a marked (tagged) huchen is caught, the following information must be reported to ZZRS:

• the tag number;
• the exact catch location or GPS coordinates;
• the length of the fish;
• a photograph of the caught huchen.

One side of the tag contains the contact telephone number (+386 1 244 34 00), while the other side contains the identification number. Please enter the identification number, not the contact telephone number.

Information on a marked (tagged) huchen, including the tag number, must also be reported to ZZRS if the angler does not take the fish.

Submit the information to ZZRS via the online form: https://zzrs.si/ribolov-sulca/

You can also access the online form by scanning the QR code below.

Data on recaptures of marked (tagged) fish are extremely important for scientific monitoring, as they provide information on the growth, movement and life history of individual fish.

Taking huchen during group fishing events

The second exception is taking a huchen during officially organised group huchen fishing events announced by the Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia.

The minimum legal length for taking a huchen at such an event is 100 centimetres.

The catch limit is one huchen per event or per day of group fishing. Once the limit has been reached, fishing continues exclusively on a catch-and-release basis.

If the limit is not reached, it is carried over to the next group fishing event. The total catch limit for group fishing events is four huchen.

ZZRS will organise four group huchen fishing events during the season, which will also be intended for education, exchange of experience and demonstrations of proper handling of caught fish.

When photographing the fish, it should be properly supported and the time spent out of the water should be kept as short as possible.

Proper handling of the fish

When fishing on a catch-and-release basis, quick and appropriate handling is particularly important to ensure that an uninjured fish can be successfully returned to the water. After the shortest possible period of proper handling, the caught huchen should be returned to the water unharmed.

ZZRS therefore recommends that anglers use a suitable landing net, handle the fish directly in sufficiently deep water to prevent the fish from striking or falling onto stones or rocks, measure it using an appropriate measuring device, and keep photography as brief as possible.

More detailed instructions on the correct measuring, photographing and handling of caught huchen are available here: https://zzrs.si/2026/09/25/how-to-handle-a-caught-huchen-measuring-photographing-and-release/

The new regime applies from the beginning of the 2026/2027 huchen fishing season onwards.