Nature Reserves in the North Sea Closed for Fisheries
Last checked on: 9 April 2026
There are several nature reserves in the North Sea. They exist to protect nature. Some of these reserves closed (partly) for fisheries in 2023. The Dogger Bank has been partly closed since 18 November 2025. This is done to let nature restore itself.
Which nature reserves are closed?
The nature reserves that are (partly) closed in the Dutch territorial waters are the:
- Frisian Front (Friese Front)
- Central Oyster Grounds (Centrale Oestergronden)
- Cleaver Bank (Klaverbank)
- Dogger Bank (since 18 November 2025)
- German nature reserves Sylt Outer Reef (Sylter Aussenriff), Borkum Reef Ground (Borkum-Riffgrund) and Eastern German Bight (Östliche Deutsche Bucht)
You cannot use certain bottom contacting gear (like bottom trawls, beam trawls, seines and dredges), gillnets and entangling nets in these areas.
Coordinates and overviews
You can find the coordinates of all the Dutch and German areas in the:
An overview of the closed nature reserves in Dutch territorial waters can be found on the website of Informatiehuis Marien. On this map, you will find the Frisian Front, the Central Oyster Grounds, the Cleaver Bank and the Dogger Bank.
Rules in the nature reserves
When passing through these areas, stow prohibited fishing gear so that it cannot be used immediately. Maintain a speed of at least 6 knots. If you cannot meet these requirements in these areas, please contact fmc@nvwa.nl.
Frisian Front (MSFD)
The Frisian Front is partly protected by the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). With this framework, we protect this area and let nature restore itself. You cannot use bottom contacting gear.
Forbidden fishing gear in the Frisian Front (MSFD)
Forbidden fishing gear in the Frisian Front (MSFD)
| Fishing gear | Fishing gear code |
|---|---|
| Beam trawl | TBB |
| Bottom otter trawl | OTB |
| Otter twin trawl | OTT |
| Bottom pair trawl | PTB |
| Nephrops trawl | TBN |
| Shrimp trawl | TBS |
| Bottom trawl | TB |
| Boat dredge | DRB |
| Mechanised dredge | HMD |
| Scottisch pair seine | SPR |
| Danish anchor seine | SDN |
| Scottisch seine | SSC |
| Seine | SX |
| Boat or vessel seine | SV |
Frisian Front (Birds Directive Site)
A part of the Frisian Front is a Birds Directive Site to protect the murre. In this area, you cannot use gillnets and entangling nets from 1 June to 30 November each year. You may only use them if you apply for a fishing day.
Forbidden fishing gear in the Frisian Front
Forbidden fishing gear in the Frisian Front
| Fishing gear | Fishing gear code |
|---|---|
| Gillnet | GN |
| Set (anchored) gillnet | GNS |
| Driftnet | GND |
| Encircling gillnet | GNC |
| Trammel net | GTR |
| Combined trammel and gillnet | GTN |
Apply for a fishing day
Apply for a fishing day
Do you want to fish in the Frisian Front with the above fishing gear during this period? And do you fish under the Dutch, German, Danish or British flag? These flag states were given a total of 8 fishing days:
- The Netherlands: 3 fishing days
- Germany: 2 fishing days
- Denmark: 2 fishing days
- United Kingdom: 1 fishing day
One fishing day is one individual fishing trip. This lasts up to 24 hours.
We will publish on this page when a flag state’s fishing days have been used. No one from that flag state may fish in the Frisian Front for the rest of this period.
How to apply
Fishing days are from 1 June to 30 November. You can apply for a fishing day by reporting to the Fisheries Monitoring Center (FMC). Send an e-mail to fmc@nvwa.nl. Do this between 72 and 24 hours before placing your fishing gear.
Do you want to apply for multiple fishing days? Submit a separate application for each day.
Send the FMC the following information:
- Your name, address and place of residence.
- The flag state and port letters and numbers.
- Which fishing gear you want to use.
- The date and time you want to place your gear.
- The date and time you want to remove your gear. Do this within 24 hours of placing the gear. Before removing, report this to the FMC by sending an e-mail to fmc@nvwa.nl. Do this at least 4 hours in advance.
You may only fish in the Frisian Front if you have received a confirmation from the FMC.
Central Oyster Grounds
The Central Oyster Grounds are protected by the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). With this framework, we protect this area and let nature restore itself. You cannot use bottom contacting gear.
Forbidden fishing gear in the Central Oyster Grounds
Forbidden fishing gear in the Central Oyster Grounds
| Fishing gear | Fishing gear code |
|---|---|
| Beam trawl | TBB |
| Bottom otter trawl | OTB |
| Otter twin trawl | OTT |
| Bottom pair trawl | PTB |
| Nephrops trawl | TBN |
| Shrimp trawl | TBS |
| Bottom trawl | TB |
| Boat dredge | DRB |
| Mechanised dredge | HMD |
| Scottisch pair seine | SPR |
| Danish anchor seine | SDN |
| Scottisch seine | SSC |
| Seine | SX |
| Boat or vessel seine | SV |
Cleaver Bank
The Cleaver Bank is protected by the Habitats Directive to maintain biodiversity. You cannot use bottom contacting gear.
Forbidden fishing gear in the Cleaver Bank
Forbidden fishing gear in the Cleaver Bank
| Fishing gear | Fishing gear code |
|---|---|
| Beam trawl | TBB |
| Bottom otter trawl | OTB |
| Otter twin trawl | OTT |
| Bottom pair trawl | PTB |
| Nephrops trawl | TBN |
| Shrimp trawl | TBS |
| Bottom trawl | TB |
| Boat dredge | DRB |
| Mechanised dredge | HMD |
| Scottisch pair seine | SPR |
| Danish anchor seine | SDN |
| Scottisch seine | SSC |
| Seine | SX |
| Boat or vessel seine | SV |
Dogger Bank
The Dogger Bank is protected by the Habitats Directive to maintain biodiversity. It is forbidden to use bottom contacting gear in 2 management zones of the Dogger Bank.
Forbidden fishing gear in the Dogger Bank
Forbidden fishing gear in the Dogger Bank
| Fishing gear | Fishing gear code |
|---|---|
| Beam trawl | TBB |
| Bottom otter trawl | OTB |
| Otter twin trawl | OTT |
| Bottom pair trawl | PTB |
| Nephrops trawl | TBN |
| Shrimp trawl | TBS |
| Bottom trawl | TB |
| Boat dredge | DRB |
| Mechanised dredge | HMD |
| Scottisch pair seine | SPR |
| Danish anchor seine | SDN |
| Scottisch seine | SSC |
| Seine | SX |
| Boat or vessel seine | SV |
German nature reserves
You cannot use certain fishing gear in these German nature reserves:
- Sylt Outer Reef, Borkum Reef Ground and Eastern German Bight: you cannot use bottom contacting gear.
- Sylter Outer Reef and the Eastern German Bight: you cannot use gillnets and entangling nets.
- Amrum Bank: you cannot fish in this area.
- Dogger Bank: you cannot use bottom contacting gear. See Dogger Bank for the whole list.
You can find more details on the Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE) website (in German). On this website, you will find maps of these areas and forbidden fishing gear. This page is only available in German.
Laws and regulations
Read all about the laws and regulations in the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/340. This is an amendment of the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/118.
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