Fish calendar
Fish days, fishing festivals, spawning seasons and fishing bans around the world.
November 2026
1 Nov to 30 Jun 2027Jatka ban, BangladeshFrom November to June, Bangladesh bans catching jatka, young hilsa under 25 cm, with full closures of river sanctuaries in spring.
21 Nov 2026World Fisheries DayA day for the world's fishing communities and the fish stocks they depend on, first marked in New Delhi in 1997.
January 2027
about 5 Jan 2027New Year tuna auction at ToyosuThe first auction of the year at Tokyo's Toyosu market, where a single bluefin tuna can fetch a record price.
about 9 to 31 Jan 2027Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice FestivalOne of the world's largest ice fishing festivals, on a frozen stream in Gangwon Province, South Korea, each January.
about 14 to 15 Jan 2027Magh Bihu and Uruka community fishingThe Assamese harvest festival, when villages fish their wetlands together on Uruka, the eve of Bhogali Bihu.February 2027
March 2027
7 to 9 Mar 2027Seafood Expo North AmericaNorth America's largest seafood trade show, held each March in Boston.
about 15 Mar to 11 Aug 2027Grunion runsOn spring and summer nights after the full and new moons, grunion wriggle up the beaches of California to spawn in the sand.
about 15 Mar to 12 Jul 2027Whale shark season at NingalooFrom about March to July, whale sharks gather off Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia to feed after the coral spawning.
about 15 Mar to 12 Jul 2027Whale shark season at NingalooFrom about March to July, whale sharks gather off Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia to feed after the coral spawning.April 2027
3 Apr 2027World Aquatic Animal DayA day on 3 April for the fish and other animals that live in water, first held in 2020.
about 9 Apr 2027Matsya JayantiThe Hindu day honouring Matsya, the fish form of Vishnu, kept on the third day of the bright half of Chaitra.
15 Apr to 14 Jun 2027Fishing ban, India's east coastFrom 15 April to 14 June, mechanised fishing stops off India's east coast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
20 to 22 Apr 2027Seafood Expo GlobalThe world's largest seafood trade fair, held each April at Fira de Barcelona.
about 30 Apr 2027Bangus FestivalDagupan in Pangasinan celebrates its milkfish farms with a month of events and a giant street grill.
about 9 Apr 2027Matsya JayantiThe Hindu day honouring Matsya, the fish form of Vishnu, kept on the third day of the bright half of Chaitra.
15 Apr to 14 Jun 2027Fishing ban, India's east coastFrom 15 April to 14 June, mechanised fishing stops off India's east coast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
20 to 22 Apr 2027Seafood Expo GlobalThe world's largest seafood trade fair, held each April at Fira de Barcelona.
about 30 Apr 2027Bangus FestivalDagupan in Pangasinan celebrates its milkfish farms with a month of events and a giant street grill.May 2027
1 May to 16 Aug 2027Summer fishing moratorium, ChinaFrom noon on 1 May, China stops most fishing in its seas for three to four and a half months, the world's largest seasonal closure.
2 May 2027World Tuna DayA United Nations day on 2 May for the tunas, among the most valuable and most fished fish in the world.
11 May to 15 Oct 2027Cormorant fishing season on the Nagara RiverFrom 11 May to 15 October, fishing masters in Gifu work trained cormorants by firelight to catch ayu.
11 May to 15 Oct 2027Cormorant fishing season on the Nagara RiverFrom 11 May to 15 October, fishing masters in Gifu work trained cormorants by firelight to catch ayu.June 2027
about 1 Jun to 30 Jul 2027Sardine runIn winter, vast shoals of sardines move up the east coast of South Africa, followed by sharks, dolphins and seabirds.
1 Jun to 31 Jul 2027Monsoon fishing ban, India's west coastFrom 1 June to 31 July, mechanised fishing stops off India's west coast while many fish spawn and the monsoon seas run high.
8 Jun 2027World Oceans DayThe United Nations day for the ocean, held on 8 June, with events at aquariums, beaches and reefs.
12 to 13 Jun 2027Feast of Saint Anthony, LisbonOn the night of 12 June the old quarters of Lisbon fill with street parties and grilled sardines for Santo António.
about 12 Jun 2027VlaggetjesdagFlag Day in the Dutch harbour of Scheveningen, welcoming the first new-season herring, the Hollandse Nieuwe.
about 20 Jun to 19 Jul 2027Bristol Bay sockeye runThe world's largest sockeye salmon run, peaking in early July in the rivers of Bristol Bay, southwest Alaska.July 2027
about 1 Jul to 30 Sept 2027Hilsa season in BengalWith the monsoon, hilsa swim from the Bay of Bengal up the Padma, Meghna and Hooghly to spawn, and the catch peaks.
10 Jul 2027National Fish Farmers' DayIndia's day for fish farmers, marking the first induced breeding of Indian major carps by Hiralal Chaudhuri and K. H. Alikunhi.
11 Jul 2027Fisherman's DayA professional holiday in Russia and several former Soviet states, held on the second Sunday of July.
14 Jul 2027Shark Awareness DayA July day for learning about sharks, many of which are now threatened by fishing for their fins and meat.
August 2027
about 17 Aug 2027Narali PurnimaThe Koli fisherfolk of the Konkan coast offer coconuts to the sea at the Shravan full moon, as the fishing season reopens.
19 Aug 2027Surströmming premiereThe third Thursday of August, when Swedes open the first cans of the year's fermented Baltic herring.
24 to 26 Aug 2027Aqua NorA large aquaculture technology exhibition, held in Trondheim, Norway, in August of odd-numbered years.
30 Aug 2027International Whale Shark DayA day on 30 August for the whale shark, the largest fish alive, which visits the coasts of Gujarat, the Philippines and Western Australia.
19 Aug 2027Surströmming premiereThe third Thursday of August, when Swedes open the first cans of the year's fermented Baltic herring.
24 to 26 Aug 2027Aqua NorA large aquaculture technology exhibition, held in Trondheim, Norway, in August of odd-numbered years.
30 Aug 2027International Whale Shark DayA day on 30 August for the whale shark, the largest fish alive, which visits the coasts of Gujarat, the Philippines and Western Australia.October 2027
about 1 to 25 Oct 2027Adams River sockeye runIn October, millions of red sockeye salmon return to spawn in the Adams River in British Columbia, with a peak every four years.
about 1 to 22 Oct 2027Mother hilsa fishing ban, BangladeshFor 22 days around the full moon of Ashwin, Bangladesh bans catching, selling and moving hilsa so the spawners can breed.
17 Oct 2027International Sawfish DayHeld each 17 October since 2017 for the sawfishes, rays with a toothed snout and among the most threatened fish in the sea.May 2028
about 20 May 2028World Fish Migration DayA day held every two years for fish that travel along rivers and between river and sea, and for removing the barriers in their way.
23 to 26 May 2028InterzooThe world's largest pet trade fair, held in Nuremberg every two years, with large halls for aquariums and ornamental fish.World days
Fishing festivals
Magh Bihu and Uruka community fishingMatsya JayantiNarali PurnimaArgungu Fishing FestivalBurial of the SardineFeast of Saint Anthony, LisbonVlaggetjesdagSurströmming premiereHwacheon Sancheoneo Ice FestivalBangus FestivalTuna Festival, General SantosCormorant fishing season on the Nagara RiverNew Year tuna auction at Toyosu
Seasons and runs
Fishing bans
Shows and conferences
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- World Oceans Day: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jay C. Pugh, Public domain, source
- World Fish Migration Day: Fishmigration, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Magh Bihu Fishing: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Matsya Jayanti: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
- Argungu Fishing Festival: Jaekel, Francis., Public domain, source
- Surstromming Premiere: Wrote, CC BY 2.0, source
- Nagara Cormorant Fishing: Keisai Eisen; Keisai Eisen died 1848; Takenouchi Magohachi (Hoeido), Public domain, source
- Toyosu New Year Tuna Auction: 江戸村のとくぞう, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sardine Run: Ocean Color Group, Public domain, source
- Adams River Sockeye Run: Theinterior, CC BY 3.0, source
- Bristol Bay Sockeye: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown, Public domain, source
- Ningaloo Whale Shark Season: Eugene Regis, CC BY 2.0, source