The licensing regime of fishing
Fishing in Georgia is recognized as the use of a state resource, and for that reason the Law on Licences and Permits places it in the list of use licences: a fishing licence is provided for. It must be said plainly: the detailed rules for the exploitation of wild fish resources — seasons, prohibited places, gear — are regulated by separate sectoral legislation; the basis of this page is precisely the licence-and-permit instruments.
The fishing licence belongs to the family of use licences — the same list contains the licences for the extraction of useful minerals, the use of subsurface space, oil and gas, hunting economy and others. This classification has a practical consequence: use licences are issued by auction, apart from the exceptions provided by law, and the general rules of auction extend to fishing as well.
Aquaculture permits
Moving to the artificial breeding of fish is regulated by other instruments: the list of permits provides for an aquaculture permit and an extensive aquaculture permit. The difference here is substantial: a licence regulates the use of a wild resource, while a permit regulates an activity. The qualification of a project therefore begins with a question: does the future operator intend to exploit the resource existing in a natural water body, or to breed it under artificial conditions. Both types of aquaculture are given as separate positions in the list — different permit routes are provided for intensive and extensive approaches. It is also noteworthy that the list includes an integrated environmental permit, which enters into force on 1 September 2026 — an instrument directed at the environmental dimension of industrial activity.