Fishing Exam NRW: 60 Questions, Fish Identification, Practical Part – All Rules 2026

The exam is conducted by an examination board of the untere Fischereibehörde (lower fisheries authority) (district or district-free city); two assessors are nominated by the Fischereiverband NRW (state fisheries association). The supreme fisheries authority is the NRW Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection (MLV). The legal bases are § 31 of the Landesfischereigesetz NRW (revised by the Second Amending Act of 22 June 2026, in force since 1 July 2026) and the Verordnung über die Fischerprüfung (fishing exam regulations) of 26 November 1997 as amended by the regulation on the digitalisation of fishing licence administration of 1 July 2026 (in force since 3 July 2026). Since then the fishing licence has been issued online by the Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Ernährung (LAVE) or by the municipality.

The question paper contains 60 questions – 10 from each of the six subject areas general fish biology, special fish biology, water science and fish stock management, nature and animal protection, tackle and equipment, and fisheries law. Each question has three answers, one is correct. The time allowed is at most 60 minutes. Anyone who answers at least 45 questions correctly, including at least 6 from each subject area, passes (§ 5 and § 6 FischerprüfungsO). The questions come from Anlage 1 of the regulations: 359 questions, five of which (F 4, F 13, F 44, F 47, F 52) were deleted by decree of the ministry of 18 June 2026 with effect from 1 July 2026 – 354 are in force.

The exam has two further parts: in fish identification, 6 of the 49 picture boards (Anlage 3) are presented, and at least 4 fish must be named correctly. In tackle assembly (practical part, Anlage 2), one of the tasks A 1 to A 10 must be solved in front of the board – for example assembling a rod for eel, zander or trout in line with good angling practice; it is scored from 0 to 28 points, pass from 25, time at most 15 minutes. No answer key for the practical tasks is published. The Landesfischereigesetz provides for replacing the practical part from 2028 with a mandatory practical day as an admission requirement.

Anyone aged 12 is admitted (§ 4 FischerprüfungsO as amended on 3 July 2026; previously 13). A preparatory course is not mandatory, but courses run by clubs and associations are common. The exam fee is €50 (AVwGebO NRW, tariff item 7.7.2.1), the retake of a failed part €30. The lifetime fishing licence costs €18 online (€30 at the municipality), the fishing levy €14 per year online (€22 at the municipality) or €42 for five years. If one part is failed, it can be retaken; all parts must be passed.

The state publishes the questions of Anlage 1 without answers; no official answer key is publicly available from the ministry, the LANUV or the associations. The answers in ScheinFit come from mutually independent, non-official sources (Fischereiverein Rietberg 2009, ASV Vreden 2011, a learning series from 2021) and are only published if at least two sources agree without contradiction: 321 questions have been released this way, the rest remain under editorial review. Every question shows this provenance.

ScheinFit contains Anlage 1 unchanged, the 49 fish species of the picture boards (Anlage 3) as the “Identify fish” trainer and the ten practical tasks of Anlage 2 as learning material. The exam simulation sets 60 questions – 10 per subject area – in 60 minutes and grades according to the rule “45 in total and 6 per area”. Translations under every question (Persian, English, Arabic, Turkish) and explanations help you understand; the German text remains authoritative, because the exam is in German.