During 1 May – 31 October:
- Zone A: no vessel may enter or moor / anchor; marked by circular yellow buoys separated by 75 m; no fishing.
- Zone B: vessels may enter but maximum speed is 6 knots; no mooring / anchoring; there are 3 lighted buoys.
- Zone C / Γ: conical shaped buoys spaced 150 metres; maximum speed is 6 knots; fishing allowed.
In the wider NMPZ area you should travel at low speed to avoid colliding with turtles; no spear fishing is allowed.
Despite these rules, in 2022 there were recorded violations, including 1803 incidents of boats exceeding the 6 knots speed limit, as well as 39 incidents of boats in Zone A, and 79 incidents of boats anchoring in Zone B, both of which are designated Nature Protection Zones.
If a turtle is hit by a vessel this will likely result in a severe injury or even death! In 2022 there were 49 sea turtle strandings recorded on Zakynthos, 43 out of the 49 strandings were dead turtles, and the remaining 6 were injured, with 10 of the incidents being a clear result of a boat collision.
