| SPECIES Shark Regulations |
SIZE LIMITS (Total Length in Inches) |
DAILY POSSESSION LIMITS (Number of Fish) |
OPEN SEASONS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer flounder (fluke) * | 17 | 7 | All year |
| Winter flounder | 11 | 15 | All state waters: 3rd Sat. in March - June 30 and Sept 15 - Nov 30 |
| Tautog (blackfish) | 14 | 10 | Oct 1 - May 31 |
| Bluefish (including "snappers") | No size limit | 10 | All year |
| Weakfish | 16 10 filleted 12 dressed |
6 | All year |
| Atlantic cod | 23 | 10 | All year |
| Pollock | 19 | Any number | All year |
| Haddock | 23 | 10 | All year |
| Striped bass; marine waters** | 28 | 1 | Apr 15 - Dec 15 |
| Striped bass; north of George Washington Bridge | 18 | 1 | March 16 - Nov 30 |
| Red drum | No minimum size | No limit for fish less then 27" TL. Fish greater than 27" shall not be possessed. |
All year |
| Spanish mackerel | 14 | 15 | All year |
| King mackerel | 23 | 3 | All year |
| Cobia | 37 | 2 | All year |
| Atlantic sturgeon | Moratorium | Moratorium | Moratorium |
| Black Sea Bass | 12 | 25 | Jan 1 - Sept 1 and Sept 16 - Nov 30 |
| Scup (Porgy) | 10 | 50 | All year |
| American eel | 6 | 50 | All year |
| Monkfish (goose fish) | 21 14 tail length |
Any number | All year |
| American Shad | No size limit | 5 | All year |
| Hickory Shad | No size limit | 5 | All year |
| Crabs ++ | No size limit | 50 | All year |
| American lobster ++ (Rec. permit required) |
3 1/4" carapace length | 6 | All year |
| Yellowtail flounder | 13 | Any number | All year |
| Horseshoe crabs | No size limit | 5 | All year |
* Summer flounder may not have heads or tails removed or be otherwise cleaned, cut, filleted, or skinned until brought to shore, with the following exception: the white side fillet or white skin only of a legal size fluke may be removed to use as bait. The carcass of the fluke with dark side completely intact must be retained for inspection of size limit and counts against the possession limit.
+ For the purposes of these regulations, Long Island Sound includes all adjacent bays and harbors.
** Marine waters -- South of George Washington Bridge
++ Lobsters and crabs in spawn (eggs visible thereon) may not be taken or possessed.
Check this web site periodically for changes in saltwater fishing regulations.
For further information call National Marine Fisheries Service Fisheries Information Line at (978) 281-9278
Laws and regulations are frequently amended by the Legislature or DEC. You should check with the Marine Fisheries office to ensure that the requirements set forth in this notice remain in effect.
| CATEGORY | SPECIES | MINIMUM SIZE LIMIT | DAILY POSSESSION LIMIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large and Small Coastal Sharks and Pelagic Sharks | Sandbar, Silky, Tiger, Blacktip, Bull, Great Hammerhead, Lemon, Nurse, Scalloped Hammerhead, Smooth Hammerhead, Spinner, Blacknose, Bonnethead, Finetooth, Blue, Shortfin mako, Oceanic whitetip, Thresher, Poreagle | 54 inches fork length* | One shark per vessel per trip |
| Large and Small Coastal Sharks and Pelagic Sharks (cont.) | Atlantic sharpnose | No size limit | One Atlantic sharpnose per person per trip |
| Prohibited Sharks | Atlantic angel, Galapagos, Basking, Longfin mako, Bigeye Sand Tiger, Narrowtooth, Bigeye Sixgill, Night, Bigeye Thresher, Sand tiger, Bignose, Sevengill, Carribean Reef, Sixgill, Carribean sharpnose, Smalltail, Dusky, Whale, and White+ | No possession allowed | No possession allowed |
* Fork length means the straightline measurement of a fish from the tip of
the snout to the fork of the tail.
The measurement is not made along the curve of the body.
+ A person may fish for white sharks with rod and reel, provided
the person releases such fish immediately with a minimum
of injury and that such fish may not be removed from the water.
Other provisions