Saltwater Fishing Regulations - Recreational
These regulations are effective April 28, 2009.
Please note: The summer flounder (fluke) and black sea bass regulations have changed.
Laws and regulations are frequently amended by the Legislature or DEC. You should check with the Bureau of Marine Resources to ensure that the fishing limits below are in effect. Our contact information is given in the column to the right. Links to the actual text of the marine finfish regulations (Part 40) are in the Related Links column to the right. The actual text for the lobster and crabs regulations (Part 44) are available there, too. A link to the print version of these regulations is also available in the column to the right.
| Species | Size Limits (Total Length in Inches) |
Daily Possession Limits (Number of Fish) |
Open Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer flounder (fluke) | 21 | 2 | May 15 - June 15 July 3 - Aug 17 |
| Winter flounder | 12 | 10 | April 1 - May 30 |
| Tautog (blackfish) | 14 | 4 |
Oct 1 - Dec 20 Jan 17 - Apr 30 |
| Bluefish (including "snappers") | No minimum size for first 10 fish 12 TL for the next 5 |
15 No more than 10 of which shall be less then 12" TL |
All year |
| Weakfish |
16 10 filleted 12 dressed |
6 |
All year |
| Atlantic cod | 22 | No limit | All year |
| Pollock | 19 | No limit | All year |
| Haddock | 19 | No limit | All year |
| Striped bass; marine waters** Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats |
28 | 2*** | Apr 15 - Dec 15 |
| Striped bass; marine waters** All other anglers |
28 - 40 >40 |
1 1 |
Apr 15 - Dec 15 |
| Striped bass; north of George Washington Bridge | 18 | 1 | Mar 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 | 12.5 | 25 | All year |
| Scup (Porgy) Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats |
11 | 10 45*** |
June 12 - Aug 31 Sept 1 - Oct 15*** |
| Scup (Porgy) All other anglers |
10.5 | 10 | May 24 - Sept 26 |
| American eel | 6 | 50 | All year |
| Monkfish (goose fish) | 17 11 tail length |
Any number | All year |
| American Shad | No size limit | 1 | All year |
| Hickory Shad | No size limit | 5 | All year |
| Yellowtail flounder | 13 | No limit | All year |
| Oyster toadfish | 10 | 3 | July 16 - May 14 |
| Horseshoe crabs | No size limit | 5 | All year |
| Blue Crab+ Hard Shell Soft Shell Peeler/Shedder++ |
4 1/2" 3 1/2" 3" |
50 | All year |
| All Other Crabs+ | No size limit | 50 | All year |
| American lobster+ LMA 6 (Long Island Sound, Rec. permit required) |
3 5/16" carapace length | 6 | All year |
| American lobster+ LMA 4 (Atlantic Ocean, Rec. permit required) |
3 3/8" carapace length | 6 | All year |
** Marine waters -- South of George Washington Bridge
*** The customer of any party/charter boat who takes more than 10 scup from Sept 1 - Oct 15 or takes two striped bass from Apr 15 - Dec 15 must possess an original dated receipt from the licensed vessel.
+ Lobsters and crabs in spawn (eggs visible thereon) may not be taken or possessed.
++ Peeler or shedder crabs are hard blue crabs which have a fully formed soft shell beneath the hard outer shell and the impending shedding process is evidenced by the white sign along the outer rim of the paddle-like appendages on the crab's fifth pair of legs.
| Category | Species | Minimum Size Limit | Daily Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large and Small Coastal Sharks and Pelagic Sharks | 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, Bonnethead | No size limit | One Atlantic sharpnose per person per trip. One Bonnecthead 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, White+, Silky and Sandbar. | 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
All landed sharks must have head, tails and fins attached.
No sale allowed.
No finning.
For further information about catching and landing sharks call National Marine Fisheries Service Fisheries Information Line at (978) 281-9278.
