These regulations was last amended March 17,2015
Laws and regulations are frequently amended by the Legislature or DEC. You should check with the Bureau of Marine Resources to ensure that the requirements set forth in this notice remain in effect. 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.
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Species |
Size Limits
(Total Length in Inches) |
Daily Possession Limits
(Number of Fish) |
Open Seasons |
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Summer flounder (fluke) |
18' TL |
5 |
May 17 - Sept 21
|
|
Winter flounder |
12 |
2 |
April 1 - May 30 |
|
Tautog (blackfish) |
16 |
4 |
Oct 5 - Dec 14 |
|
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 |
1 |
All year |
|
Atlantic cod |
22 |
10 |
All year |
|
Pollock |
19 |
No limit |
All year |
|
Haddock |
18 |
No limit |
All year |
|
Striped bass; marine waters**
Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats |
28 |
2 |
Apr 15 - Dec 15 |
|
Striped bass; south of the George Washington Bridge
All other anglers |
28 |
1
|
Apr 15 - Dec 15 |
|
Striped bass; north of George Washington Bridge |
28 - 40
>40 |
1 |
April1 - 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 |
13 |
8 |
JJuly15-Dec31 |
|
Scup (Porgy)
Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats |
10 |
30
45 |
May 1 - Dec 31
Sept 1 - Oct 31 |
|
Scup (Porgy)
All other anglers |
10 |
30 |
May 1 - Dec 31 |
|
American eel |
9 |
25 for individuals and 50 for party/charter boats captain and crew |
All year |
| American eel NYC Harlem and East River and tributaries north to Troy Dam |
9 - 14 inches for bait only otherwise possession prohibited |
25 for bait only otherwise possession prohibited |
All year for bait only otherwise possession prohibited |
|
Monkfish (goose fish) |
17" 11" Tail Length
|
No Limit |
All year |
|
American Shad |
No Possession |
No Possession |
No Possession |
|
Hickory Shad |
No size limit |
5 |
All year |
|
Yellowtail flounder |
13 |
No limit |
All year |
|
Oyster toadfish |
10 |
3 |
Jan 1 - May 14 and July 16 - Dec 31 |
|
Horseshoe crabs |
No size limit |
5 ( See Reg's 44.8) |
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 3/8" min carapace length and 5 1/4 Max carapace length |
6 See Reg's 44.4 |
All year |
|
American lobster+
LMA 4 (Atlantic Ocean, Rec. permit required) |
3 3/8" min carapace length and 5 1/4 Max carapace length
|
See Reg's 44.6 |
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.
*Total length is the longest straight line measurement from the tip of the snout, with the mouth closed, to the longest lobe of the tail, with the lobes squeezed together, and the fish laid flat on the measuring device. Exception: Black sea bass are measured from the tip of the snout (or jaw), with the mouth closed, to the farthest extremity of the tail, not including the tail filament.
**Anglers aboard federally permitted party or charter vessels may possess any number of Atlantic cod, consistent with federal rules.
***A party/charter boat customer who lands and possesses more than 30 scup during September 1 - October 31 must obtain a dated original fare receipt from the licensed vessel.
# Anadromous river herring is defined in 6 NYCRR Part 10 (except the Hudson River and its tributaries and embayments north of the George Washington Bridge at river mile 11).
+ Lobsters and crabs with eggs may not be taken or possessed.
++ Peeler/shedder is when the crab is about to molt or shed its hard outer shell. At this stage, the crab has a fully formed soft shell beneath the hard outer shell. The impending shedding process is evident by the white coloration along the outer rim of the paddle-like appendages on the crab's fifth pair of legs.
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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, Blue, Shortfin mako, Oceanic whitetip, Porbeagle,
Common Thresher |
54 inches fork length* |
One shark per vessel per trip |
|
Large and Small Coastal Sharks and Pelagic Sharks (cont.) |
Atlantic sharpnose,Bonnethread,Blacknose Fine tooth,Smooth Dogfish and Spiny Dogfish |
No size limit |
One Atlantic sharpnose per person per trip |
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Prohibited Sharks |
Atlantic angel, Galapagos, Basking, Longfin mako, Bigeye sand tiger, Narrowtooth, Bigeye sixgill, Night, Bigeye thresher, Sand tiger, Bignose, Caribbean reef, Caribbean
sharpnose, Dusky, Whale, White+, Silky, Sandbar, Sharpnose Sevengill, Bluntnose Sixgill |
No possession allowed |
No possession allowed |
* Fork length means the straight-line 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 call National Marine Fisheries Service Fisheries Information Line at (978) 281-9278.
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Bureau of Marine Resources
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205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
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