Saltwater Fishing Regulations - Recreational
Update April 29, 2013:
The new 2013 recreational fishing regulations for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass have been adopted. For more background information on these regulations please refer to the DEC press release.
These regulations are also available as a printable PDF (35 KB).
Please check with the Bureau of Marine Resources (contact information at right) to ensure the fishing limits below are in effect. To read the actual regulations, please follow the links to the right: marine fish (6 NYCRR Part 40) or lobster and crabs (6 NYCRR Part 44).
Most anglers must enroll in the recreational marine fishing registry when fishing for the species listed below.
Effective Date: April 29, 2013
| Species | Size Limits (Total Length in Inches)* |
Daily Possession Limits (Number of Fish) |
Open Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer flounder (fluke) | 19 | 4 | May 1 - Sept 29 |
| 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 than 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 (south of George Washington Bridge) Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats |
28 | 2*** | Apr 15 - Dec 15 |
| Striped bass: marine waters (south of George Washington Bridge) All other anglers |
28 - 40 >40 |
1 1 |
Apr 15 - Dec 15 |
| Striped bass: Hudson River north of George Washington Bridge | 18 | 1 | Mar 16 - Nov 30 |
| Red drum | No minimum size | No limit for fish less than 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 | July 10 - Dec 31 |
| Scup (Porgy) |
10 |
30 |
May 1 - Dec 31 |
| Scup (Porgy) Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats |
10 |
30 |
May 1 - Dec 31 Sept 1 - Oct 31 |
| American eel | 6 | 50 | All year |
| Monkfish (goose fish) | 17 11 tail length |
Any number | All year |
| Anadromous river herring (alewife and blueback herring)# | Possession Prohibited | Possession Prohibited | Possession Prohibited |
| American Shad | Possession Prohibited | Possession Prohibited | Possession Prohibited |
| 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+ (Recreational permit required) | 3 3/8" minimum carapace length 51/4" maximum carapace length | 6 | All year |
*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 2 striped bass during April 15 to December 15 or more than 20 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.
| Category | Species | Minimum Size Limit | Daily Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allowed 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, except that one additional Atlantic Sharpnose and one additional Bonnethead may be taken and possessed per angler per trip. |
| Atlantic Sharpnose, Bonnethead, Finetooth, Blacknose | No size limit | ||
| Smooth Dogfish, Spiny Dogfish | No size limit | Any number | |
| Prohibited Sharks | Atlantic angel, Galapagos, Basking, Longfin mako, Bigeye sand tiger, Narrowtooth, Bigeye Sixgill, Night, Bigeye thresher, Sand tiger, Bignose, Caribbean reef, Caribbean sharpnose, Smalltail, Dusky, Whale, White+, Silky and Sandbar, Sharpnose sevengill, Bluntnose sixgill. | 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.
