Saltwater Fishing Regulations  
 

These regulations was last amended April 1,2009.

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.

Marine Recreational Fishing Limits for NY Waters

New York Marine Fisheries
Call: 516-444-0436 or 1-800-REGS-DEC

Species

Size Limits
(Total Length in Inches)

Daily Possession Limits
(Number of Fish)

Open Seasons

Summer flounder (fluke)

21'' TL

2

Open: May 15 - June 16 Closed: June 17-July 2:
 Open again July 3 to August 17 / Closed thereafter

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 - Dec 15

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

All year

Scup (Porgy)
Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats

11

10
45***

June 12 - Aug 31
Sept 1 - Oct 31***

Scup (Porgy)
All other anglers

10.5

10

May 24 - Sept 26

American eel

6

50

All year

Monkfish (goose fish)

17

See Reg's

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

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 5/16" carapace length

See Reg's 44.4

All year

American lobster+
LMA 4 (Atlantic Ocean, Rec. permit required)

3 3/8" carapace length

See Reg's 44.6

All year

** Marine waters -- South of George Washington Bridge
*** The customer of any party/charter boat who takes more than 25 scup from Sept 1 - Oct 31 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.

Recreational Fishing Regulations for Sharks

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
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.

  • Page applies to NYS Marine Costal District
  • On This Page:

Bureau of Marine Resources
Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources
205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York 11733
631-444-0430
email us

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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