YES! Updated 2018 New York State Saltwater Fishing Regulations

Yes, there is a Spring Blackfish season!

Effective Date: March 30, 2018

Marine Recreational Fishing Limits
Species	Size Limits (1) (Total Length in Inches)	Possession Limits (Number of Fish)	Open Seasons
Winter Flounder	12	2	April 1 – May 30
Striped Bass: Hudson River (north of George Washington Bridge)	18 – 28 or >40	1	April 1 – Nov 30
Striped Bass: marine waters (south of George Washington Bridge)	28	1	April 15 – Dec 15
Scup (Porgy)	9	30	May 1 – Dec 31
Scup (Porgy) (2) Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats	9 9 9	30 45 30	May 1 – Aug 31 Sept 1 – Oct 31 Nov 1 – Dec 31
Summer flounder (fluke) (3)	19	4	May 4 – Sept 30
Black Sea Bass	15	3 8 10	June 27 – Aug 31 Sept 1 – Oct 31 Nov 1 – Dec 31
Oyster Toadfish	10	3	July 16 – May 14
Tautog (blackfish): Long Island Sound Region Marine and coastal district waters lying east of the Throgs Neck Bridge and west of a line that runs from Orient Point, NY to Watch Hill, RI	16	2 3	April 1 – April 30 Oct 11 – Dec 9
Tautog (blackfish): NY Bight Region Marine and coastal district waters lying outside of the Long Island Sound Region	16	2 4	April 1 – April 30 Oct 15 – Dec 22
American Eel	9	25 for individuals 50 for anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats	All year
American Eel (New York City: Harlem and East Rivers, Hudson River north to Troy Dam)	9 – 14 for use as bait only, otherwise possession prohibited	25 for use as bait only, otherwise possession prohibited	All year
Atlantic cod (4)	22	10	All year
Atlantic menhaden	No size limit	100	All year
Bluefish (including “snappers”)	No size limit 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
Cobia	37	2	All year
Haddock	18	No limit	All year
Hickory Shad	No size limit	5	All year
King mackerel	23	3	All year
Monkfish (goosefish)	17 or 11″ tail length	No limit	All year
Pollock	19	No limit	All year
Red drum	No size limit	No limit for fish less than 27″ TL Fish greater than 27″ TL shall not be possessed	All year
Spanish mackerel	14	15	All year
Weakfish	16 10″ filleted (5) 12″ dressed (6)	1	All year
Yellowtail flounder	13	No limit	All year
Anadromous river herring (alewife and blueback herring) (north of George Washington Bridge)(7) See Tidal Hudson River Regulations (leaving DEC website to official Fishing Regulations Guide vendor website)	No size limit	10 per angler or 50 per boat	March 15 – June 15
Anadromous river herring (alewife and blueback herring) (south of George Washington Bridge)	No possession	No possession allowed	No possession allowed
American shad	No possession	No possession allowed	No possession allowed
Atlantic sturgeon	Moratorium	No possession allowed	No possession allowed

(1) 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.
(2) 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.
(3) 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.
(4) Anglers aboard federally permitted party or charter vessels may possess any number of Atlantic cod, consistent with federal rules.
(5) The fillet length is the longest straight line measurement from end to end of any fleshy side portion of the fish cut lengthwise away from the backbone, which must have the skin intact, laid flat on the measuring device.
(6) Dressed length is the longest straight line measurement from the most anterior portion of the fish, with the head removed, to the longest lobe of the caudal fin(tail), with the caudal fin intact and with the lobes squeezed together, laid flat on the measuring device.
(7) 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).

Recreational Fishing Regulations for Sharks
Category	Species	Minimum Size Limit	Daily Possession Limit
Allowed Sharks	Tiger, Blacktip, Bull, Lemon, Nurse, Spinner, Blue, Shortfin mako, Oceanic whitetip, Porbeagle, Common Thresher, Blacknose	54 inches fork length (8)	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.
	Great hammerhead, Scalloped hammerhead, Smooth hammerhead	78 inches fork length (8)
	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 (9), Silky and Sandbar, Sharpnose sevengill, Bluntnose sixgill.	No possession allowed	No possession allowed

(8) 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.
(9) 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. Sharks, excluding spiny dogfish, shall not be taken for commercial or recreational purposes by baited hooking except with the use of non-stainless steel non-offset circle hooks. No person shall conduct, sponsor or participate in any shark tournament unless said tournament’s rules and regulations require the exclusive use of non-stainless steel, non-offset circle hooks.

Recreational Crab, Lobster, and Whelk Limits
Species	Minimum Size (Inches)	Daily Possession Limit	Open Season
American lobster (10) Recreational permit required	3 3/8″ minimum carapace length 5 1/4″ maximum carapace length	6	LMA 4: closed April 30 – May 31 LMA 6: closed Sept 8 – Nov 28 All other LMAs: open all yearDescriptions & locations of lobster management areas (LMAs) are available in Part 44: Lobster and Crab Regulations (link leaves DEC website)
Blue crab (10) Hard shell Soft shell Peeler/Shedder (11)	4 1/2″ 3 1/2″ 3″	50	All year
Crabs (except blue or blue-claw crabs)	No size limit	50	All year
Horseshoe crabs	No size limit	5	All year
Whelk	No size limit	24	All year

(10) Lobsters and crabs with eggs may not be taken or possessed.
(11) Peeler/shredder 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.
Other provisions: Terrapin Excluder Devices (TEDs) must be used on all non-collapsible crab pots or traps that are fished in creeks, coves, rivers, tributaries, and near-shore harbors of the Marine and Coastal District. TEDs shall be securely fastened inside each funnel entrance of the crab pot to effectively reduce the size of the funnel opening to no larger than 4-3/4 inch by 1-3/4 inch. An interactive map (link leaves DEC’s website) is available for reference.

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